This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1Django6924
Just finished the HP edition of Bleak House. My copy is the 2nd issue of this title, as the Sandglass is VII:18, which means it was issued in December, 1953 (the first edition was December, 1942).The illustrations, by Robert Ball, are in his typical style of pencil drawing with pastel coloring for the full-page plates, and a detailed pencil sketch for each of the 72 chapters. I consider these full page portraits of the major characters some of the best illustrations for the HP Dickens series, avoiding the caricature which mars some of the others (William Sharp's illustrations for The Old Curiosity Shop), and the lack of faithfulness to the text which I find annoying in Ardizzone's illustrations for Great Expectations. The paper has a nice texture (the Sandglass doesn't provide information about the maker), and the letterpress printing is excellent--"very readable" as the Sandglass states, and I concur heartedly, having just finished reading another novel which, though only half the length of Bleak House, was printed in a very cramped font with parsimonious leading.
Indeed, the Sandglass makes the claim that this is one of the most readable of all editions of Dickens; considering the length of the majority of Dickens' work, and his tendency to overelaborate plots and occasionally ramble, which tendency is in full flower in Bleak House, this is an excellent reason to consider the HP Dickens series.
Production details aside, this novel, which I had never read before, I found to be one of the most compelling of the author's works. The multitude of characters and subplots are held together by the solving of the mystery behind Esther's birth and the unraveling of the Jarndyce & Jarndyce legacy, all of which serves the author's purpose in criticizing the social order.
Incidentally, what motivated my reading of the book after it sat on my shelf so many years, was a reference to the writer Leigh Hunt in an article I was reading about Shelley's drowning and funeral. The article mentioned that Hunt was the model for the irresponsible Harold Skimpole in the book. Now one of the lesser-known Macy publications was Hunt's Table Talk. This was a 1948 Christmas gift "For the Friends of George & Helen Macy." There is no colophon so I don't know how many copies were printed, and no information about the paper or printer, though both are exquisite.
Indeed, the Sandglass makes the claim that this is one of the most readable of all editions of Dickens; considering the length of the majority of Dickens' work, and his tendency to overelaborate plots and occasionally ramble, which tendency is in full flower in Bleak House, this is an excellent reason to consider the HP Dickens series.
Production details aside, this novel, which I had never read before, I found to be one of the most compelling of the author's works. The multitude of characters and subplots are held together by the solving of the mystery behind Esther's birth and the unraveling of the Jarndyce & Jarndyce legacy, all of which serves the author's purpose in criticizing the social order.
Incidentally, what motivated my reading of the book after it sat on my shelf so many years, was a reference to the writer Leigh Hunt in an article I was reading about Shelley's drowning and funeral. The article mentioned that Hunt was the model for the irresponsible Harold Skimpole in the book. Now one of the lesser-known Macy publications was Hunt's Table Talk. This was a 1948 Christmas gift "For the Friends of George & Helen Macy." There is no colophon so I don't know how many copies were printed, and no information about the paper or printer, though both are exquisite.
2Jan7Smith
I finished Brentano's (1906) The Life of Benvenuto Cellini two vol. set and his ups and downs were unbelievable at times. There were many devious people in his life. I enjoyed the book although the ending was abrupt for such a long read.
I just finished
The Man without a Country - HP edition and for a short story, it really makes one think of what our country should mean to us and love and respect it.
I just finished
The Man without a Country - HP edition and for a short story, it really makes one think of what our country should mean to us and love and respect it.
3Django6924
>2 Jan7Smith:
Some of what Cellini claims seems unbelievable, but as for his ups and downs, when you read much about the Italian Renaissance, you realize that whatever our problems today, it's a walk in the park on a spring day in comparison. (And yes, it's too bad they don't assign Hale's story in school any more).
Some of what Cellini claims seems unbelievable, but as for his ups and downs, when you read much about the Italian Renaissance, you realize that whatever our problems today, it's a walk in the park on a spring day in comparison. (And yes, it's too bad they don't assign Hale's story in school any more).
4BuzzBuzzard
Just recently finished Far from the Madding Crowd. It is not my favorite Hardy but design wise the LEC is quite sympathetic. I scored a fine copy with the original engraving for a small change. Still can’t quite figure out where did this title come from.
5Django6924
>4 BuzzBuzzard: "where did this title come from"
The source of the title (is that what you were asking?) is from Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard":
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way...
Illustrated by Ms. Parker as well!
That poem is a major source of famous quotes.
The source of the title (is that what you were asking?) is from Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard":
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way...
Illustrated by Ms. Parker as well!
That poem is a major source of famous quotes.
6BuzzBuzzard
>5 Django6924: Thank you! Always something new to learn. The LEC Elegy is epic in my opinion.
7Jan7Smith
I enjoyed reading the LEC 2 vol. Tartarin of Tarascon which is the tiniest of the LECs I own at 6 3/16" x 4 5/8". The text size was a pleasing size in spite of the small book size. The main character is so much like Don Quixote that I kept thinking of that book as I read it. This is much shorter though, refreshing after several very lengthy books I read lately.
I think I may read George Eliot's Middlemarch next although I haven't found an edition with a nice text/font/spacing that makes a comfortable reading experience.
I think I may read George Eliot's Middlemarch next although I haven't found an edition with a nice text/font/spacing that makes a comfortable reading experience.
8asburytr
I am reading The Counterfeiters by Gide and Oblamov by Goncharov. For Halloween I read Carmilla for the first time by Le Fanu which was interesting to compare to Dracula. I read an annotated version of Dracula which gave me an appreciation for how many plot points and details Stoker worked to include as well as info on previous texts in the vampire genre; would have enjoyed the same with Carmilla. Besides in the first few chapters I didn' find Dracula very scary, more suspenseful. Carmilla definitely spooked me a little bit.
9Django6924
Jan, I owe a debt of gratitude to George Macy and the LEC for introducing me to the Daudet work. Despite being a lit major, I had never heard of Tartarin of Tarascon until I saw the two volumes in a bookstore, and intrigued by the quality of the production alone, I bought it. I found it to be a most enjoyable read.
>8 asburytr:
I'll have to see if I can find a copy of Carmilla. Way back when I was in college I saw the French film based on it, "Blood and Roses," and though I found it somewhat portentous, it had a disturbing quality that I felt must be due more to the original story than the filmmaker's contributions. Having read the Folio Society edition of Uncle Silas in the last few years, I have a much greater respect for Le Fanu.
>8 asburytr:
I'll have to see if I can find a copy of Carmilla. Way back when I was in college I saw the French film based on it, "Blood and Roses," and though I found it somewhat portentous, it had a disturbing quality that I felt must be due more to the original story than the filmmaker's contributions. Having read the Folio Society edition of Uncle Silas in the last few years, I have a much greater respect for Le Fanu.
10Django6924
Not a Macy book, but staring at me from my TBR pile was the First Edition Library copy of Mailer's The Naked and the Dead. It has been there for quite a while, as I had seen the old film version with Cliff Robertson and Raymond Massey over a half century ago, and never cared much for it, nor for the articles Mailer wrote for Esquire back in the 1960s. With the approach of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, I thought I should tackle it due to its reputation as one of the best novels to come out of WWII.
The film frankly turned the novel on its head, not only removing the cruder language that would have been unacceptable (back then), but injecting a positive element at odds with the nihilistic tone of the novel. At the time the book was published, this attitude was probably seen as a fresh, more realistic appraisal of the conflict, and a necessary antidote to the gung-ho propaganda of the war years.
Since then, I'm not sure if the novel has undergone a critical re-appraisal, but from my own viewpoint, is was considerably overrated then. It takes over 700 pages of often verbose description to tell the story; Harry Brown told a very similar story:about a detachment of soldiers, representative of the American GI in WWII, sent on a mission which results in several casualties, in A Walk in the Sun, which is a quarter of the length of The Naked and the Dead. I personally found Brown's story far more interesting, and a better analysis of the nature of leadership in wartime, and of the unique bond between soldiers--especially the citizen-soldier as opposed to the professional soldier. The dialogue in A Walk in the Sun contains none of the profanity of Mailer's soldiers, and may, by some, be considered less realistic, but to me it's the difference between art and reportage.
During the war, Macy compiled 2 special Heritage Press publications, A Soldier's Reader and A Sailor's Reader which were designed for serviceman and not as Heritage Club publications. These books included authors whose only appearances in the Macy canon were represented here, such as James Thurber, by "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and John Cheever by "Sergeant Limeburner." It was a patriotic gesture by Macy, who was a fervid patriot himself and whose many activities during war, both in keeping the book companies afloat as well as contributing in several ways to the war effort, led to a nervous breakdown. Today (November 11) seems like a good day to look at those 2 books.
The film frankly turned the novel on its head, not only removing the cruder language that would have been unacceptable (back then), but injecting a positive element at odds with the nihilistic tone of the novel. At the time the book was published, this attitude was probably seen as a fresh, more realistic appraisal of the conflict, and a necessary antidote to the gung-ho propaganda of the war years.
Since then, I'm not sure if the novel has undergone a critical re-appraisal, but from my own viewpoint, is was considerably overrated then. It takes over 700 pages of often verbose description to tell the story; Harry Brown told a very similar story:about a detachment of soldiers, representative of the American GI in WWII, sent on a mission which results in several casualties, in A Walk in the Sun, which is a quarter of the length of The Naked and the Dead. I personally found Brown's story far more interesting, and a better analysis of the nature of leadership in wartime, and of the unique bond between soldiers--especially the citizen-soldier as opposed to the professional soldier. The dialogue in A Walk in the Sun contains none of the profanity of Mailer's soldiers, and may, by some, be considered less realistic, but to me it's the difference between art and reportage.
During the war, Macy compiled 2 special Heritage Press publications, A Soldier's Reader and A Sailor's Reader which were designed for serviceman and not as Heritage Club publications. These books included authors whose only appearances in the Macy canon were represented here, such as James Thurber, by "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and John Cheever by "Sergeant Limeburner." It was a patriotic gesture by Macy, who was a fervid patriot himself and whose many activities during war, both in keeping the book companies afloat as well as contributing in several ways to the war effort, led to a nervous breakdown. Today (November 11) seems like a good day to look at those 2 books.
11BuzzBuzzard
A few years ago I discovered Heinrich Boll in his WWII stories. Not a Macy book either but in a solid Franklin Library short story collection. I also just finished my third Dickens novel - Oliver Twist. While I liked it it fell short of David Copperfield and Great Expectations. Too many happy coincidences and for me the way Monks was forced to confess was not quite convincing. Reading Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde now and have to say that Wilson did an admirable job here.
12jveezer
I'm reading the LEC the Story of an African Farm to review for my blog but it's slow getting started and I got distracted by some other books from presses I haven't covered. Hope to get back to it before the end of the year...
13Django6924
>12 jveezer:
An interesting book, j, but as you say, paced leisurely for most readers. I think if you can stick with it, you will see why it was included as an LEC.
Since your daughter once worked at Arion Press, I'm sure you saw that Andrew Hoyem is finally retiring. Although I have always had reservations about the books the AP selected to print, and especially the illustrations, we must acknowledge we are witnessing the end of a phenomenon. As the successor of the Grabhorn Press, the Arion Press under Mr. Hoyem has upheld, in the face of changing taste and economies, the art of fine press in California, when most other establishments here--the Ward Ritchie Press, the Allen Press, etc.--have long since disappeared. Ave atque vale, Andrew, and thank you.
Incidentally, the Arion Press will continue on, and one of its forthcoming publications will be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; the illustrator is San Francisco-based Tim Hawkinson. From the pictures I've seen online, he seems to be primarily a sculptor, but he did an interesting set of what I assumed were manipulations of photos of a face (his?) using what appears to be the Puppet tool in Photoshop, but may be some other morphing technology. Although I don't usually care for photographs used as illustrations in fine press books, I can see where this approach might be applicable to Frankenstein. I doubt it will supersede Lynd Ward's illustrations which I find the best ever for this tale, but I've never been a 100% fan of Everett Henry's illustrations for the LEC/HP Frankenstein.
An interesting book, j, but as you say, paced leisurely for most readers. I think if you can stick with it, you will see why it was included as an LEC.
Since your daughter once worked at Arion Press, I'm sure you saw that Andrew Hoyem is finally retiring. Although I have always had reservations about the books the AP selected to print, and especially the illustrations, we must acknowledge we are witnessing the end of a phenomenon. As the successor of the Grabhorn Press, the Arion Press under Mr. Hoyem has upheld, in the face of changing taste and economies, the art of fine press in California, when most other establishments here--the Ward Ritchie Press, the Allen Press, etc.--have long since disappeared. Ave atque vale, Andrew, and thank you.
Incidentally, the Arion Press will continue on, and one of its forthcoming publications will be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; the illustrator is San Francisco-based Tim Hawkinson. From the pictures I've seen online, he seems to be primarily a sculptor, but he did an interesting set of what I assumed were manipulations of photos of a face (his?) using what appears to be the Puppet tool in Photoshop, but may be some other morphing technology. Although I don't usually care for photographs used as illustrations in fine press books, I can see where this approach might be applicable to Frankenstein. I doubt it will supersede Lynd Ward's illustrations which I find the best ever for this tale, but I've never been a 100% fan of Everett Henry's illustrations for the LEC/HP Frankenstein.
14BuzzBuzzard
Recently I upgraded my copy of Batouala and gave it a try. In the words of Ernest Hemingway: You smell the smells of the village, you eat its food, you see the white man as the black man sees him, and after you have lived in the village you die there. That is all there is to the story, but when you have read it, you have been Batouala, and that means that it is a great novel. A worthwhile read in an exquisite presentation.
Now I am off to The Red and the Black. Very interesting story in another nice Macy edition.
Now I am off to The Red and the Black. Very interesting story in another nice Macy edition.
15Jan7Smith
>14 BuzzBuzzard: You are so artful with your reviews I immediately think I must have that book, BUT...my book funds are depleted. Stop tempting me!
16BuzzBuzzard
>15 Jan7Smith: It was not me. It was Hemingway!
17Jan7Smith
>16 BuzzBuzzard: The latter two sentences are yours I think...enticing!
18Jan7Smith
I just finished reading George Eliot's Middlemarch and it may be my most rewarding reading experience. It is very long and I just slowly made my way through it and it will stick with me for quite a while. Eliot is without a doubt a brilliant writer and I will read many of her other books in the near future.
So glad I invested in her complete works recently.
My only disappointment is that I couldn't read it as a Macy LEC edition.
The Sully and Kleinteich University Edition is very satisfying in the absence of a Macy offering.
So glad I invested in her complete works recently.
My only disappointment is that I couldn't read it as a Macy LEC edition.
The Sully and Kleinteich University Edition is very satisfying in the absence of a Macy offering.
19Django6924
>18 Jan7Smith:
Jan, the absence of Middlemarch as an LEC or HP has always been inexplicable for me. I think it superior to the novels I've read of any other Victorian writer, with the exception of a few of Dickens' novels and Thackeray's Vanity Fair. (I apologize to the fans of Thomas Hardy for not including his works, but they are just not to my taste.)
I read a few more Imaginary Conversations last night. Landor's imagination is quite fertile in providing these famous figures with very interesting dialogues (albeit I can't say as I care for his use of archaisms to create period verisimilitude--one of the toughest jobs for writers who depict historical events is how to give the speech of characters a period flavor without resorting to "thee" and "thou" and "verily." Despite the diction issue, these Imaginary Conversations are fun to read, and the Officina Bodoni presentation, makes one long for the days when bookmaking of this quality was affordable for devoted readers who weren't commodities traders or hedge-fund managers.
Jan, the absence of Middlemarch as an LEC or HP has always been inexplicable for me. I think it superior to the novels I've read of any other Victorian writer, with the exception of a few of Dickens' novels and Thackeray's Vanity Fair. (I apologize to the fans of Thomas Hardy for not including his works, but they are just not to my taste.)
I read a few more Imaginary Conversations last night. Landor's imagination is quite fertile in providing these famous figures with very interesting dialogues (albeit I can't say as I care for his use of archaisms to create period verisimilitude--one of the toughest jobs for writers who depict historical events is how to give the speech of characters a period flavor without resorting to "thee" and "thou" and "verily." Despite the diction issue, these Imaginary Conversations are fun to read, and the Officina Bodoni presentation, makes one long for the days when bookmaking of this quality was affordable for devoted readers who weren't commodities traders or hedge-fund managers.
20Constantinopolitan
>18 Jan7Smith: Yes Middlemarch is a wonderful, deeply serious novel. Could such a book be written today?
>19 Django6924: Robert, when you mention the Victorian writers you do not include Trollope. Does he join company with Hardy? I find Hardy a difficult writer to enjoy reading but Trollope remains for me one of the most enjoyable and endearing of all British authors. Why did the LEC not continue The Barchester Chronicles beyond Barchester Towers?
>19 Django6924: Robert, when you mention the Victorian writers you do not include Trollope. Does he join company with Hardy? I find Hardy a difficult writer to enjoy reading but Trollope remains for me one of the most enjoyable and endearing of all British authors. Why did the LEC not continue The Barchester Chronicles beyond Barchester Towers?
21Django6924
>20 Constantinopolitan:
No, I don't put Trollope with Hardy; I also find him entertaining and enjoyable--at least both The Warden and Barchester Towers. I admit I haven't read any more Trollope than those two books, and was frankly somewhat daunted by the sheer number of Trollope's novels published by the Folio Society. Perhaps Macy was as well, which is why there were no further Barchester Chronicles novels.
No, I don't put Trollope with Hardy; I also find him entertaining and enjoyable--at least both The Warden and Barchester Towers. I admit I haven't read any more Trollope than those two books, and was frankly somewhat daunted by the sheer number of Trollope's novels published by the Folio Society. Perhaps Macy was as well, which is why there were no further Barchester Chronicles novels.
22BuzzBuzzard
>20 Constantinopolitan: >21 Django6924: I find Hardy enjoyable. Is your grudge with subject matter or style?
23Constantinopolitan
>22 BuzzBuzzard: I admire Hardy but find some of his books quite depressing. My fault no doubt. I actually like his poetry.
Robert Graves has an amusing recollection of going to meet Hardy; an Australian visitor was gushing in his praise of the novels and expressed surprise when he was asked by TH how he liked his poems. The visitor said "Oh you write poetry as well, do you Mr Hardy?" Which rather offended the great man who thought of himself (as did Robert Graves of his own work) as a poet first.
>21 Django6924: I can understand being daunted by the large number of Trollope's books but the Barchester Chronicles is well worth reading in full. To hear Timothy West read the series is a real delight. I've not read all of Trollope, there is a Trollope Society meeting in Cambridge (UK) to discuss "The American Senator" next month, so that's my Christmas reading sorted.
Robert Graves has an amusing recollection of going to meet Hardy; an Australian visitor was gushing in his praise of the novels and expressed surprise when he was asked by TH how he liked his poems. The visitor said "Oh you write poetry as well, do you Mr Hardy?" Which rather offended the great man who thought of himself (as did Robert Graves of his own work) as a poet first.
>21 Django6924: I can understand being daunted by the large number of Trollope's books but the Barchester Chronicles is well worth reading in full. To hear Timothy West read the series is a real delight. I've not read all of Trollope, there is a Trollope Society meeting in Cambridge (UK) to discuss "The American Senator" next month, so that's my Christmas reading sorted.
25Django6924
>23 Constantinopolitan:
I do believe I would find reading more of Barchester Chronicles rewarding, but my TBR pile currently far exceeds my probable time to complete.
I do believe I would find reading more of Barchester Chronicles rewarding, but my TBR pile currently far exceeds my probable time to complete.
26jveezer
>13 Django6924: Yes, I did see that news about the Arion Press and will be interested to see how it all pans out. Hopefully the press will find a way to continue publishing novels and maybe even improve on its model now that the Hoyem era is drawing to a close. While we will never agree totally with another book lover's choices in what they would publish and how, there is no doubt that Andrew was a book lover and published the books he felt he should. There are a few back catalog AP books I'd still love to have and I'm always hopeful that there will be some future titles I will want to try to afford.
27Glacierman
Just finished reading "The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever" by Mark Frost. If you're a golfer, you'll enjoy this tale of a private match between a team of two pros (Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson) and the top two amateur players of the day (Ken Venturi and Harvey Ward.
As soon as it gets here, I'll be reading Mr. Frost's previous golf book, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" which is the story of the 1913 U. S. Open.
After that, it will be "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers which I have in the LEC edition.
Cheers!
As soon as it gets here, I'll be reading Mr. Frost's previous golf book, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" which is the story of the 1913 U. S. Open.
After that, it will be "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers which I have in the LEC edition.
Cheers!
28Django6924
>27 Glacierman: "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers
I didn't think this was ever an LEC; my copy is Folio Society (it's a nice one, too).
PS: I know next to nothing about golf, but thoroughly enjoyed the film version of Frost's "The Greatest Game Ever Played," which has tempted me to read his book about Bobby Jones, who is a legendary sports figure who had apparently to overcome many personal demons to become the greatest golfer of his time. I've seen many slow-motion film of Jones doing things that almost seem like visual effects (but they didn't have the capability back then).
I didn't think this was ever an LEC; my copy is Folio Society (it's a nice one, too).
PS: I know next to nothing about golf, but thoroughly enjoyed the film version of Frost's "The Greatest Game Ever Played," which has tempted me to read his book about Bobby Jones, who is a legendary sports figure who had apparently to overcome many personal demons to become the greatest golfer of his time. I've seen many slow-motion film of Jones doing things that almost seem like visual effects (but they didn't have the capability back then).
29Glacierman
>28 Django6924:
Mea culpa! What I have is the Imprint Society edtion...very nicely done. I have been doing some bibliographic work with my LEC/Heritage collection today, so had the LEC on my mind.
I'm particularly happy with this copy, for while you can find a lot of IS books w/o numbers or signatures, finding one WITH those attributes is not so easy. This one is numbered and signed.
Mea culpa! What I have is the Imprint Society edtion...very nicely done. I have been doing some bibliographic work with my LEC/Heritage collection today, so had the LEC on my mind.
I'm particularly happy with this copy, for while you can find a lot of IS books w/o numbers or signatures, finding one WITH those attributes is not so easy. This one is numbered and signed.
30rj12
I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, although sometimes it can be hard to track down good narrations, most of which seem to have been done long ago and are not always readily available. I've really enjoyed Gerad Logan's reading of The Rape of Lucrece, which I think is in fact a very recent recording - anyway it can be found on Audible and is about the best reading of poetry I've ever heard (note: i'm no expert on such things). I also listened to Paradise Lost read by Anton Lesser, who acted recently in wolf hall. I actually have the nonesuch edition of Milton's poems in english - a nice if somewhat plain edition, which i mainly picked up because I found both volumes for 60$ total, which is an absolute steal - but thought I would try listening on audiobook first. I was surprised at how easy it was to follow, and at how beautiful the poem was, although i found a couple of sections a bit tiresome - mostly the depiction of the war in heaven, and Adam's visions of the future at the very end. The depiction of Eve was very prettily done, although it would seem Milton was no great believer in equality between men and women. The character of Satan is, of course, wonderful - the eternal rebel - I love the tragedy of his character, the lines "for within him Hell/ He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell/ One step no more than from himself can fly" stick in my mind.
I'm not sure what I'll start on next, though I want to get a HP edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets. I've been memorising them lately while I walk my dog, and would like to have them in a nice edition. I also have a book by Robert Graves called "Wife to Mr. Milton", which I might start on now that I've read something by him.
I'm not sure what I'll start on next, though I want to get a HP edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets. I've been memorising them lately while I walk my dog, and would like to have them in a nice edition. I also have a book by Robert Graves called "Wife to Mr. Milton", which I might start on now that I've read something by him.
31featherwate
>29 Glacierman:
It certainly has a distinguished pedigree - Will Carter and W S Cowell Ltd were both leaders in their respective fields. Which medium are John O'Connor's illustrations in?
It certainly has a distinguished pedigree - Will Carter and W S Cowell Ltd were both leaders in their respective fields. Which medium are John O'Connor's illustrations in?
32BuzzBuzzard
>31 featherwate: Hello there! I has been a long time no see.
Just yesterday I finished my first Stendhal The Red and the Black. The story is pretty interesting but not as good as Anna Karenina to which I have seen it compared sometimes.
Just yesterday I finished my first Stendhal The Red and the Black. The story is pretty interesting but not as good as Anna Karenina to which I have seen it compared sometimes.
33featherwate
>32 BuzzBuzzard:
I would agree about with you about the comparison.
Are you planning any appropriate seasonal reading over Christmas and the New Year?
I would agree about with you about the comparison.
Are you planning any appropriate seasonal reading over Christmas and the New Year?
34BuzzBuzzard
>33 featherwate: Funny that you should ask! Ever since you made that comment about Chapter 28 of Pickwick Papers, what appears to be six years ago (oh God how time flies!), I have wanted to read Pickwick for Christmas. So it happens that six years ago I had one brisk bee to keep me busy and now I have three. Short answer is yet again I won't probably have time to tackle Pickwick but I might read The Chimes instead. What about you?
35featherwate
>34 BuzzBuzzard:
I'm going to listen to a non-Barchester Trollope Dr Wortle's School which I last read many years ago. By Victorian standards it's a novella (only two volumes, or 7 hours of listening time), so not too taxing for a festive period. I'll probably read some of M R James's classic ghost stories (and afterwards wish I hadn't) and will read a less harrowing Christmas tale: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The LEC edition is quite a nice book, but I'm not fond of the translation. I'm going to try a well-received one that came out about 10 years and seems to have stood the test of time. But I'll keep the LEC by me as I read, as it has a parallel Middle English text (slightly modernised).
After that if we have the usual wet and windy snowless English New Year I'll probably retreat into a Joseph Conrad or RLS LEC set in warmer climes!
Here is a rather bizarre still from a film in which a Green Sean Connery is about to behead a Gawain apparently played by an Ewok
I'm going to listen to a non-Barchester Trollope Dr Wortle's School which I last read many years ago. By Victorian standards it's a novella (only two volumes, or 7 hours of listening time), so not too taxing for a festive period. I'll probably read some of M R James's classic ghost stories (and afterwards wish I hadn't) and will read a less harrowing Christmas tale: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The LEC edition is quite a nice book, but I'm not fond of the translation. I'm going to try a well-received one that came out about 10 years and seems to have stood the test of time. But I'll keep the LEC by me as I read, as it has a parallel Middle English text (slightly modernised).
After that if we have the usual wet and windy snowless English New Year I'll probably retreat into a Joseph Conrad or RLS LEC set in warmer climes!
Here is a rather bizarre still from a film in which a Green Sean Connery is about to behead a Gawain apparently played by an Ewok
36Django6924
Sir Gawain is always a Christmas favorite of mine (I've read it about every three years since I studied it in Middle English), and I just did my reading last year so I'll skip it until 2020 (Lord willing and the creek don't rise).
I definitely will not watch the wretched film adaptation "Sword of the Valiant" which is a travesty of one of the finest works in English literature. What a waste of Sean Connery, who is perfect for Bertilak de hautdesert. For years I dreamed I could persuade someone in the business to do a faithful adaptation, but finally decided the best visualization would remain the one in my imagination.
For my own Christmas reading, I am selecting an LEC from my TBR pile I've put off for many years: Alcott's Little Women. I put it off because in my youth I had seen (on television) George Cukor's 1933 version and Mervyn LeRoy's 1949 version, and felt the material would not hold up on the page. Now I think I might find the original preferable, and despite its many felicities, Cukor's version, which I prefer to LeRoy's, has the drawback of the central performance of Katharine Hepburn (blasphemy, I know, but she sets my teeth on edge with her "Christopher Columbus!"
I definitely will not watch the wretched film adaptation "Sword of the Valiant" which is a travesty of one of the finest works in English literature. What a waste of Sean Connery, who is perfect for Bertilak de hautdesert. For years I dreamed I could persuade someone in the business to do a faithful adaptation, but finally decided the best visualization would remain the one in my imagination.
For my own Christmas reading, I am selecting an LEC from my TBR pile I've put off for many years: Alcott's Little Women. I put it off because in my youth I had seen (on television) George Cukor's 1933 version and Mervyn LeRoy's 1949 version, and felt the material would not hold up on the page. Now I think I might find the original preferable, and despite its many felicities, Cukor's version, which I prefer to LeRoy's, has the drawback of the central performance of Katharine Hepburn (blasphemy, I know, but she sets my teeth on edge with her "Christopher Columbus!"
37Jan7Smith
I seem to be in a Joseph Conrad reading frenzy and I have mostly enjoyed these titles: The Secret Sharer, The Tremolino, The Heart of Darkness, Youth, and Tales Of Hearsay. I had not realized what a prolific writer he was and the amazing fact that he did not write using his native language. I have many more of his titles to read and I anticipate being well entertained by them.
38Django6924
>37 Jan7Smith:
Jan, prolific indeed, and his English really created a new voice for later writers. It is an English that has not been formed in the crucible of the King James Bible, Bunyan, The Book of Common Prayer, and Shakespeare. His stories of exotic locations, the Far East and seafaring are what we most often think of when we think of Conrad, but perhaps my own favorite of his full length novels is The Secret Agent, set in the London of his times. It also seems to me to be the one with the most relevance to our own times.
Jan, prolific indeed, and his English really created a new voice for later writers. It is an English that has not been formed in the crucible of the King James Bible, Bunyan, The Book of Common Prayer, and Shakespeare. His stories of exotic locations, the Far East and seafaring are what we most often think of when we think of Conrad, but perhaps my own favorite of his full length novels is The Secret Agent, set in the London of his times. It also seems to me to be the one with the most relevance to our own times.
39BuzzBuzzard
>37 Jan7Smith: >38 Django6924: Have you read Nostromo? What do you think. It is on my to read list.
40Jan7Smith
>39 BuzzBuzzard: I haven't read Nostromo yet but will get to it soon. I think with the 26 vol. set I obtained recently, along with a few HP and LEC editions, I may have almost all of his books. Looking forward to your thoughts on Nostromo.
41Jan7Smith
>38 Django6924: Robert, I think with the short stories and novellas included, the Conrad 26 vol. set consist of 43 books total. I haven't discovered his total output yet. Funny that one of the book's title is A Set Of Six and that is exactly what it consist of...six different stories.
The Sisters is one book I don't have yet. I think I read that it was an unfinished edition of about 70 pages. I will add it at some point and hope to collect all that I don't have now.
The Sisters is one book I don't have yet. I think I read that it was an unfinished edition of about 70 pages. I will add it at some point and hope to collect all that I don't have now.
42Django6924
Nostromo is a very powerful novel, though for me a bit of a downer. (Not that Conrad is ever a very cheery author!) It usually regarded as Conrad's best novel, but maybe because of the setting (a South American country plagued by corruption and revolution) it is less absorbing for me than The Secret Agent. I started Nostromo once many years ago, lost interest and dropped it until about 5 years ago when I read it (in the LEC edition this time) all the way through. I had a greater appreciation for Conrad's achievement the second time, but it is still not the page-turner for me I was wanting it to be.
43Glacierman
>31 featherwate:
The illustrations are wood engravings. Most are printed in black and are scatttered around the text, but there are some double-page spreads that are printed in limited palette color.
The illustrations are wood engravings. Most are printed in black and are scatttered around the text, but there are some double-page spreads that are printed in limited palette color.
44featherwate
>40 Jan7Smith:
>42 Django6924:
I, too, took two attempts to read Nostromo. I don't think I'll read it again, powerful as it is in parts. I think my favourite Conrad has to be Lord Jim, which gripped me from the (un-Dumas-like) directness of its opening:
He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner displayed a kind of dogged self-assertion which had nothing aggressive in it. It seemed a necessity, and it was directed apparently as much at himself as at anybody else. He was spotlessly neat, apparelled in immaculate white from shoes to hat, and in the various Eastern ports where he got his living as ship-chandler’s water-clerk he was very popular.
and I find it a very moving book.
In fact, he is good at openings - the low key starts to Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent for example draw the reader in in the way H G Wells and John Buchan do (Conrad dedicated Secret Agent to Wells).
Incidentally, trying to put together a film of Nostromo made a misery of David Lean's last 4 or 5 years.
>42 Django6924:
I, too, took two attempts to read Nostromo. I don't think I'll read it again, powerful as it is in parts. I think my favourite Conrad has to be Lord Jim, which gripped me from the (un-Dumas-like) directness of its opening:
He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner displayed a kind of dogged self-assertion which had nothing aggressive in it. It seemed a necessity, and it was directed apparently as much at himself as at anybody else. He was spotlessly neat, apparelled in immaculate white from shoes to hat, and in the various Eastern ports where he got his living as ship-chandler’s water-clerk he was very popular.
and I find it a very moving book.
In fact, he is good at openings - the low key starts to Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent for example draw the reader in in the way H G Wells and John Buchan do (Conrad dedicated Secret Agent to Wells).
Incidentally, trying to put together a film of Nostromo made a misery of David Lean's last 4 or 5 years.
45Jan7Smith
Finished reading The End of the Tether and I think it is my most enjoyable Joseph Conrad book up to this point. I may read The Secret Agent next...many more of his titles to read.
46Glacierman
Currently engaged with C. M. Doughty's "Travels in Arabia Deserta," the LEC's abridged edition. Great illustrations and design.
47BuzzBuzzard
Just finished Old Goriot. The theme of love is central but I don’t necessarily think of it as a romance. The story is absorbing with vivid characters and could be read in just a few days. Broadly speaking it reminded me of The Red and the Black but on a smaller scale. I will definitely give Eugene Grandet a try too. While the LEC edition is beautiful (very nice marbled boards and interesting paper) the HP is just the right size and for me was easier to read. It actually fitted nicely in my carryon on a long flight. Another reminder of how much of a bargain HP books are.
48Jan7Smith
The Secret Agent is my latest Joseph Conrad read. It started out a little slow but got increasingly better as I continued in the book. I am really impressed with his use of the English language. He seems to understand it better than most people who grew up using English. The novel details a great range of things that can derail lives and the awful consequences. Highly recommended.
49Glacierman
>48 Jan7Smith: Have you read W. Somerset Maugham's Ashenden: Or the British Agent? I read that quite some time ago and enjoyed it.
50Jan7Smith
>49 Glacierman: I have read several of Maugham’s books, but haven’t read that one. I will see if I can obtain a copy.
51Django6924
>49 Glacierman:
The Ashendon stories, like all of Maugham's, are a pleasure to read. I have the 4-volume Folio Society edition of Maugham's short stories, and like eating potato chips, once you start you can't stop.
The Maugham stories are pretty much entertainments; Conrad's The Secret Agent is an examination of a phenomenon which occurred at the end of the 19th century, but which is deeply relevant in today's world of terrorist attacks on innocent civiians in the name of a cause. Conrad based his work on the attempted bombing of the Greenwich Observatory in 1894, concsidered as the first international terrorist attack in England. It was part of a wave of terrorism throughout the world by the Anarchists, a movement superbly and succinctly described in Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower. Such acts were described by the Anarchists as "the propaganda of the deed." Although modern terrorist attacks are not done by anarchists, much of the motivations as depicted in Conrad's novel are still relevant.
The Ashendon stories, like all of Maugham's, are a pleasure to read. I have the 4-volume Folio Society edition of Maugham's short stories, and like eating potato chips, once you start you can't stop.
The Maugham stories are pretty much entertainments; Conrad's The Secret Agent is an examination of a phenomenon which occurred at the end of the 19th century, but which is deeply relevant in today's world of terrorist attacks on innocent civiians in the name of a cause. Conrad based his work on the attempted bombing of the Greenwich Observatory in 1894, concsidered as the first international terrorist attack in England. It was part of a wave of terrorism throughout the world by the Anarchists, a movement superbly and succinctly described in Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower. Such acts were described by the Anarchists as "the propaganda of the deed." Although modern terrorist attacks are not done by anarchists, much of the motivations as depicted in Conrad's novel are still relevant.
52Jan7Smith
I am reading Joseph Conrad books that I purchased in a 26 vol. set, published in 1928. I don't believe most of them have ever been opened. The top of the pages are gold gilt and I have to separate the pages which are stuck together, almost like uncut pages.
The books are about 90 years old and I wonder if the pages could have bonded together again after being opened or is this an indication that the pages have never been opened?
The books are about 90 years old and I wonder if the pages could have bonded together again after being opened or is this an indication that the pages have never been opened?
53Django6924
>52 Jan7Smith:
Jan, if they are stuck together, rather than physically joined at the top or fore-edge requiring they be cut, then some bonding agent (perhaps the gilding on the top edge) is responsible and indicate the books have never been read. I've had books with gilt on the top which made the pages tend to stick together, but once separated and read, they have never stuck together again.
Jan, if they are stuck together, rather than physically joined at the top or fore-edge requiring they be cut, then some bonding agent (perhaps the gilding on the top edge) is responsible and indicate the books have never been read. I've had books with gilt on the top which made the pages tend to stick together, but once separated and read, they have never stuck together again.
54Jan7Smith
>53 Django6924: Robert, thanks. I am intrigued by the number of very old books I have that show signs of never been read. I rarely purchase a book that I don't intend to read. I know I will not read all, but I want to if time permits. I am reading Under Western Eyes now and it is as good or better than The Secret Agent I think.
55Django6924
>54 Jan7Smith: "Under Western Eyes now and it is as good or better than The Secret Agent"
That's my next Conrad to read!
That's my next Conrad to read!
56BuzzBuzzard
I have (had) quite a few uncut LEC books. The last one I read was Treasure Island and I still have the 1933 Brothers Karamazov and 1929 Munchausen uncut. There is something special about reading a 80+ years old book for the first time. As if you are fulfilling a purpose. I realize this sounds like a mental case for most people...
57Django6924
>56 BuzzBuzzard:
Vasil, I wonder more about those who buy these books and just put them on a shelf and never open them.
Vasil, I wonder more about those who buy these books and just put them on a shelf and never open them.
58featherwate
>56 BuzzBuzzard:
>57 Django6924:
I wonder more about those who buy these books and just put them on a shelf and never open them.
I like to think they belonged to the bibliophile chapter of a Defunct Philanthropists Society, whose members took delight in imagining, but never witnessing, the surprise, the joy, the sheer satisfaction that one far-off day would enrich the life of some random beneficiary of one of their ante-mortem acts of self-denial. So, Buzz, you are indeed right to feel you have fulfilled a purpose. You have made a dead person very happy!
>57 Django6924:
I wonder more about those who buy these books and just put them on a shelf and never open them.
I like to think they belonged to the bibliophile chapter of a Defunct Philanthropists Society, whose members took delight in imagining, but never witnessing, the surprise, the joy, the sheer satisfaction that one far-off day would enrich the life of some random beneficiary of one of their ante-mortem acts of self-denial. So, Buzz, you are indeed right to feel you have fulfilled a purpose. You have made a dead person very happy!
Join to post
