Domain Books

While this book is not a bad read, it simplly serves as a transition for the series, and not a pivotal one. The relationship between Toby and Alexandra is deepened. Henry Blake's problems with his German nemesis and the new King of Spain are continued. Also, the debut of Cindy Holt's skills as an artist are begun. But really, this is a fairly easy book to skip if one is trying to read the whole series. Still, if you find it, buy it and read it. Just don't go out of your way for it.

Those familiar with the critical role that the recruitment of black troops into the Union Armies in the American Civil War usually think about the famous Massachusetts 54th Regiment under Robert Gould Shaw which has received wide attention in book, film and sculpture. And those heroic fighters deserve those honors. Glory, indeed. However, other units were formed from other regions that are also noteworthy. And none more so than the 1st South Carolina Volunteers commanded by the arch-abolitionist Theodore Higginson one of John Brown's most fervent supporters and an early advocate of arming the slaves during the Civil War. He desperately wanted to lead armed blacks in battle and got his wish.

I have remarked elsewhere (in a review of William Styron's Confessions of Nat Turner)that while the slaves in the South, for a host of reasons, did not insurrect with the intensity or frequency of say Haiti, the other West Indian islands or Brazil that when the time came to show discipline, courage and honor under arms that blacks would prove not inferior to whites. And Higginson's book is prima facie evidence for that position.

One should note that, unlike the Massachusetts 54th which was made up primarily of freedman the 1st South Carolina was made up of units of fugitive and abandoned slaves. Thus, one should have assumed that it would have been harder to train and discipline uneducated and much-abused slaves. Not so. After reading a number of books on the trials and tribulations of various Union regiments, including the famous Irish Brigade, the story Higginson tells compares very favorably with those units. While Higginson's use of `negro' dialect in the telling of his story which may not be to the liking of some of today's `politically correct' readers of this book it is nevertheless a story worth reading told by a `high' abolitionist and Civil War hero.

There's a lot more to Sax Rohmer than his Fu Manchu novels. Some years back, I bought a cache of Rohmer's books published by A.L. Burt in the teens and twenties, some from the Fu Manchu series, but others with delightfully lurid titles such as The Golden Scorpion, The Green Eyes of Bast, and The Dream Detective, the latter featuring the wondrous Moris Klaw, a blind detective with extra-sensory powers.

From time to time I dip into this reservoir for a completely escapist read. These novels, despite being dated and notoriously full of racial stereotypes, fairly pop off the page. Rohmer knew how to spin a yarn, and Bat Wing is no exception. The tale involves a haughty Spanish colonel and a secret too dark, too deep, to divulge. Rohmer's detective hero, Paul Harvey, is in the mold of Sherlock Holmes, and of course he has a trusted friend who doubles as the narrator much as Dr. Watson does. Together they unravel the sinister mystery, encountering voodoo rites, vampire bats, an Edgar Allen Poe-esque writer, and other fantastic developments en route to the sensational ending.

It is a short novel, about 100 pages, large print. Has nice illustrations that make it a worthy keep sake.

Aside from that, it is the story of a rather quiet man who hardly says anything at all. He is in the state's congress and is well respected by his peers and constituents. However, his neighbors begin to see him acting strangely. He talks to himself and is doing strange things around his house.

However, all is not what it seems to be and comes to fruition on Christmas Eve.

I didn't find myself totally into the holiday spirit after reading the book, however, I did like the "quaint" and "folksy" attitude of the book. Something fun to read in the course of an hour. Not Tarkington's best, but definitely interesting and motivating for the holidays.

"Beatrice" was first published in 1890, and was H. Rider Haggard's 10th novel, out of 58 titles. Unlike so many of his other books, "Beatrice" is one that features almost no action scenes whatsoever; no lost races, no adventure, no battles, no supernatural elements. What it IS, is a beautifully written romance novel; indeed, is is one of Haggard's most emotional works. It tells the story of the ill-fated love affair between Beatrice Granger, an unmarried Welsh school teacher, and Geoffrey Bingham, an unhappily married barrister who lives in London. This all starts after Beatrice saves Geoffrey's life in a canoeing accident during a tremendous storm (in the book's only true action set piece), and the two become interested in one another. Trouble awaits, in the form of Bingham's wife Honoria (who's only interested in money and social climbing), Owen Davies (one of the richest men in Wales, who is morbidly obsessed with marrying Beatrice), and Elizabeth (Beatrice's older sister, who will do just about anything to marry Davies herself). So where in other books we might encounter a three-way love triangle, here we have what might be called a love...pentagon?
I said before that this book contains no supernatural elements, but this is not quite true. Beatrice and Geoffrey do seem to have some kind of psychic link with one another, so that at times they can sense each other's thoughts and feelings, even when separated. Haggard's recurring theme of eternal love--of a love that survives beyond the grave--is very much in evidence in "Beatrice." This is a theme that was given play in his very first novel, "Dawn"; was much stressed in the four "She" novels; and appears in so many of his other works. Another theme that "Beatrice" seems to stress is the undesirability of the Victorian marriage state. Apparently, back in the late 19th century, divorce was seen to be a scandalous option, even for the most unhappily married couples. Haggard here shows us one such couple, and the problems that arise when this unfortunate union continues. Strangely, the author seems to have no sympathy for the problems that afflict Beatrice and Geoffrey as their romance continues. He even says so, in so many words. One must read between the lines to realize that Haggard does indeed feel for these poor unfortunates.
Of all the Haggard novels that I have read (two dozen or so), this one seemed to me the most dated. It is hard to believe that so much scandal could attach to a couple because of a love affair. But hold on a moment! Didn't our 42nd president get himself into major "mishegas" as a result of his dalliance with an unmarried woman? Indeed, wouldn't a single school teacher in a small town TODAY find herself embarrassed if her affair with a married man of prominence were to come to light? Perhaps things haven't changed so much after all! (Although it is doubtful that a scandalized woman of today would go to the extremes that Beatrice goes to to put matters right!)
"Beatrice," then, is NOT a novel for those looking for an action and adventure spectacle. But for those wishing a deliciously written novel with characters you can really care for, this might be just the ticket. At one point in this tale, Geoffrey thinks about sitting down one night with a good novel, and Haggard tells us that Bingham was "not above this frivolous occupation." Reading Haggard's "Beatrice," however, does not strike me as a "frivolous occupation." It is a serious-minded novel that the author obviously felt deeply about, and one that I do recommend highly.

Bertha Garlan is twenty-six and widowed. She has a small child, Fritz; when not caring for him, she teaches piano to the children of her town. Her life is happy, or more accurately it is pleasant; There isn't much opportunity beyond what she has, though a yearning for something grander exists within her heart.

For what? She doesn't know. Her friend, Frau Rupius is traveling to Vienna; she invites Bertha along with her. We learn that Bertha is to be used as an excuse, a cover for Frau Rupius' infidelity. Bertha is at first shocked, but then her thoughts wander to Emil, the man she loved as a boy. Her first love, she repelled him after he suggested a consummation of their love. But now, with her husband in the grave, perhaps she could offer her affection. After all, if Frau Rupius is capable of having a lover in Vienna, then so too can Bertha Garlan.

The idea takes hold in her mind. She idealises the time she spent with Emil and, without properly considering the consequences, writes him a letter. He is by now a famous musician, a violinist of some repute - Bertha hopes that he remembers her. He does and his reply, which comes quickly, suggests a meeting.

Bertha is now faced with a problem. Should she meet with Emil? Her heart yearns for it, but her innocent mind is unaware of what might occur. It is almost as though she has no knowledge of what men and women do, for all that she has a child. But her mind is made up when she considers herself: 'A shudder seemed to seize her as she recalled that she was nothing but the widow of an insignificant man, that she lived in a provincial town, that she earned her living by means of music lessons, and that she saw old age slowly approaching.' She must seize this moment, to prove to herself and to the world that she is not a prune on its way to becoming shriveled and old.

Her passions are that of a novice in the arts of love. She is too energetic, too determined to give all of herself to Emil. Before they have met, she thinks grand thoughts of love: 'She was only going to Vienna to be his, and after that, if needs must be, to die.' Bertha spends the day wandering around Vienna, by turns anxious and excited as to the course of the evening with Emil. What lies in store for her? Innocent as she is, her thoughts approach, but ultimately shy away from what it is that she wants. She is able to desire, but unable to properly elucidate these thoughts for herself. At times, she considers breaking off the engagement, her thoughts rocketing up and plummeting down. 'Would it not, perhaps, even be better if he did not come, she wondered. She was so bewildered at that moment ... and supposing she was to say anything silly or awkward.... So much depended on the next few minutes--perhaps her whole future....'

After they meet, Bertha is very excited about what has happened. She reads much - too much - into their conversation. 'She would completely envelop him in it ... no more would he yearn for any other woman.... She would move to Vienna, be with him each day, be with him for ever.' She considers their love to be complete, assured, a new turning point in both their lives. Indeed, Bertha even goes so far as to hold herself above the men and women in the street, as though she now knows more than they about the adult realm of love.

All this is, of course, painful to read. We know that Emil is unfaithful, married, uninterested, or something of the kind. His manner is, at all times, distant - when they do finally spend a long time together, she becomes drunk and misinterprets his words. As a famous violinist it is to be presumed - and Bertha, to her credit, presumes it as well - that he would have known many women. It is Bertha's misfortune not to realise that this makes her the latest in a line of women, not the premiere female, as she would like.

The realisation hurts. When innocence is taken advantage of, it is of course the victim who suffers the most. They perceive their prior ignorance not as naivety but stupidity, as though the world was one great joke at their expense. Bertha is no different. 'for the first time in her life, she was so stirred, even to the very depths of her soul, that she understood those who in their despair have hurled themselves out of a window to meet their death....'

Bertha's innocence - or perhaps ignorance now, as she has ample evidence to discredit her fantasies - remains throughout the novel. By the end, she has not learned a thing and has in fact become a horrible egoist. She sees in everything a reflection of her own thoughts, considers all events and actions a mirror by which to study the passions that rage through her heart and mind. She becomes foolish and sad, a simple creature for which it is difficult to remain sympathetic. Even in the death of a major character, Bertha is able only to learn how it might play upon her love for Emil.

Can we believe this delusion? We can, because Bertha takes it to the extreme. No matter how Emil lets her down, how bluntly he states that all he wants from her are pleasures of the physical kind, she bounds back from an initial minor depression to ridiculous levels of enthusiasm. It is as though Bertha does not want Emil to be her lover so much as for a lover to be hers. She is in love with the fantasy of it all; the reality leaves her cold or simply leaves her.

Perhaps we have all had such thoughts, though I dare say that for most they remain the artifacts of teenage years. Indeed, that is how Bertha comes most to portray herself - her passions are that of the over-exuberant teenager, not the aware considerations of the adult. We are able to criticise her because she is twenty-six with the heart of a sixteen year old, not necessarily because her heart is wrong.

There are interesting echoes of Flaubert throughout the text. The most striking of which comes from the following line, 'You have only a husband, but I have a lover!--a lover!--a lover!"...'. In this we are of course reminded of the famous scene where Madame Bovary struts before her mirror, exulting in her status as a woman with a lover. This similarity to Flaubert is a weakness and a strength. Flaubert is by far the greater writer, but the themes of love and lust and the innocence of a woman are ones that can never properly become exhausted, and with the addition of novels such as these, perhaps we are able to understand all the better the inner workings of our minds and hearts.

In this entertaining volume, Scott characterizes the unrest between England and Wales in the year 1187, during the time of the Crusades. The Western Marches had not yet been subdued by English authority, and clouds of banditti continue to make inroads into English territory. Our characters are besieged in a castle that only at the moment of crisis is it put into a posture of defense to withstand the siege. A phlegmatic Fleming and his daughter form the sensible counters to the hot-blooded English family who owns the castle. Intrigues and sorcery (the product of the times), conflicts between religion, the foreign wars, infighting within the family (when a son would murder his father for his possessions) all have equal place here. A fascinating glimpse of the times, and a highly readable story make this yet another jewel in Scott's wonderful body of historical fiction.

This text is supposed to cover the conversation of a group of people during an evening of "Bohemian" discussions. Each person tells their own little story or gives an ideal to the group; however, none interact with the others, they simply talk over and around each other. I think it creates an interesting feeling of ennui and disaffectation with society as a whole, which perhaps sums up the entire Bohemian movement. Will be of definite interest to many people.

Ned Nestor and the other boys of the Wolf Patrol are off on another adventure for the Secret Service. This time, there is an American unjustly arrested in Paraguay, and the American government needs someone "unofficial" to spring him. And so, the boys are ready to use their airship and quickly get the job done. However, there is someone who is determined to stop the boys, and they have an airship of their own. It's up to Ned and the other boys to keep their wits about them and set everything to right.

This book was first published in 1912, when the Boy Scouts of America was only two years old! Scoutmaster George Harvey Ralphson (1879-1940) penned a series of books with Boy Scout heroes, which put the Scouts in dangerous situations where their Scout training brought them through. Sadly, like many authors of the era, who wrote Boy Scout pulp fiction for boys, Mr. Ralphson went rather far with his characters, showing each of the Scouts armed and going into very dangerous situations indeed. And so, the Boy Scouts of America clamped down on such stories, fearing that they were giving people a wrong idea of what Scouting is about.

So yes, this book does not show the stereotypical Boy Scout, but it is nonetheless a rousing good story, full of adventure, bravery, patriotism, action, and good fun! It is the sort of muscular fiction that boys read 100 years ago, and it is still a great read. So, if you are a fan of early-twentieth century boys' fiction, then you must read this book.

[If you want a great, old-fashioned Boy Scout book, that shows what Scouting should be, then you must read "Tom Slade" by Percy K. Fitzhugh; it is the crown of the genre!]

Young Rand, Donald, Pepper and Dick have been fun-loving friends for most all of their lives. But, life has suddenly presented them with two new adventures. First of all, their old friend Colonel Snow has presented them with the idea of starting their own Boy Scout troop. And secondly, Judge Taylor's office has been robbed, and their old nemesis, Jim Rae, just might be involved.

This is nice, old-fashioned boy's fiction, such as was popular in the early part of the twentieth century. It's filled with action, adventure and good-natured comradery. My one complaint against this book is that, being part of a series, it does not really have an end. The mystery is not entirely cleared up, but left for the next installment.

But, that said, this is a very good boy's book, one that my 10-year-old son enjoyed. We both recommend it to you. [If you want a great, old-fashioned Boy Scout book, then you must read "Tom Slade" by Percy K. Fitzhugh, which is the crown of the genre!]