One of Persephone Books' new titles this spring is a reprint of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Shuttle. Originally published in 1907, it is about American heiresses marrying into the British aristocracy (oftentimes they had the title, but no longer the money for the upkeep of their properties--enter young, rich American ladies). This subject reminds me of Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers by the way. I have never read anything by Hodgson Burnett--yes, I know, terrible. At least I have no recollections of reading The Secret Garden or The Little Princess (maybe I should do so now?). I have read that the Persephone edition is a shortened version from the original. I have been following some discussion about the editing of this book, which made me want to check out the original. Libraries--see why weeding should be done carefully?--happily my library has a 1907 edition (in rather delicate condition) of The Shuttle (last checked out in 1981!). I'm not entirely sure when I am going to fit it in with my other reads, but it looks like a good story.
I was looking at it during my lunch break. This copy is a cloth edition, and in the back are advertisements for other books. This is probably odd, but I am fascinated by old magazines and newspapers--I especially like looking at advertisements and want ads--it's like looking at another world really. I found it rather entertaining to look at the books on offer in 1907!
Here is a sample of books you might have been tempted to read:
A Fool There Was. By Porter Emerson Browne. Illustrated by Edmund Magrath and W.W. Fawcett.
A relentless portrayal of the career of a man who comes under the influence of a beautiful but evil woman; how she lures him on and on, how he struggles, falls and rises, only to fall again into her net, make a story of unflinching realism.
The Girl in Waiting. By Archibald Eyre. Illustrated with scenes from the play.
A droll little comedy of misunderstandings, told with a light touch, a venturesome spirit and an eye for human oddities.
The Fortunes of Fifi. By Molly Elliot Seawell. Illustrated by T. de Thulstrup.
A story of life in France at the time of the first Napoleon. Fifi, a glad, mad little actress of eighteen, is the star performer in a third rate Parisian theatre. A story as dainty as a Watteau painting.
The Message. By Louis Tracy. Illustrations by Joseph C. Chase.
A breezy tale of how a bit of old parchment, concealed in a figurehead from a sunken vessel, comes into the possession of a pretty girl and an army man during regatta week in the Isle of Wight, This is the message and it enfolds a mystery, the development of which the reader will follow with breathless interest.
Tono-Bungay. By Herbert George Wells.
The hero of this novel is a young man who, through hard work earns a scholarship and goes to London. Written with a frankness verging on Rousseau's, Mr. Wells still uses rare discrimination and the border line of propriety is never crossed. An entertaining book with both a story and a moral, and without a dull page--Mr. Wells's most notable achievement. (One I recognize...I actually own this one!)
Castle Craneycrow. By George Barr McCutcheon.
The story revolves around the abduction of a young American woman, her imprisonment in an old castle and the adventures created through her rescue.
The Daughter of Anderson Crow. By George Barr McCutcheon.
The story centers about the adopted daughter of the town marshal in a western village. Her parentage is shrouded in mystery, the story concerns the secret that deviously works to the surface. (I had to list two of McCutcheon titles--not only are the descriptions amusing, but the stories sound sort of fun).
The Scarlet Pimpernel. By Baroness Orczy. Illustrated with scenes from the play.
A realistic story of the days of the French Revolution, abounding in dramatic incident, with a young English soldier of fortune, daring, mysterious as the hero. (This was the only other title--out of many--that I recognized and am certain is still in print).
Some of the stories sound rather dated, and also rather stereotypical of the period (pretty girl, beautiful but evil woman, career man...), but considering women didn't even have the vote yet, what can you expect. It's interesting to see which books are still in print 100 years later, and which are decidedly not! I think it would be sort of fun to find one of these books and see if it is still readable (to my 21st century sensibilities). And then I wonder which pop fiction titles printed this year will still be around in 100 more years!