I love to collect poems, and have a particular fondness for the American poet Edgar A. Guest. But there is one “sub-genre” in poetry that I especially love, and that is the poems about literature, books, and reading. This is one of those poems.
Books
By Edgar Guest
Upon my shelf they stand in rows,
A city-full of human souls,
Sages, philosophers and drolls–
Good friends that everybody knows.
The drunkard shoulders with the saint;
The great are neighboring with the quaint
And they will greet me one and all
At any hour I care to call.
There’s Dickens with his humble crew
That has no end of joy to give.
With all his people I can live
By moving just a foot or two.
Or should I choose to sail the sea,
Stevenson there will pilot me,
While jovial, lovable Mark Twain
Waits patiently my call again.
Sometimes a friend drops in and looks
My little sitting room around
And, in a manner most profound,
Remarks: “Your shelves are lined with books!”
And men to cling to or despise.
Vast peopled cities, calm and still;
For me to visit when I will.
While my choice of authors differs from Guest’s, I fully share his fondness for books, and the satisfying pleasure of having my own volumes about me!
Finding the time to read is an oft encountered challenge for many of us, and I’m certainly on that list. Things pile up, and books get set to the side…
Then there are men like Theodore Roosevelt. Whenever I read about him, I come away resolved to read in the midst of a busy life; that it can indeed be done.
Below is one of the quotes about his life that never ceases to inspire me, another great quote about his reading accomplishments is in the article on Summer Reading.
“Once upon a time in the dead of winter in the Dakota Territory, Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat down the Little Missouri River in pursuit of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized rowboat. After several days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then Roosevelt set off in a borrowed wagon to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. They headed across the snow-covered wastes of the Badlands to the railhead at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, the entire 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in Roosevelt’s eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina. I often think of that when I hear people say they haven’t time to read.” ― David McCullough
“…and realize that a day without a chunk or two of solitude in it is like a cocktail without ice.”~Mrs. Miniver
Not all great books are majestic, triumphant, outstandingly written, well-known, and follow a well-crafted plot. Or filled with action, adventure, thrills, or excitement. Mrs. Miniver is none of those. And yet, it is a great book. It is like a cup of tea–warm, quiet, cozy, and filled with everyday moments recounted in a telling way– without being the least bit imposing.
It’s extremely seldom I come across a fiction book of this kind. Or rather, a fiction book of this kind with this kind of caliber. Of course, there is the famous Goodbye, Mr. Chips, which is also a simple, heartwarming tale of everyday life, but even that acclaimed book doesn’t measure up to Mrs. Miniver’s insightful loveliness–in my humble opinion.
Mrs. Miniver offers a glimpse of English life during the 1940’s, and it was said by the New York Herald Tribune at the time (1940)
“All that was best in English life is in this book.”
It is certainly unassuming though. Each chapter is a short 3-4 pages. Nothing big happens. Buying a doll. Cleaning an old orchard. Purchasing a new planner for the year. An evening at dinner. A car ride. Listening to windshield wipers. Those are what the chapters are made up of. Life is quiet. The family small.
And yet, after reading it I found that it had touched me more than I first realized. I started becoming a Mrs. Miniver in my own life. For you see, the book leaves you with your eyes wide open to capture the simple pleasures that slip by everyday. Not that they are great discoveries you may have never seen before, because often you have seen them hundreds of times. But, as Holmes was always telling Watson, you can see something every single day of your life and never really observe it.
I found this book to be one of those that wakens you to observe, ponder, and really notice the everyday things and people in your life. To remember the little gestures, personalities, choices, pleasures, words, and memories you make with your family. The kind of things you will treasure and be so glad for should you ever lose a person close to you, or move away from your homeland and the familiar country and grounds. As a matter of fact, if I could journal like Mrs. Miniver I’d sit down and chronicle the treasures of all my everydays right away!
But here I am raising your expectations of the book to such heights that you will surely be disappointed and think “She got all that from those simple–plain stories!?!” For they are simple and many may find them dull. But persevere with an open mind and you may surprise yourself with the fondness you will have for Mrs. Miniver, and your appreciation for her wisdom growing by the end of the book, as happened to me.
Book Details
Title Mrs. Miniver
Author Jan Struther
Date Originally Published: 1939 (from Newspaper articles published 1937-1939)
Book in Photos: published 1940
To read the great review on Goodreads by author Elisabeth Grace Foley that made me want to read the book click here.
One more note before I leave: Mrs. Miniver the book, and Mrs. Miniver the famous WWII film that was so highly acclaimed by Winston Churchill are not similar. The film was good in it’s own right. So was the book. But there is almost no comparing them as they are only ever so faintly connected. So just enjoy each one separately and don’t worry about their differences and connections! Neither are perfect, but both are worth pursuing!
This book is a beautiful glimpse into old English life. A book that sharpens your sense of gratefulness, wonder, and joy in everyday life.
“It oughtn’t to need a war to make us talk to each other in buses, and invent our own amusements in the evenings, and live simply, and eat sparingly, and recover the use of our legs, and get up early enough to see the sun rise. However, it has needed one (WWII in England): which is about the severest criticism our civilization could have.” ― Mrs. Miniver
Cabin fever is one of those diseases that plague folks all over the world, and Bud Moore is no exception. An ex-cowboy turned stage-driver (of an auto stage!), he has been married just over a year, and lives in a nice, sturdy house with his wife and baby. Now, the bad news is that Bud is not the only one in the house to have “cabin fever,” his bride, Marie, has a severe case and is even closer to committing a desperate act than he is…
This book is a light reading western that follows the wanderings of Bud as his marriage breaks apart and he is thrust out in the world with only a ten-spot to his once-prosperous name. Taking a job working for another man, he innocently ends up deep in the midst of a crime…and wanted by law officers in several western states.
It is a stand alone book, and is not a part of any of B. M. Bower’s series. It is simple in plot, yet quite original enough to be interesting. Her writing style is simple as well, but she usually has a point that she makes with the story—in this one it has to do with the issues of compassion, understanding, the utter silliness of pride and it’s damaging repercussions, and the theory that “change is as good as rest” (as a side note; Winston Churchill wrote an excellent little book on that subject titled “Painting as a Pastime”).
The book starts with these ominous and intriguing words:
There is a certain malady of the mind induced by too much of one thing. Just as the body fed too long upon meat becomes a prey to that horrid disease called scurvy, so the mind fed too long upon monotony succumbs to the insidious mental ailment which the West calls “cabin fever.”
True it parades under different names, according to circumstances and caste. You may be afflicted in a palace and call it ennui, and it may drive you to commit peccadilloes and indiscretions of various sorts. You may be attacked in a middle-class apartment house, and call it various names, and it may drive you to cafe life and affinities and alimony. You may have it wherever you are shunted into a backwater of life, and lose the sense of being borne along in the full current of progress. Be sure that it will make you abnormally sensitive to little things; irritable where once you were amiable; glum where once you went whistling about your work and your play.
It is the crystallizer of character, the acid test of friendship, the final seal set upon enmity. It will betray your little weaknesses, cut and polish your undiscovered virtues, reveal you in all your glory or your vileness to your companions in exile—if so be you have any.
If you would test the soul of a friend, take him into the wilderness and rub elbows with him for five months! One of three things will surely happen: You will hate each other afterward with that enlightened hatred which is seasoned with contempt; you will emerge with the contempt tinged with a pitying toleration, or you will be close, unquestioning friends to the last six feet of earth– and beyond.
All these things will cabin fever do, and more. It has committed murder, many’s the time. It has driven men crazy. It has warped and distorted character out of all semblance to it’s former self. It has sweetened love and killed love. There is an antidote– but I am going to let you find the antidote somewhere in the story.
Her antidote is is comprised of several things, which I will also leave you to discover in the story. 🙂 The resolution of all the problems wasn’t quite satisfactory to me.
Least you get the idea that Bower turned from her traditional western novels and started in on moralizing, preaching, and making profound social observations, let me put your mind at rest. “Cabin Fever” is just like her other books: full of dialogue, a fun story, humorous moments, and a little action (though not as much in this one as her other novels). This tale has quite a surprising twist at the end! I thought I could pretty well predict the way the story would end, but I didn’t anticipate how the plot would spin at the last minute!
“Cabin Fever” details:
Originally published in 1918
Written by B. M. Bower
The book in these photos: published in June 1945 by Triangle Books
291 Pages in length
“We all realize keenly, one time or another, the abject poverty of language. To attempt putting some emotions into words is like trying to play Ave Maria on a toy piano. There are heights and depths utterly beyond the limitation of instrument and speech alike.”~Cabin Fever
Last week I shared a list of 6 vintage fiction books I’m planning to read this fall, this list is Part Two: half a dozen non-fiction vintage books for my fall reading list.
For those of you that are curious the oldest publishing date in this list is from 1912; 104 years ago.
Three of the books are history, one is historical poetry, one is a Christian devotional, and one is a classic economic work.
So from top to bottom the books are:
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
The Book of Comfort by J. R. Miller
Brave Men by Ernie Pyle (I just finished this one!)
The Banditti of The Plains by A. S. Mercer
Battle At The Cowpens by Arthur Magill
The Good Years; From 1900 to The First World War by Walter Lord
While all the books look like they will prove to be interesting, I am quite curious about The Good Years as I’ve read a book by Walter Lord before, and found his writing style to be very pleasant and alive. If this book proves to be so as well it’s going to be some fun history.
I have many, many books I’m planning to read this fall, but I thought I’d do a list of half a dozen of the vintage books I’m going to read this season. Now, you may notice that all mystery books are absent from this list, but I do have many planned for this season (to be shared later) as fall is THE season for mysteries!
So, here is the list, and, quite naturally, a steaming cup of tea goes along with them.
Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry
Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther
Cabin Fever by B. M. Bower
The Ranch of The Wolverine by B. M. Bower
The Happy Family by B. M. Bower
The Home Place by Fred Gibson
These books are stunning vintage pieces that I’m debating on whether to keep for my shelves, or to be generous with and make them available to you all in the shop. I also have stacks of non-fiction, primarily on the topic of history, that I’m planning to dig into this fall as well. And of course one never knows what treasures one will find tomorrow…
What is on your reading list this Fall? Have you read any of the above books?
Mysteries are my favorite type of pleasure reading. Anytime I want a relaxing and delightful jaunt into the world of crime and detectives I find myself reaching for a mystery novel. Agatha Christie is among the first authors I reach for.
I appreciate her mysteries for many reasons, among them are; a fresh story every time, lovely character studies, unique plot twists, unpredictable endings, and crispy dialogue all tossed into a charming location full of deadly murder and mayhem.
She specialized in writing the “manor mystery” where a group of strange folks from all walks of life are thrown together in a location and forced to stay there. It is a common story setting and one of the best no matter whether it takes place among a group of stagecoach passengers, passengers on a ship, an island out at sea, a snowbound train depot, or the ever suspenseful English manor.
Toward Zero, is very much like that. A group of unusual characters all convene in an elderly lady’s house on seaside cliffs during the month of September, and the suspicious thoughts quickly turn into hard tension, and then murder. Everyone is a suspect. And I dare the reader to guess the culprit before it is revealed!
In reading many Agatha Christie novels I’ve thought a lot on what makes her books so appealing. I think a large portion of it can be attributed to her wide knowledge of people. From reading her books it is clear that she must have watched and studied the people around her until she had a vast resource of realistic characters. Couple that with cleverness and her excellent craftsmanship with words, and you get the people and their amusing characters that make her books stand out. When trying to solve her mysteries, it usually comes down to trying to get an understanding of personalities, how each of the people think, their reactions, and what makes them tick. If you can figure out the people, you can figure out the mystery!
Towards Zero is full of fascinating people that makes a jolly good read. Among them are:
An 80 year old specialist of criminology, who knows too much; he could never write a memoir—and live.
An eccentric old lady who is royalty in her own domain—the mansion. And who has a secret delight that her guests don’t realize they are fodder for…
A flashy, stunningly beautiful girl who is dissatisfied with life and her husband. And jealous. And money hungry. Pure dynamite.
An intelligent reader who would do anything to have some adventure or travel, but is housebound taking care of an old lady…or so she thinks until a squad of guests descend on the grounds one September.
A handsome, athletic young man who has been trailing his old sweetheart for year after year—despite the undeniable fact that she is married.
A quiet lady with a scar…a hidden past…a mysterious manner…a reserved passion no one would ever guess, with the one possible exception of her ex-husband
The ex-husband. A wealthy man who has to live for two weeks in the same house with his first and second wives.
A farmer from Malay. A quiet man with a hidden purpose…deliberate enough to cross an ocean to carry it out.
A suicidal gent on a secret mission in South America, who just stops by to visit the place where once he tried to take his life, a man who would lose his job, wife, and friends rather than tell a lie, but who had a unique exception for one kind of deceit…
Put all of those folks together in a party, start having them be mysteriously murdered, and the result will be neither predictable nor calm!
Towards Zero is one with of her lesser-known books, it has neither of her famous detectives; Poirot or Marple, but is one of the five “Superintendent Battle” cases. It was originally published in 1944. For a delightful couple of hours dig into this old mystery and you will be surprised at the sudden twists! Agatha Christie could make her readers sympathize with and love a character, and then turn bitterly against him in a matter of seconds. Such was her talent, and…but that is for you to find out in this classic whodunit. Below are a few quotes from the book.
‘I like a good detective story,’ he said. ‘But, you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that– years before sometimes– with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day.’
“You’ve no idea what horrors most companions are. Futile boring creatures. Driving one mad with their insanity. They are companions because they are fit for nothing better. To have Mary, who is a well-read intelligent woman, is marvelous. She had really a first-class brain–a man’s brain. She has read widely and deeply and there is nothing she cannot discuss. And she is just as clever domestically as she is intellectually. She runs the house perfectly…”“
“I suppose, like most young people nowadays, boredom is what you dread most in the world, and yet, I can assure you, there are worse things.”
“It’s extraordinary, the amount of misunderstandings there are even between two people who discuss a thing quite often – both of them assuming different things and neither of them discovering the discrepancy.”
This book is very entertaining and fun (Does anyone else relish the descriptions of the guests rooms, wardrobes, and the state of neatness or disarray like I do? I love it when detectives search a room, and Agatha Christie catches all the details that would be the logical state considering that persons mind, worldview, and character, for one’s mind does affect one’s room…)
For a chilly fall evening nothing beats a good mystery and a steaming cup o’ tea. Treat yourself to a couple of Agatha Christie’s books this autumn season and give your deducing powers a little exercise! It might make you want to don your suit and hat for a visit to an old country house…
Have you read Towards Zero or any of the Superintendent Battle series? Let me know in a comment below!
Towards Zero is currently available in the shop HERE!
John Lenox, a promising man in his 20’s, is suddenly cast into two life-changing situations. His father dies, and with his passing John no longer has any money with which to live on or to pursue his training as a lawyer. The second situation is more pleasant, but even more difficult; John has fallen in love with a sweet girl—but does not have the finical means to offer her marriage even if he could otherwise make a successful winning of her heart. This story follows his trials and moral tests of character through 6 years in New York State.
The title of the book; “David Harum”, comes from the employer and mentor of John— Mr. David Harum, an old country banker and sharp horse-trader who is filled with stories of his own life and struggles which he willingly shares with all who are interested. He’s a likable old fellow and has every bit as much (if not more) to do with the story than John himself. As the book progresses he becomes a mentor type of figure in John’s life…
I found this book to be quite enjoyable and a charming story. It is, a story of American life in New York during the 1800’s and also a character study of an old banker. And what makes it so fascinating is when in was written. It’s not some modern fiction set back in history, but is a fictional story written about the times that the author lived in and experienced first hand. The author, Westcott, wrote the book and finished it while on his deathbed. It was published posthumously that same year: 1898.
The characters and dialogue are quite real and show that the author understood human nature well; and the story, while moving at a slightly slower pace in some parts, manages to stay interesting throughout and leave you quite interested in how everything will turn out in the seemingly unsettling end.
The book in these photos is from 1898, the original publication year, and is a fine hardcover with a frontice-piece by an uncredited artist (although you can almost make out his signature in the corner…).
I currently have an 1898 copy available for purchase in the shop here!
If you’ve read David Harum, drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts on the book!
In looking at a mail-order catalog one day, I came upon a page where the company was selling republished vintage books by a favorite children’s author of mine. Glancing down at the description I was very surprised that the company was recommending that before you let your children read the books you should go through them with a bottle of white-out and mark out all of the words that have changed meaning over the years, and are now misunderstood, or considered derogatory or offensive.
I am passionate about unabridged books, particularly children’s books of yesteryear. Here’s why. Or rather, here’s one reason why. This post only deals with the vocabulary aspect abridging books, it doesn’t even touch the other important issues of grammar, old English, or “tedious” passages.
Now, when folks change the vocabulary in a antique book, it is usually for one of three reasons:
It has changed in definition (or a new definition has become the norm and the old had faded into antiquity).
It has changed in connotation. Or gathered new connotations.
It has virtually disappeared from the culture, and hardly anyone knows what it means, or even what it is anymore. No one uses it in writing or in speech.
Every one of those reasons looks like a valid reason on the surface. However, there is one major problem with all three of them. History.
It is important to understand history. In all areas. Economics. Novels. Battles. Culture. Film. Music. Worldviews. Fashion. Architecture. The list goes on. It has been often said that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it, and that is true. Also, those who don’t know history don’t tend to make advances into the future with many sound foundations or longevity to their plans. Intentional people go places. Educated intentional people, with a sound grasp of history, go the places they set out to go, while typically strongly affecting or even changing the course of things. But enough of that.
My main point is that you need to understand history, and that “edited” vocabulary harms that in two distinct ways:
It causes a misinterpretation of history. If people edit out all possibly “offensive” elements of the cultures that came before us, so that we never have to see them, and we never study etymology and understand the definitions of the past thenwe will make grave errors of interpretation when we look back at history. Then when we come across an unabridged work we are surprised by the words that people used and misjudge both the intent and character of the individual as well as acquire a skewed picture of the culture and therefore of the history of that era as a whole. That leads to modern day writers publishing books with slander about men in previous generations, as has happened in many biographies published recently. Many of the falsehoods in them spring directly from an ignorance of the etymology during that time, which changes the appearance of the man’s character and how he is perceived throughout historyfrom now on. Truth is important, and the nation that has a false view of history will suffer. It may seem like little changes in what a word means is not so important, but as in the case of biographies, those little things change history. And the biographies are just one example of it’s many effects. Another example is the songs of the old American songwriters, which, unless viewed with a knowledge of how the meaning of words has changed, will give every person who hears them a false view of the times they came from, and what the culture was like.
It fosters ignorance, and causes us to be unable to understand primary source documents or other things that have not been “fixed” for us.This leads to one of two things. Either we just never read things that haven’t been updated (which only fosters more ignorance in our lives and means that most primary source documents are never going to be read) or we fall into the trap of point #1, and, because of our reading only edited text previously, we will not understand the true meaning of what we have just read and will come away with a false view of reality and history. For example, anyone who attempts to read the classic economic work The Road To Surfdom by F. A. Hayek will come away with a false view of his economic teachings on account of the complete change in what the word “Liberal” means. It means almost the exact opposite of what it used to, and, without a proper knowledge of that, you will come away from his book confused and thinking the opposite ideas than he had intended. Now, here is where folks say “Well, if it was only published in edited an updated versions then you would have no confusion at all”. That fosters a ignorance of history, and the historical usage of words. It also leaves that individual completely unfit to pick up anything that has not been “pre-digested” for him. Then what happens when that individual finds an old journal in the attic…? Or your father’s grail diary? Or discovers an unknown and hidden letter from a founding father of our country?¹ Or an old letter in the pocket of a soldier’s uniform? Or between the crumbling pages of a book? He’s not equipped to accurately understand them…
So what is the solution to the eradication of old vocabulary from books which is causing parents to hesitate when placing a vintage book in the hands of their children?
The solution is very simple, but does take some work–as do all skills worth gaining. Educate yourself. Almost everybody has access to a dictionary. And the internet is even faster (not to mention housing the old dictionaries that will give you the old definitions!). It has never been easier to find the history of a word, it’s connotations, or the changes it has gone through than it is right now in our current culture. Yes, there is false information out there, but with a few searches and ten minutes or less of studying you should be able to spot them.
As far as children are concerned, read a couple of vintage books aloud to them. Explain the words and the importance of getting your definitions right; then step back and let them at it.
One great thing that I have seen a few publishers do that entirely solves the problem, without altering the original history, is to put a handy little footnote with all the info about the modern meaning vs. the meaning of the word in the book. “Quite nice”, as Watson would say.
Now, go buy those lovely antiques, read them, enjoy them, and learn from them. Our culture will be the better for it. Then when you are reading a page written years ago, you will be perfectly equipped and able to tackle anything with a keen understanding, whether you’re on your next mission, are making an adventurous discovery, are tucked away on the grounds of your estate, or curled up by the fireplace.
¹And that does still happen in America. Just this year a family in the South discovered an authentic, never-before-seen letter by Thomas Jefferson–in their attic.
For all you instagrammers who love old books: hop on over to @boxthirteenbooks to see the official Instagram page for my shop. The content you will see in my feed over there will consist of all manner of personally curated book related posts; from my book hauls and the many adventures I had acquiring them, to quotes, and of course the new books that are about to be added to my shop. I have several grand giveaways planned for the future over there as well!
This summer has been extraordinary busy, yet undaunted, I am making the most of every moment and living life to the hilt! Many book-hunting treks have been conducted under a blazing sky at high noon– and much research and study has taken place far into the night in all manner of places. All of which is resulting in grand stacks of musty, long-forgotten antiques and a tremendous amount of knowledge of books and publishers throughout history. . .
And now I have a place to chronicle some of the events and cases for you–so head on over to my Instagram account and give it a follow, or just drop a comment and introduce yourself!
