Folio Archives 113: English Eccentrics by Edith Sitwell. 1994
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1wcarter
English Eccentrics by Edith Sitwell 1994
This curious book is arranged into 17 chapters that cover various types of eccentrics. Some chapters are devoted to a single peculiar character, while others contain stories about several eccentrics that segue into each other. All the anecdotes date from the 18th. and 19th. centuries.
Some of the tales are quite amusing, while others are just weird. Those featured vary from decorative hermits and crocodile riding explorers to peculiar fashion choices and very unusual sports. My favourites were a clever fellow who when challenged to a duel and told to choose his weapon, chose brandy (while drinking glass for glass, the first one to fall off their chair was the loser); and a London maid who disguised herself as a Southeast Asian princess and met Napoleon on St.Helena.
The book itself is rather eccentric in its layout, with appendices that for some reason are added to the book to extend the text, and random quotations that seem irrelevant.
There are 18 delightful black & white illustrations by Roland Pym in the 268 page book, and amazingly, all illustrations are actually opposite the text which describes them, so no captions are necessary. There are also numerous chapter head and tailpiece illustrations.
There is a five page introduction by Mervyn Morder.
The book is quarter bound in dark blue buckram, while both paper covers are printed with a pattern and pictures. The endpapers are plain light blue, as is the 23.5x15.6 cm. slipcase.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This curious book is arranged into 17 chapters that cover various types of eccentrics. Some chapters are devoted to a single peculiar character, while others contain stories about several eccentrics that segue into each other. All the anecdotes date from the 18th. and 19th. centuries.
Some of the tales are quite amusing, while others are just weird. Those featured vary from decorative hermits and crocodile riding explorers to peculiar fashion choices and very unusual sports. My favourites were a clever fellow who when challenged to a duel and told to choose his weapon, chose brandy (while drinking glass for glass, the first one to fall off their chair was the loser); and a London maid who disguised herself as a Southeast Asian princess and met Napoleon on St.Helena.
The book itself is rather eccentric in its layout, with appendices that for some reason are added to the book to extend the text, and random quotations that seem irrelevant.
There are 18 delightful black & white illustrations by Roland Pym in the 268 page book, and amazingly, all illustrations are actually opposite the text which describes them, so no captions are necessary. There are also numerous chapter head and tailpiece illustrations.
There is a five page introduction by Mervyn Morder.
The book is quarter bound in dark blue buckram, while both paper covers are printed with a pattern and pictures. The endpapers are plain light blue, as is the 23.5x15.6 cm. slipcase.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2Cat_of_Ulthar
A curiosity, I suspect.
Was she trying to present herself as an eccentric? Her lyrics for Walton's Facade are quite strange.
Published in 1933 so the psychological sciences will have moved on a tad since then (never mind the reproducibility crisis).
Does the introduction offer much insight into the author?
Was she trying to present herself as an eccentric? Her lyrics for Walton's Facade are quite strange.
Published in 1933 so the psychological sciences will have moved on a tad since then (never mind the reproducibility crisis).
Does the introduction offer much insight into the author?
3wcarter
>2 Cat_of_Ulthar:
The six page introduction gives a potted version of Edith Stilwell's biography. She seems to have had a generally unhappy and impecunious life. I don't think she was particularly eccentric herself.
The six page introduction gives a potted version of Edith Stilwell's biography. She seems to have had a generally unhappy and impecunious life. I don't think she was particularly eccentric herself.
4RRCBS
I acquired a copy after reading this post. Beautiful cover, I would be happy to have it just for the cat on the boards! Looks like a nice little book to dip into. Thanks again for the interesting reviews!
5Conte_Mosca
>1 wcarter:
Thank you for this wonderful series Warwick. I have spent a little time over the last couple of days looking at what I have been missing over the last few years, and this is the standout series thread.
I have to admit that much of what is posted on these boards isn't really of any great long term interest. I don't mean that to be overly critical, but threads of "I bought this" or "is this book worth £x?" don't really have much of interest for a future reader (some might argue for any reader!). But your posts are different. Real value adding.
In her preface to "Ex Libris", Anne Fadiman wrote "it occurred to me how curious it was that books are so often written about as if they were toasters. Is this brand of toaster better than that brand of toaster? At $24.95, is this toaster a better buy? There is nothing about how I may feel about my toaster ten years hence, and nothing about the tender feelings I may yet harbor for my old toaster. This model of readers as consumers neatly omits what I consider the heart of reading: not whether we wish to purchase a new book but how we maintain our connections with our old. books, the ones we have lived with for years, the ones whose textures and colors and smells have become as familiar to us as our children's skin".
Most posts seem to focus on the headlong rush to acquire ever more books, with few focusing on sharing the pleasure of what we already have (and I don't just mean the posting of lists of books just purchased before the headlong rush to buy more).
Even the enduring thread "what are you reading" is if no real practical value, as it seems to be just a list of "look at me", with posters listing what they are (or like people to think) they are reading with no critical comment, and there is almost no engagement between posters, just a long dull list of "look at me". No "why" I am reading it, or how I feel about it. Nothing to engage the interest of another reader whatsoever. And I have been as guilty of that as others, but I realise that no-one cares what I am reading unless I can share some of the "why", and share some of the emotion that whatever I am reading is making me feel.
Not sure where all that came from, other than the fact that your posts shone out as stars amongst an otherwise unenriched retrospective review of recent posts ! Perhaps I should have stopped at "thank you for this wonderful series"!
Thank you for this wonderful series Warwick. I have spent a little time over the last couple of days looking at what I have been missing over the last few years, and this is the standout series thread.
I have to admit that much of what is posted on these boards isn't really of any great long term interest. I don't mean that to be overly critical, but threads of "I bought this" or "is this book worth £x?" don't really have much of interest for a future reader (some might argue for any reader!). But your posts are different. Real value adding.
In her preface to "Ex Libris", Anne Fadiman wrote "it occurred to me how curious it was that books are so often written about as if they were toasters. Is this brand of toaster better than that brand of toaster? At $24.95, is this toaster a better buy? There is nothing about how I may feel about my toaster ten years hence, and nothing about the tender feelings I may yet harbor for my old toaster. This model of readers as consumers neatly omits what I consider the heart of reading: not whether we wish to purchase a new book but how we maintain our connections with our old. books, the ones we have lived with for years, the ones whose textures and colors and smells have become as familiar to us as our children's skin".
Most posts seem to focus on the headlong rush to acquire ever more books, with few focusing on sharing the pleasure of what we already have (and I don't just mean the posting of lists of books just purchased before the headlong rush to buy more).
Even the enduring thread "what are you reading" is if no real practical value, as it seems to be just a list of "look at me", with posters listing what they are (or like people to think) they are reading with no critical comment, and there is almost no engagement between posters, just a long dull list of "look at me". No "why" I am reading it, or how I feel about it. Nothing to engage the interest of another reader whatsoever. And I have been as guilty of that as others, but I realise that no-one cares what I am reading unless I can share some of the "why", and share some of the emotion that whatever I am reading is making me feel.
Not sure where all that came from, other than the fact that your posts shone out as stars amongst an otherwise unenriched retrospective review of recent posts ! Perhaps I should have stopped at "thank you for this wonderful series"!
6wcarter
>5 Conte_Mosca:
Thank you - I think I am blushing after reading your missive, but I enjoy creating these posts, and it renews my connection with each book.
Thank you - I think I am blushing after reading your missive, but I enjoy creating these posts, and it renews my connection with each book.
