Birthday Books: Robertson Davies and Friends

There is an interesting overlap with "America At Last" and this book; they are both diaries, with White's book covering 1963 and Davies spanning 1959 to 1963. I love Davies somewhat crusty persona, and it comes out in spades in his more personal writing, such as the volumes of his letters already published. This appears to be what is planned as the first of a series. I haven't read it yet, but looking at its dense, rich contents (like a a Christmas fruitcake) seems to promise a prolonged feast, not to be polished off in haste, but savored over time. For more details on the book, search elsewhere in this blog.

Davies always enjoyed the works of Stephen Leacock and looked upon him as his literary forebear as a Canadian humorist. In a time when Leacock was fading from view, Davies was happy to bring him out of storage, dust him off, and display his antique beauties to the modern world of the time. Will I enjoy it myself? Only time will tell. But when a friend introduces me to another friend, I'll always give him a chance. I at least have Davies introductory essay.

I have been wanting to read this book since reading about it in Davies' "The Lyre of Orpheus", where one of the points of view is that of "E. T. A. Hoffmann in the Underworld" watching the main characters try to bring his unfinished opera into stageable form. Tomcat Murr is mentioned often as a sort shadow-side of Hoffmann's character.

Hoffmann was something of a cat-fancier, and he actually had a pet he called Tomcat Murr that he based the book on, so much so that when it died Hoffmann announced the death of the fictional feline and ended the work. 

"Tomcat Murr is a loveable, self-taught animal who has written his own autobiography. But a printer's error causes his story to be accidentally mixed and spliced with a book about the composer Johannes Kreisler. As the two versions break off and alternate at dramatic moments, two wildly different characters emerge from the confusion - Murr, the confident scholar, lover, carouser and brawler, and the moody, hypochondriac genius Kreisler. In his exuberant and bizarre novel, Hoffmann brilliantly evokes the fantastic, the ridiculous and the sublime within the humdrum bustle of daily life, making The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (1820-22) one of the funniest and strangest novels of the nineteenth century." - Amazon.

Items from the Wish List: From the Sublime to the Hilarious

Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning by Owen Barfield

First published in 1928, 'Poetic Diction: A study in Meaning' presents not merely a theory of poetic diction but also a theory of poetry and a theory of knowledge. "Language has preserved for us the inner, living history of man's soul. It reveals the evolution of consciousness." Owen Barfield Owen Barfield is one of the twentieth century's most significant writers and philosophers. A member of the Inklings, Barfield's ideas and literary artistry influenced fellow-Inklings C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and won praise from many of the foremost literary figures of the century. Praise for Owen Barfield: "A prolific and interesting thinker" - Times Literary Supplement "The wisest and best of my unofficial teachers."- C.S.Lewis "A masterpiece ... of prophetic value" - T.S.Eliot "possibly the clearest and most searching thinker of the present time" - Howard Nemerov. – Amazon.

The Rediscovery of Meaning, and Other Essays by Owen Barfield

'The Rediscovery of Meaning' is a collection of essays about language, imagination, the human being, society and God. In each, Barfield points to solutions to the modern-day experience of meaningless fragmentation. This book includes some of Barfield's most brilliant, most readable, and most profound pieces. Among them are 'Poetic Diction and Legal Fiction', 'The Harp and the Camera', 'Matter, Imagination and Spirit', and 'Philology and the Incarnation'. – Amazon.

Owen Barfield on C.S. Lewis by Owen Barfield

'Owen Barfield on C.S. Lewis' is a collection of essays and lectures about the author, theologian, and literary scholar, C. S. Lewis. Barfield and Lewis were close friends for 44 years, from their Oxford days after WWI to Lewis's death in 1963. Barfield's reflections on their relationship ended only with his own passing, in his hundredth year. Barfield was instrumental in converting Lewis to theism. However, the two disagreed on many points, and it is that creative dialectic which defines and irradiates their friendship: "In an argument we always, both of us, were arguing for the truth, not for victory" (Owen Barfield). C.S. Lewis on Owen Barfield: "The wisest and best of my unofficial teachers." "Barfield towers above us all." To Walter Field: "You notice when Owen and I are talking metaphysics which you don't follow: you don't notice the times when you and Owen are talking economics which I can't follow. Owen is the only one who is never out of his depth." – Amazon.

Symbol or Substance?: A Dialogue on the Eucharist with C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham and J. R. R. Tolkien by Peter Kreeft

In this engaging fictional conversation, Peter Kreeft gives credible voices to C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Billy Graham as they discuss one of the most contentious questions in the history of Christianity: Is Jesus symbolically or substantially present in the Eucharist?

These widely respected modern Christian witnesses represent three important Western theological traditions. Graham, an ordained Southern Baptist minister who traversed the world and the airwaves to spread the good news of salvation, represents evangelical Protestantism. Lewis, an Oxford professor, a prolific Christian apologist, and the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, was a member of the Church of England. Also an Oxford don, Tolkien was a friend of Lewis, the author of The Lord of the Rings, and a Roman Catholic.

While Lewis and Tolkien likely discussed the Eucharist during their long friendship, the conversation in this book never took place―but it could have, says Kreeft, who faithfully presents the views of these three impressive men. – Amazon.

Christian Mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Madonald, G.K. Chesterton, and Others 
by Rolland Hein

The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (Penguin Classics) by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Anthea Bell

 Tomcat Murr is a loveable, self-taught animal who has written his own autobiography. But a printer's error causes his story to be accidentally mixed and spliced with a book about the composer Johannes Kreisler. As the two versions break off and alternate at dramatic moments, two wildly different characters emerge from the confusion - Murr, the confident scholar, lover, carouser and brawler, and the moody, hypochondriac genius Kreisler. In his exuberant and bizarre novel, Hoffmann brilliantly evokes the fantastic, the ridiculous and the sublime within the humdrum bustle of daily life, making The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (1820-22) one of the funniest and strangest novels of the nineteenth century. – Amazon.

Upstart Crow - The Complete Series 1-3 And The Christmas Specials Boxset

Upstart Crow by Ben Elton

It’s the 1590s. William Shakespeare—brought to life on screen by the inimitable David Mitchell—is at the start of his career. But no one is taking him seriously. In London, he is mercilessly mocked by his rivals and at home in Stratford he is belittled by his sullen teenage daughter.

Yet he is determined to find an ending for his newest creation,Romeo and Juliet. Luckily, inspiration is forthcoming. The trials and tribulations of his closest friends and family reveal the plot twists he’d been missing. And not only for this famous tragedy but for many of his finest plays.

With sparkling wordplay, hilarious gags, and his trademark wit, Ben Elton celebrates the great William Shakespeare and reveals the startling stories behind the playwright’s best-known plays. – Amazon.

Rick & Morty: Season 4 (DVD) Starring Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland 

A Flock of Penguins (and Wordsworth, and Everyman, and Other Editions of Classics)

The Compleat Angler, by Izaak Walton.

Wordsworth Classics. Purchased mainly because it was published during a period of English literature that interests me, the 1600s. “It is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse.” – Wikipedia. Can’t say that I’ve read it.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Classic. English. Softcover.

An Anthology of Elizabethan Prose Fiction, Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Paul Salzman.

Oxford World’s Classics. “This anthology contains five of the most important short works of Elizabethan prose fiction: George Gascoigne's The Adventures of Master F.J., John Lyly's Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit, Robert Greene's Pandosto: The Triumph of Time, Thomas Nashe's The Unfortunate Traveller, and Thomas Deloney's Jack of Newbury. Paul Salzman has modernized the texts for easier comprehension.” – Amazon. The Elizabethan period also fascinates me, and a delving into its fiction, as opposed to its poetry or plays, is a whole other animal revealed to the mind. Can’t say I’ve read it all; it takes a very specific mood to get into this kind of prose.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: ‘Novels’. Elizabethan. Softcover.

Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin.

I have been reading about this classic of Gothic Romance literature for years, and when this sturdy Penguin copy came into my ken, I bought it. Haven’t read it, but it’s there, in case I want to.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Gothic Romance. Softcover.

Defence of Poesy, Astrophil and Stella and Other Writings, by Sir Philip Sidney.

Well, you know, the Elizabethan Era, and he was the gentle perfect knight of the age, a combination of scholarship and chivalry. Died giving up a hatful of water to another soldier. When I was in college, I did a paper comparing ‘Defence of Poesy’ with the defense of Fantasy by various authors. Everyman edition.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Collected Works. Poetry. Softcover

Anglo-Saxon Prose, Translated by Michael Swanton.

“Handed down through generations of storytellers, these popular tales herald the birth of a national literature in the vernacular. From stories of saints to land grants and wills, these texts authored by kings, scribes and saints illuminate Anglo-Saxon Britain. Included in this collection are King Alfred's translation of seafarers' adventures in the Arctic, herbal remedies prescribed by Bald's Leechbook, advice to estate managers, and the love story Apollonius of Tyre, as well the famous Life of Saint Guthlac.” – Amazon. Though nowhere near a scholar, I am still a dilettante of English literature and history, and it began with Anglo-Saxon. I dip into books like these; I am attracted to them and like to have them near. Who knows? I may apply myself to them some day. Everyman edition.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: English Literature. Softcover.

The Life of King Arthur, by Wace and Lawman. Translated and Introduced by Judith Weiss and Rosamund Allen.

“The Norman writer Wace (c.1100) and the English writer Lawman gave us the first vernacular chronicles of British "history," from the age of Brutus to Cadwallader and the defeat of the Britons. The climax of this history is the glorious reign of Arthur. Wace eloquently enriched the Arthurian legend with additional details, including perhaps the Round Table. Lawman's Brut (c.1200) is a redaction of Wace's work, adding supernatural elements to fashion a mystic legend from Wace's historical king.” – Amazon. Foundational and important elements in the Arthurian legend, which is why I bought it. Everyman Edition.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legendary History. Softcover.

Three Arthurian Romances: Poems from Medieval France. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Ross G. Arthur.

“The three romances here collected-Caradoc, The Knight with the Sword, The Perilous Graveyard- are more likely to praise a knight's ability to increase his own prestige than to embody lofty values. Replete with fantastic symbols and erotic adventures, these poems unveil a world of an unexpectedly modern barbarity, populated by villains and heroes who battle evil with impure intentions.” – Amazon. Well, they are French. Everyman Edition.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Arthurian. Romances. Softcover.

Hrafnkel’s Saga and Other Stories, Translated by Hermann Palsson; King Harald’s Saga, by Snorri Sturluson, Translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson; Seven Viking Romances, Translated by Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards; Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland, Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Vidar Hreinsson [Translations by Martin S. Regal, John Tucker, Ruth C. Ellison, Frederic Heinemann, George Clark, Robert Kellogg, Judith Jesch and Anthony Maxwell], (4 Books)

Tales heroic and comic, historic and fictional, all from the hot-blooded, frosty North. Another of my manias, dipped into but seldom read thoroughly. Penguin Classics.

Ranking: Keepers.

File Code: Saga. Romance. Softcovers.

The Nibelungenlied, Translated by A. T. Hatto.

“This great German epic poem of murder and revenge recounts with particular strength and directness the progress of Siegfried’s love for the peerless Kriemhild, the wedding of Gunther – her brother – and Brunhild, the quarrel between the two queens, Hagen’s treacherous murder of Siegfried, and Kriemhild’s eventual triumph.” – From the cover. Penguin.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Epic. German. Softcover.

Early Irish Myths and Sagas, Translated with an Introduction by Jeffrey Gantz.

“First written down in the eighth century AD, these early Irish stories depict a far older world - part myth, part legend and part history. Rich with magic and achingly beautiful, they speak of a land of heroic battles, intense love and warrior ideals, in which the otherworld is explored and men mingle freely with the gods. From the vivid adventures of the great Celtic hero Cu Chulaind, to the stunning 'Exile of the Sons of Uisliu' - a tale of treachery, honour and romance - these are masterpieces of passion and vitality, and form the foundation for the Irish literary tradition: a mythic legacy that was a powerful influence on the work of Yeats, Synge and Joyce.” – Google Books. Penguin.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Myths and Sagas. Irish. Softcover.

The Lais of Marie De France, Translated with an Introduction by Glyn S. Burgess and Keith Busby.

“Marie de France (fl. late twelfth century) is the earliest known French woman poet and her lais - stories in verse based on Breton tales of chivalry and romance - are among the finest of the genre. Recounting the trials and tribulations of lovers, the lais inhabit a powerfully realized world where very real human protagonists act out their lives against fairy-tale elements of magical beings, potions and beasts. De France takes a subtle and complex view of courtly love, whether telling the story of the knight who betrays his fairy mistress or describing the noblewoman who embroiders her sad tale on the shroud for a nightingale killed by a jealous and suspicious husband.” – Amazon. Penguin. Of special interest to me because of the imitation ‘lais’ that Tolkien wrote.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Poetry Translation. Softcover.

The Journey Through Wales and the Description of Wales, by Gerald of Wales. Translated by Lewis Thorpe.

“Scholar, churchman, diplomat and theologian, Gerald of Wales was one of the most fascinating figures of the Middle Ages and The Journey Through Wales describes his eventful tour of the country as a missionary in 1188. In a style reminiscent of a diary, Gerald records the day-to-day events of the mission, alongside lively accounts of local miracles, folklore and religious relics such as Saint Patrick's Horn, and eloquent descriptions of natural scenery that includes the rugged promontory of St David's and the vast snow-covered panoramas of Snowdonia. The landscape is evoked in further detail in The Description, which chronicles the everyday lives of the Welsh people with skill and affection. Witty and gently humorous throughout, these works provide a unique view into the medieval world.” – Amazon. Of particular interest to me are the various bits of legend and folklore that creep in. Penguin.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Classic. Wales. Softcover.

Chronicles of the Crusades, by Joinville and Villehardouin. Translated by M. R. B. Shaw.

That is Jean de Joinville and Geoffroy de Villehardouin. “Originally composed in Old French, the two chronicles brought together here offer some of the most vivid and reliable accounts of the Crusades from a Western perspective. Villehardouin's Conquest of Constantinople, distinguished by its simplicity and lucidity, recounts the controversial Fourth Crusade, which descended into an all-out attack on the E astern Christians of Byzantium. In Life of Saint Louis, Joinville draws on his close attachment to King Louis IX of France to recall his campaigning in the Holy Land. Together these narratives comprise a fascinating window on events that, for all their remoteness, offer startling similarities to our own age.” – Amazon. Plenty of marvels and miracles, too, as accounts of remote viewing and the strange poltergeist-like being that served a nobleman. Penguin.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Classic. Softcover.

The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio. Translated with an Introduction by G. H. McWilliam.

“In the summer of 1348, as the Black Death ravages their city, ten young Florentines take refuge in the countryside. They amuse themselves by each telling a story a day for the ten days they are destined to remain there—a hundred stories of love, adventure and surprising twists of fate. Less preoccupied with abstract concepts of morality or religion than with earthly values, the tales range from the bawdy Peronella hiding her lover in a tub to Ser Cepperello, who, despite his unholy effrontery, becomes a Saint. The result is a towering monument of European literature and a masterpiece of imaginative narrative.” – Amazon. A significant book indeed, and one I have not read at all. Penguin.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Tales. Renaissance. Softcover.

Tales of Hoffmann, by E. T. A. Hoffman. Selected and Translated with an Introduction by R. J. Hollingdale.

“This selection of Hoffmann's finest short stories vividly demonstrates his intense imagination and preoccupation with the supernatural, placing him at the forefront of both surrealism and the modern horror genre. Suspense dominates tales such as Mademoiselle de Scudery, in which an apprentice goldsmith and a female novelist find themselves caught up in a series of jewel thefts and murders. In the sinister Sandman, a young man's sanity is tormented by fears about a mysterious chemist, while in The Choosing of a Bride a greedy father preys on the weaknesses of his daughter's suitors. Master of the bizarre, Hoffman creates a sinister and unsettling world combining love and madness, black humour and bewildering illusion.” – Amazon. Of interest to me because of its connections to Davies ‘The Lyre of Orpheus’. I will always regret the copy of ‘Kater Murr’ I saw but did not buy at a San Antonio Half-Price. Penguin.A lawyer by day and a creator of a world of fantasy by night, Hoffman (1776-1822) lived a Jekyll and Hyde existence. Many of the characters in his stories are subject to a similar split personality.
 
The duality of his nature is frequently reflected in some of his characters—Cardillac the goldsmith in Mademoiselle de Scudéry and Nathaniel in The Sandman, for example. Cardillac is a virtuous, industrious man by day but a violent criminal at night, while Nathaniel, obsessed by a childhood fantasy, is driven to madness and cruelty.
 
These tales can be read on several levels: as an expression of the concerns of the Romantic era, as impressive examples of German Romantic literature and as exciting works of fiction made all the more extraordinary by their concern with the supernatural and the bizarre.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Short Stories. Softcover.

Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. Translated with an Introduction by N. J. Dawood.

“The tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp' to the farcical 'Young Woman and her Five Lovers' and the social criticism of 'The Tale of the Hunchback', the stories depict a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerers, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative extravagance, the Tales are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of medieval Eastern world.
Offering unexpurgated translations of the best-loved tales, including such classics as 'Sindbad the Sailor', Tales from the Thousand and One Nights - sometimes known as the Arabian Nights - is translated with an introduction by N.J. Dawood in Penguin Classics. In this selection, Dawood presents the reader with an unexpurgated translation of the finest and best-known tales, preserving their spirited narrative style in lively modern English. In his introduction, he discusses their origins in the East and their differences from Classical Arabic literature and examines English translations of the tales since the eighteenth century.” – Amazon. Penguin.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legends. Fairy Tales. Softcover.

An Autobiography, by Anthony Trollope. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by David Skilton.

Mike had this copy of the life of the prodigious and hard-working English novelist. It records his hard youth, his dealings with editors, publishers, and other authors, and his determination and relentless work. I remember reading it while Mike went in to get a Hunt Brothers pizza for us at Pic-n-Pac. Penguin.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Autobiography. Literature. Softcover.

The Fire of Love, by Richard Rolle. Translated into Modern English with an introduction by Clifton Wolters.

Meditations by the fourteenth century hermit as he confronted the Divine Mystery. “Rolle examines the path of spiritual progress with enthusiasm, faith, and, above all, warmth. Richard Rolle’s personal love of God and the sweetness and the melody of his writing assure his place among the foremost pre-Reformation English Mystics.” – From the cover. I remember one of my proudest moments in Dr. Laird’s Fourteenth Century Prose and Poetry class was not only translating a verse from this, but actually doing it on the fly and on my feet (I had been absent a few days), to the awe of my classmates and wry approval of Dr. Laird.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Medieval Mysticism. Softcover.

Medieval English Lyrics 1200 -1400. Edited with an Introduction by Thomas G. Duncan.

“This handy Penguin paperback contains 132 medieval lyrics along with an extensive introduction explaining their historical and cultural context and explaining the rhyme scheme, scansion and pronunciation of the poems. Each work benefits from a ‘crib’ or translation of obscure phrases which is on the same page as the text, and extensive notes on each poem at the back of the book.” – astrofella.wordpress.com. Oh, this book is so right in my sweet spot! Maintains the old spelling with notes to explain harder words.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Poetry. Medieval. Softcover.

The Complete Plays, by Christopher Marlowe. Edited with an Introduction by J. B. Stane.

Shakespeare’s great predecessor, with a life as dramatic as any of his plays. Most notable for me here: his ‘Dr. Faustus’. Penguin.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Plays. Softcover.

Three Plays, by John Webster. [The White Devil/The Duchess of Malfi/The Devil’s Law-Case]. With an Introduction and Notes by David C. Gunby.

“The plays of Jacobean dramatist John Webster are masterpieces of early seventeenth-century English theatre. "The White Devil" depicts a dark, sinister world of duplicity, intrigue and murderous infidelity, while "The Duchess of Malfi" tells the macabre story of a woman who marries beneath herself and sets in motion a terrible cycle of violence. Unlike these revenge tragedies, "The Devil's Law-Case" asserts social order in a plot filled with twists of fate. Written at a time when the court of King James was rife with instability and corruption, Webster's disturbing plays reflect this abuse of power and are known for their horrific vision of humanity - yet they are also some of the most rich, sophisticated dramas ever composed.” – Amazon. ‘Malfi’ in particular is filled with grand imagery and language, some that is echoed John Bellairs ‘The House with a Clock in its Walls’. Not an important fact, but interesting to me.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Plays. Softcover.

Three Plays by John Ford. [‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore/The Broken Heart/Perkin Warbeck]. Edited by Kieth Sturgess.

Not the most engaging playwright to my mind, but from an interesting period, and only cost a dollar. I think it was the pet turkey on the cover that really sold it. Penguin.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Plays. Softcover.

The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, Translated with an Introduction by C. W. R. D. Moseley.

“Ostensibly written by an English knight, the Travels purport to relate his experiences in the Holy Land, Egypt, India and China. Mandeville claims to have served in the Great Khan's army, and to have travelled in 'the lands beyond' - countries populated by dog-headed men, cannibals, Amazons and Pygmies. Although Marco Polo's slightly earlier narrative ultimately proved more factually accurate, Mandeville's was widely known, used by Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci and Martin Frobisher, and inspiring writers as diverse as Swift, Defoe and Coleridge. This intriguing blend of fact, exaggeration and absurdity offers both fascinating insight into and subtle criticism of fourteenth-century conceptions of the world.” – Amazon. Penguin Classic. A must have for the medieval enthusiast.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legend. Travel. Softcover.

Love Visions, by Geoffrey Chaucer. [The Book of the Duchess/The House of Fame/The Parliament of Birds/The Legend of Good Women]. Translated with an Introduction by Brian Stone.

“Spanning Chaucer's working life, these four poems build on the medieval convention of 'love visions' - poems inspired by dreams, woven into rich allegories about the rituals and emotions of courtly love. In The Book of the Duchess, the most traditional of the four, the dreamer meets a widower who has loved and lost the perfect lady, and The House of Fame describes a dream journey in which the poet meets with classical divinities. Witty, lively and playful, The Parliament of Birds details an encounter with the birds of the world in the Garden of Nature as they seek to meet their mates, while The Legend of Good Women sees Chaucer being censured by the God of Love, and seeking to make amends, for writing poems that depict unfaithful women. Together, the four create a marvellously witty, lively and humane self-portrait of the poet.” – Amazon. Ah, must have Chaucer. And such a good Penguin book.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Poetry. Softcover.

The History of England, by Lord [Thomas Babington] Macaulay. Edited by Hugh Trevor-Roper.

“One of the greatest figures of his age, Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-59) was widely admired throughout his life for his prose, poetry, political acumen and oratorical skills. Among the most successful and enthralling histories ever written, his History of England won instantaneous success following the publication of its first volumes in 1849 and was rapidly translated into most European languages. Beginning with the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and concluding at the end of the reign of William III in 1702, it illuminates a time of deep struggle throughout Britain and Ireland in vivid and compelling prose. But while Macaulay offers a gripping narrative, and draws on a wide range of sources including historical accounts and creative literature, his enduring success also owes a great deal to his astonishing ability to grasp, and explain, the political reality that has always underpinned social change.” – Amazon. Penguin.

Ranking: Dispensable.

File Code: History. Softcover.

Three Gothic Novels (The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole; Vathek, by William Beckford; Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley). Edited by Peter Fairclough with an Introduction by Mario Praz.

“The Gothic novel, which flourished from about 1765 until 1825, revels in the horrible and the supernatural, in suspense and exotic settings. This volume, with its erudite introduction by Mario Praz, presents three of the most celebrated Gothic novels: The Castle of Otranto, published pseudonymously in 1765, is one of the first of the genre and the most truly Gothic of the three. Vathek (1786), an oriental tale by an eccentric millionaire, exotically combines Gothic romanticism with the vivacity of The Arabian Nights and is a narrative tour de force. The story of Frankenstein (1818) and the monster he created is as spine-chilling today as it ever was; as in all Gothic novels, horror is the keynote.” – Amazon. Penguin. Not entirely read, but genre important.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Gothic Novels. Softcover.

Legends of Alexander the Great, Translated and Edited by Richard Stoneman.

Everyman Edition. ""How can a man become a god?"" So enquired Alexander the Great of the Brahmin sages of India. And how did they reply? ""By doing what it is impossible for a man to do."" And that answer set a keynote for the Conqueror's entire career, which was characterized throughout by Alexander's attempts to achieve the unachievable: to scale fresh heights and make the incredible real and tangible on earth. He wrestled an Indian monster larger than an elephant, fought ants the size of foxes, and contested bats with human teeth. He became a Jewish convert, sailed up the Ganges, and visited the Earthly Paradise. Already a legend in his own lifetime, the glittering figure of Alexander preoccupied European, Jewish, and Arabic folklore until the 15th century. Richard Stoneman, who is one of his leading modern interpreters, here presents a range of Greek and Latin texts which recount the Conqueror's adventures in the East. Essential reading for students of late antique and medieval literature, these stories are still unsurpassed for sheer entertainment, opening a window onto a rumbustious world of legend as rich as that of the Arabian Nights.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legend. Softcover.

Gargantua and Pantagruel, by Francois Rabelais. Translated by Sir Thomas Urquhart. With an Introduction by Richard Cooper.

Wordsworth Classics of World Literature Edition. Big fat softcover edition, marginally better for reading than my Hardback, but so big I fear damage to the spine.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Classic. Satire. Softcover.

The Golden Ass, by Lucius Apuleius. Translated by William Adlington. Introduction by James Morwood.

Wordsworth Classics. “The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as The Golden Ass (Asinus aureus), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is called Lucius. The plot revolves around the protagonist's curiosity  and insatiable desire to see and practice magic. While trying to perform a spell to transform into a bird, he is accidentally transformed into an ass. This leads to a long journey, literal and metaphorical, filled with inset tales. He finally finds salvation through the intervention of the goddess Isis, whose cult he joins.” – Wikipedia. Important also for the inset story, “Cupid and Psyche”.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Novel. Roman. Softcover.

Le Morte Darthur, by Sir Thomas Malory. With an Introduction by Helen Moore.

Wordsworth Classics. This edition has the original phrasing of this important version of the Arthurian story, unlike my hardback edition, which, I think, is adapted.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legend. Softcover.