Lost in the Stacks: The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars (Visiting Book Edition)

I thought I would skip my lost in the stacks post today as it's been a hectic week and I didn't have a chance to do much browsing in the stacks.  However yesterday I brought home a very interesting book that I had requested via interlibrary loan and was thinking it would be a perfect lost in the stacks book,  pity it wasn't one  my library owned.  But I like to be flexible, so today I have a 'guest' lost in the stacks book, all the way from Colorado.  Originally published in 1927, it's difficult to gage how often it has been circulating of late, but the due date slip inside the book (and you can't really go by those since they are often no longer used--my library doesn't use them anymore as a matter of fact) shows a last check out of March 27, 1961!

I'm sorry to say I can't lay claim on having "found" this book, as I came across it via Melville House Books, where I was browsing in their forthcoming titles section.  I read the description and thought, perfect, I need to read this.  Had I looked closer I would have found it is due to be published this month (according to the Melville site--Amazon lists it, perhaps erroneously, as being due out in July), but at first glance it looked months away from being available and you might already have noticed if you stop by regularly that I am not especially patient when it comes to books I want to read.

So, what was it about Maurice Dekobra's The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars (La Madone des Sleepings) that made me look twice, and then go directly to my library's ILL request form and ask for a copy?  First it was this little eye catcher:

"One of the biggest bestsellers of all time, and one of the first and most influential spy novels of the twentieth century, is back in print for the first time since 1948."

Although I've not been spending as much time lately with my thrillers and spy novels (and I have a lovely pile of them), I love to read them, and 'biggest bestseller' and 'influential' are high words of praise indeed.  A teaser from the description hooked me further.

"It’s the story of two tremendously charming characters who embark on a glamorous adventure on the Orient Express—and find themselves on a thrilling ride across Europe and into the just-barely unveiled territories of psychoanalysis and revolutionary socialism."

Alan Furst is an author I very, very much want to read particularly so now as Melville House notes that in his novels there is often a character traveling by train who happen to be reading just this book.  I love books that talk about other books (and what was agent 007 reading in From Russia With Love?  Am thinking it was a novel by Eric Ambler, but I could be remembering incorrectly).  Anyway, I love the sound of this book, and it sounds like a classic of the genre that I hadn't come across. 

By the way Dekobra is French, the book was translated by Neal Wainwright.  I was hoping to find a review of it from when it was first published in the US, but so far I've not been able to find anything.  Something of a curiosity--Dekobra's real name was Maurice Tessier. His pen name came (so the story goes on the wikipedia) that he saw a snake charmer in North Africa with two cobras and his name is a spin off from his experience--"deux cobras" became Dekobra.  Makes for a good story in any case.  I'd never heard of the term "dekobrisme", which is coined from his name, to describe his writing style which uses journalistic features.

He was apparently quite a popular author in France between the two world wars and his many books were published in quite a few other languages, but like so many authors he has been rather forgotten with the passage of time.  Thanks to Melville House for bringing him to  my attention and back into print.  I think I must now take a closer look at their Neversink Library and perhaps discover some other forgotten gems!

Now I'll leave you with a description of one of those charming and glamorous characters.  This is Lady Diana Wynham.

"Like lightning that blonde hair and that pure and classic face, only slightly ravaged by all-night revels at the Jardin de Ma Soeur or at the Ambassadors, appeared from behind the paper screen...But what is the use of describing Lady Diana's beauty?  Anyone can look at her for the price of a copy of the Tatler or the Bystander.  Weekly magazines all over the world never fail to include a picture of Lady Diana Wynham playing golf, cuddling a baby bull, driving a Rolls-Royce, shooting grouse on the Scotch moors of climbing the slopes above Monte Carlo in a white sweater."

Comments

[Caroline]

I haven't heard of him at all.
Interesting to know that Furst's characters read this book. I'm sure it 's quite good but as you know I'm not so much into spy stories.

[Amanda R.]

Interlibrary Loan represent! I'm always amazed by what I'm able to get via ILL.

[catharina]

What an intriguing title! Never heard of the author though. Talking about spies, I'm slowly getting to know one too in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold(le Carré).Really good so far.

[Kathy]

Oh! Oh! Oh! This sounds marvelous and absolutely worth searching out. I've never heard of it, or the author, and I'm also a lover of best-selling and influential spy novels. Thank you for sharing.

[abby]

I remember reading this a few years back. For the reason that it appeared in the Furst book.
I don't remember much about it in itself. I do remember thinking that the author must have been the James Patterson of his day, as it was light and depended upon knowledge of current events.
The train passengers probably bought their copies at the train station and were reading it for the same reason one reads airplane books today.
I found it quaint evidence as to why most bestsellers disappear off the face of the earth so quickly.
Which is not to say I didn't like it because I did.

[Danielle]

Caroline--I was wondering if it was a book you might have heard of, or if maybe it was one your grandmother might have had in her own library. I know spy stories aren't really your thing--I somehow seemed to have gotten hooked on them.

Amanda--Yay for ILL. It's almost as though virtually any book out there is at your fingertips. Almost that is... But close enough for me! :)

Catharina--I had never heard of him before either. He seems to have virtually disappeared but I'm glad to have found him. I really need to read Le Carre, too. I think that is the same book I have on my stack--you'll have to tell me what you think when you finish. I think he is one of the best writers of the genre.

Kathy--Melville House will be publishing this soon so maybe you can find him easily at the library! I love spy stories--I've been binging mostly on mysteries lately, but had to start this one now. So far I am enjoying it.

Abby--How funny that you were drawn to it via Furst, too. I have to read some of Furst's books--I have several on hand just don't know where to start. I'm not surprised he was a bestseller who shot to popularity and then sort of faded away--that seems to happen to lots of authors, but as you say--still very enjoyable reads. I like Lady Diana--they are charming characters. It would make a fun movie, too, I think.

[Stefanie]

Oh, this sounds like it will be lots of fun!

[Danielle]

Stefanie--So far it is--I am taking it with me to the gym this week! :)

[Rebecca]

This sounds like fun--I'll have to watch for it when it comes out. At least you gave this copy a chance to be back in circulation after possibly 50 years!

[Danielle]

Rebecca--I think it was heavily borrowed in its day, but it seems in a little bit sad shape now. The library was kind enough to give me a long check out time, too, which is nice as not all libraries will do that! It should be coming out soon in paperback.

[litlove]

The title of the book is SO familiar, but I can't quite place where I've heard it before. Given that the author's French, that must have something to do with it. But in any case it sounds wonderful - glamour and intrigue and spies and Europe. Who could ask for more?

[Danielle]

Litlove--Maybe you read about him at some point in your research? I think he wrote quite a lot. I love all the things you mention--which is why I'm drawn to books like this. I'm looking forward to getting back to it--the last week or so has been hectic and all my normal reading and life in general has been a little bit of a mess.