Folio Archives 96: Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood 1990
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1wcarter
Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood 1990
Very colourfully illustrated by Beryl Cook, and introduced by Samuel Hynes, this large format 174 page novel was written in 1935. It is narrated by William Bradshaw who meets the nervous and bewigged Arthur Norris on a train travelling to Germany. Norris has a suspect passport, but manages to cross the border. Norris and Bradshaw become friends, but the odd behaviour of Norris and his apparent Communist sympathies in Nazi Germany lead to many adventures and mysteries while eluding the authorities.
It is a light and entertaining read, and also gives some insight into the style of life in the early years of the Nazi regime.
The book is bound in brightly patterned yellow and brown cloth with a gilt spine title. The endpapers are plain dark brown as is the slipcase which is 28.6x19.4cm. There are eight illustrations, including one two-page spread. The page tops are stained brown.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Very colourfully illustrated by Beryl Cook, and introduced by Samuel Hynes, this large format 174 page novel was written in 1935. It is narrated by William Bradshaw who meets the nervous and bewigged Arthur Norris on a train travelling to Germany. Norris has a suspect passport, but manages to cross the border. Norris and Bradshaw become friends, but the odd behaviour of Norris and his apparent Communist sympathies in Nazi Germany lead to many adventures and mysteries while eluding the authorities.
It is a light and entertaining read, and also gives some insight into the style of life in the early years of the Nazi regime.
The book is bound in brightly patterned yellow and brown cloth with a gilt spine title. The endpapers are plain dark brown as is the slipcase which is 28.6x19.4cm. There are eight illustrations, including one two-page spread. The page tops are stained brown.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2UK_History_Fan
I am a big fan of this illustrator and thought this was an enjoyable read in a rather attractive package at an incredible price. I seem to remember it costing me around $15 including shipping. I would have paid that for just one of these illustrations but am thankful they have not been separated from the book.
4CarltonC
>1 wcarter: Thanks, as ever for the wonderfully illustrated "Archive" article.
I am a fan of this novel (although Mr Norris is not a nice person) and reread it in 2009 when I acquired the Folio edition off eBay. I had not realised that it was originally published by FS in 1990 and the copy I have has aged well, although it is a little oversized, which means that it does not sit next to my Goodbye to Berlin (the horror!), although FS did not conceive of them as being a set.
The binding has always reminded me of FS's Wodehouse Short Stories published in 1983, and with the garish jackets worn (in my imagination at least) by bookies at horse races (ie disreputable wide boys!) and therefore very in keeping with the novel.
Beryl Cook's illustrations complement this work, and were one of the reasons that I bought the FS edition, but I am not a fan of her work overall.
OT - upon looking the story up on Wikipedia I was reminded that this was written by Isherwood together with Goodbye to Berlin (the one with Sally Bowles, which I recall preferring) and Isherwood then "extracted" the Goodbye to Berlin stories from this and published them later.
I am a fan of this novel (although Mr Norris is not a nice person) and reread it in 2009 when I acquired the Folio edition off eBay. I had not realised that it was originally published by FS in 1990 and the copy I have has aged well, although it is a little oversized, which means that it does not sit next to my Goodbye to Berlin (the horror!), although FS did not conceive of them as being a set.
The binding has always reminded me of FS's Wodehouse Short Stories published in 1983, and with the garish jackets worn (in my imagination at least) by bookies at horse races (ie disreputable wide boys!) and therefore very in keeping with the novel.
Beryl Cook's illustrations complement this work, and were one of the reasons that I bought the FS edition, but I am not a fan of her work overall.
OT - upon looking the story up on Wikipedia I was reminded that this was written by Isherwood together with Goodbye to Berlin (the one with Sally Bowles, which I recall preferring) and Isherwood then "extracted" the Goodbye to Berlin stories from this and published them later.
5folio_books
Coincidentally, there's a copy on eBay UK, ending on Sunday, currently only £4, no bids. Usual disclaimer.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mr-Norris-Changes-Trains-The-Folio-Society-1990/32365...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mr-Norris-Changes-Trains-The-Folio-Society-1990/32365...
