Friday, December 31, 2010

Salem Chapel - Chronicles of Carlingford

Salem Chapel
by Mrs. Oliphant
Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1865

Book 4 in the Chronicles of Carlingford.
First published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, February 1862 to January 1863.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Rector and The Doctor's Family - Chronicles of Carlingford

The Rector and The Doctor's Family
by Mrs. Oliphant
Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1870
Books 2 and 3 in The Chronicles of Carlingford
  • Book 2 - The Rector - first published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 90, September 1861
  • Book 3 - The Doctor's Family - first published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volumes 90-91, October 1861 to January 1862

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Executor - Chronicles of Carlingford

The Executor
Book 1 in The Chronicles of Carlingford
by Mrs. Oliphant
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1862

First published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,

Volume 89, May 1861

The Executor is the opening story in Mrs. Oliphant's popular series centered in the fictional town of Carlingford. It is a short story and introduces the reader to some of the major characters who will appear throughout the series.

The second story in the series, The Doctor's Family, is published in this same Harper & Brothers edition beginning on page 50.


Sunday, December 26, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Old Sue the Tug-Mule - by Thomas Nelson Page

Old Sue the Tug-Mule
by Robert Nelson Page
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol 85, 1892, p 157

This very short story was published in the Editor's Drawer section of Harper's New Monthly Magazine in 1892 and included in later collections of stories by Thomas Nelson Page. While Page is noted for his use of Negro dialect, and this story is an example of that use, what was of interest to me was the vignette of Richmond, Virginia that this story gives. The action is centered on the intersection of 9th and Main Streets. Old Sue, a tug-mule, was hitched to streetcars making the turn to go up the hill on 9th to Broad Street. As I know the intersection of 9th and Broad well (the Library of Virginia is located there today), it was fascinating to get a glimpse of the past.

The narrator of the story tells us that he was able to see the intersection of 9th and Main from his office window. I know that Page practiced law in Richmond for a time, but I have no idea where his office was located. Nor do I know if this story is pure fiction or based on observations Page himself made. In either case, it is a fascinating vignette of Richmond in the late 19th century.

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Bachelor's Christmas - by Robert Grant

The Bachelor's Christmas
by Robert Grant
In The Bachelor's Christmas and Other Stories
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902

A charming Christmas story, one of my favorites!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Indian Summer - by W. D. Howells

Indian Summer
by William Dean Howells
Boston: Tiknor and Company, 1886

Set in Florence, this novel gives a view of the American community there in the 1880s. It was apparently a sizeable community and quite active. The setting is of interest for it depicts Florence at the time that Henry James and Constance Fenimore Woolson were there.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Mr. Rochester's Virginia Equivalent

Today in the mail I received a reprint of the diary of Elizabeth Lindsay Lomax written in Washington DC between the years 1854 and 1863. It is a charming diary, full of observations of her family, the weather, and other Washington residents. I had ordered it thinking there might be some useful information for a project I was considering.

In the entry for February 3, 1854 she writes: "Raining, snowing, blowing. Stormy without but cozy within. A perfect day for reading by one's own fireside. I have been absorbed in reading Jane Eyre. The characters must have been drawn from life with remarkable sincerity. I once knew a man like Rochester. George Wycke of Virginia. A most fascinating person."

Of course I immediately googled George Wycke but couldn't find much. There was a man by that name in Surry County, Virginia, but that's about all I could find about him. I will continue to search, for I'd like to know how he was like Mr. Rochester.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tolstoy's Complete Works in English

I have organized my digital collection of the Complete Works of Tolstoy as translated and edited by Leo Wiener and published by Dana Estes & Company in Boston and J. M. Dent & Company in London in 1904-1905. It's not that I think Wiener was the best translator of Tolstoy; I don't. In my opinion Louise and Aylmer Maude were the best 19th century translators of Tolstoy's work, and Tolstoy apparently agreed. The reason I have collected Wiener's translations is that they are readily available at Google Books, although it does take some persistence to find and download them all. (I'm still looking for Volume 18.) The Estes and Dent editions match up volume by volume in terms of content and publication date. Here is a chart showing what I have downloaded from Google Books:

Complete Works of Tolstoy
Leo Wiener, editor and translator
Boston: Dana Estes & Company
London: J.M. Dent & Company

(In my digital library as of 12-7-2010)


Volume 1

Childhood, Boyhood and Youth

London: J.M. Dent & Co. 1904

Volume 2

A Landed Proprietor
The Cossacks
Sevastopol

Boston: Dana Estes & Company, 1904

Volume 3

A Moscow Acquaintance
The Snot-Storm
Domestic Happiness
Miscellaneous

Boston: Dana Estes & Company, 1904

Volume 4

Pedagogical Articles
Linen-Measurer

London: J.M. Dent & Co. 1904

Volume 5

War and Peace Vol 1

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 6

War and Peace Vol 2

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 7

War and Peace Vol 3

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 8

War and Peace Vol 4 - Epilogue

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 9

Anna Karenina Vol 1

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 10

Anna Karenina Vol 2

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 11

Anna Karenina Vol 3

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 12

Fables for Children
Stories for Children
Natural Science Stories
Popular Education
Decembrists
Moral Tales

New York and Boston: Colonial Press Co.

Volume 13

My Confession
Critique of Dogmatic Theology

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 14

The Four Gospels Harmonized and Translated, Vol 1

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 15

The Four Gospels Harmonized and Translated, Vol 2

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 16

My Religion
Thoughts on God and the Meaning of Life

London: J.M. Dent & Co. 1904

Volume 17

What Shall We Do Then?
On the Moscow Census
Collected Articles

London: J.J. Dent & Co. 1904

Volume 18



Volume 19

Walk in the Light While Ye Have Light
Thoughts and Aphorisms
Letters
Miscellanies

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1905

Volume 20

The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Christianity and Patriotism
Miscellanies

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1905

Volume 21

Resurrection Vol 1

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 22

Resurrection Vol 2
What is Art?
The Christian Teaching

Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1904

Volume 23

Miscellaneous Letters and Essays

Boston: Dana Estes & Company 1905

Volume 24

Latest Works
Life
General Index
Bibliography

London: J.M. Dent & Co. 1905


Monday, December 6, 2010

Miss Godwin's Inheritance - by Thomas Nelson Page

Miss Godwin's Inheritance
by Thomas Nelson Page
First published in Scribner's Magazine, 1904

A story of character. This is a wonderful story. Set mostly in Maine, it tells the story of Hortensia Davison, a widow in her forties residing in an unnamed Southern city, who has wearied of the emptiness of society. She buys a house in southern Maine with the view of restoring the house and gardens to their former glory. In the process, she comes to know a local, Miss Godwin, who embodies all that Mrs. Davison had found lacking in her life. This is a beautiful story, and the portrayal of Miss Godwin is one of the best I have ever read.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thomas Nelson Page

Thomas Nelson Page
Portrait from The Book Buyer, Vol 14, February - July 1897, page 241
Biography from Library of Southern Literature, Vol 9, 1907

Saturday, December 4, 2010

A Dark Night's Work - by Elizabeth Gaskell

A Dark Night's Work
by Elizabeth Gaskell
London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1863

Click here for a review of this story of deception by Elizabeth Gaskell. The review was published in The British Quarterly Review, Volume 45, January and April, 1867, page 415, last paragraph on the page.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Margery - by E. F. Benson

Margery
by E. F. Benson
Garden City NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1911

"The central issue in Margery, by E. F. Benson, is whether a young woman, replete with the joy of living, can find happiness in marriage with a man who has never in his life known a passion warmer than his delight in Grecian urns and Tanagra figurines." (Review in The Bookman, Volume 34, 1912, p 311.)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Dr. Lavendar's People - by Margaret Deland

Dr. Lavendar's People
by Margaret Deland
New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1903

In the fictional town of Old Chester, Pennsylvania Margaret Deland created a delightful series of short stories and novels. Reminiscent of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell and the Mitford series by Jan Karon, the books are full of charm. Dr. Lavendar is the town's Episcopal minister. He was beloved by readers in Margaret Deland's time, his faith full of common sense, compassion, empathy and practicality. These novels and stories are delightful to read.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Washington Square - by Henry James

Washington Square
by Henry James
New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1901

Originally published in 1880 in Cornhill Magazine and Harper's New Monthly Magazine.