Final stretch

 After yesterday's meeting of the Trollope Society to discuss the final chapters of The Kellys and the O'Kellys, my attention now turns to the last title of this year's reading list, Ralph the Heir.  This is one of Trollope's later novels, published in 1871. It is the story of two men who compete with each other to inherit a large estate, while both coincidentally named Ralph.  Finances and inheritance are common themes in Trollope's novels, as are politics.  This one mentions a situation very closely drawn from the authors personal experience when he ran for election to Parliament.  He was unsuccessful, but the campaign did expose some corruption in the election process.

After the main part of yesterday's meeting, part of the group remained to discuss next year's reading list, a topic I am very interested in.  The Trollope Society instituted The Big Read in 2020, and is the ongoing effort to read and discuss all the many novels published by Anthony Trollope.  In all the time since, the group has covered most of Trollope's works, and only a handful of short or lesser-known books remain.  So what does next year look like?  Possibilities that were discussed were reading the remaining minor works, perhaps expanding to secondary works like Trollope's non-fiction writings, or works by his relatives.  Or, the one that most appealed to me, returning to his best known book series, The Chronicles of Barsetshire and the Palliser novels.  I joined the Trollope society in early 2025, by which time they'd already covered these books which I had read and knew fairly well.  I've always wanted to hear the thoughts of the wider group, many of whom have a much deeper knowledge of Trollope the I do, on these books that I love.  That now seems to be a feasible possibility for next year's reading list.  I'm not sure who will make the final decision and when it will be made.  But I'm happy it's under consideration.

The Kellys and the O'Kellys

 Yesterday was the final book club meeting of the Trollope Society to discuss Castle Richmond.  So that means today begins the next book on the reading list, The Kellys and the O'Kellys, by Anthony Trollope.  This novel was written by Trollope while he was in Ireland, and was published in 1848.  The common themes of inheritance and debt are once again found in this story, which will be familiar to Trollope readers.

  

New month, new book

 Just two days ago, the final book club meeting of the Trollope Society was held to discuss Mr. Scarborough's Family.  And so now we turn to the next novel on this year's reading list:  The Belton Estate.  This book was first published in 1865.  Just as a violent civil war was coming to a close in the USA, Anthony Trollope wrote this book about a young woman choosing between two suitors.  Thorny issues of inheritance and measuring the qualities of two imperfect men are themes in this short novel by the prolific author.  I look forward to the book as the summer reading season begins.

Next up

 Yesterday was the final meeting of the Trollope Society to discuss the current title of the ongoing Big Read.  The meeting presentation was given by Oxford University professor Nicholas Shrimpton, and was a detailed historical analysis of one of Anthony Trollope's lesser known works, The Bertrams.  As is usual in these bi-weekly Zoom meetings, I learned a great deal and gained much more insight into the novel than I would have on my own.  Each meeting has about 100 participants from all around the world, and their viewpoints in the small breakout groups and in the final full group discussion never fail to be enriching.

And so today begins the next novel in this year's reading list: Mr Scarborough's Family.  This work was published in 1883 and was one of the last of Trollope's many works to reach the public.  As always, I've prepared myself with a print copy I obtain through the used book clearinghouse webpage ABE Books, as well as a digital version downloaded from Project Gutenberg to my vintage second generation Kindle.  I'll dive into the new book later today, and look forward to discovering another work from the highly prolific Victorian author.

Save the Bounty

  Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of all aspects of the story of HMS Bounty, the ill-fated 18th century mission to transport breadfruit tress from Tahiti to English colonies in the Caribbean.  The famous mutiny resulted in the ship's commander, Captain Bligh, being set adrift in a small boat with some loyalists and their arduous journey back to civilization.  The mutineers sailed the seized Bounty and ultimately destroyed her after settling on a little known south Pacific island.  Since then, several books and movies have been made to recount the mutiny.  A semi-authentic replica Bounty was built with traditional woodworking methods for the 1962 version of the film starring Marlon Brando.  This ship later became a museum ship for decades before being lost in a storm in 2012.  A later version of the film in 1984 starring Mel Gibson used a more authentic replica ship, though one that had a modern steel hull and was clad in a wood veneer for appearances.  This ship still exists, though is now apparently in a state of severe neglect.

In my random internet wanderings, it is info of the latter ship's status that I recently discovered.  According to this web page, the ship lies in a woeful condition in Bankok, Thailand.  The identity of the current ship's owners is unclear, but the web page appears to be trying to organize a restoration effort.  I will certainly be watching for updates about this project.  The trilogy of novels by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall that fictionalized the true Bounty mutiny story was among my earliest and most beloved books. Since then, I've collected valuable first editions of all three books.  A couple years ago, I also commissioned an oil painting of the Bounty by a prominent marine artist.  Further back in time, on one of my trips to England, I visited the grave of William Bligh, the Bounty's captain.  It's long been a story intertwined with my life.  So with great interest, I will follow the progress of this restoration effort.

Big Read '26

 Today begins another year of The Big Read, a global online book club organized by The Trollope Society.  Every other Monday through the year, as I did all last year, I join in the discussion via Zoom meeting with Anthony Trollope fans all around the world to discuss one of the prolific author's novels.  Today begins discussion of Rachel Ray, the story of a young country girl as she deals with the hurdles and difficulties of building a social life for herself.  She does this while enduring the critical gossip of a small town, the well-meaning but hapless advice from a weak-minded mother, and the downright maliciousness of a religious-zealot sister.  Even being nearly 200 years old, the story rings true in many aspects and is relatable today.  I look forward to hearing what my fellow Trollopians have to say later today.

Playlist

 Since he began several weeks ago, I've been a regular listener to the podcast of actor Bill Nighy, Ill-advised.  In each weekly episode (which usually drop on Thursdays) Bill dispenses answers to listener-submitted questions on a wide variety of topics.  Everything from personal relationships to sartorial tips receive Bill's ostensibly well considered opinions.  Bill himself cuts off any excessive expectations, however, by prefacing each show with the boast that it is at best an opportunity to squander time.  And it's certainly helped me to do that; my job requires the squandering of large amounts of time, which I do via podcasts and audiobooks while I labor away at the lab bench in the furtherance of science.  Anyway, the show concludes each week with a musical playlist, a compendium of music that Bill recommends.  He is, we are to understand, a devotee of diverse musical genres.  Since I am not, I usually gloss over this segment of the show.  But then is the book segment, for Bill is an avid reader.  And he's mentioned a couple of titles recently that I have greatly enjoyed.  The first is The Bookshop, by Penelope Fitzgerald, which I just finished.  The short novel is the story of a brave young woman, Florence Green, who overextends herself and her capital resources to open a bookshop in a small, dreary coastal town in 1960s England.  In doing so, she upsets the rigid social order of the dull, drab village, and plunges headlong into the morass of bureaucratic red tape and hidebound local inhabitants.  Fitzgerald's delightful novel is a fascinating study of human nature and the incongruous hurdles that are thrown up by prejudice and ignorance.  Apparently, the novel was also made into a feature film of the same name, which Mr. Nighy appeared in.  From this, I immediately moved on to Nighy's next book recommendation, Berlin Game by Len Deighton.  I'm only a few chapters into this first book of a nine book series, but am already enthralled.  It is a cold war spy thriller set in divided Germany shortly after WWII, and it reads very much like a novel of John Le Carre or Graham Greene.  This was once my favorite type of fiction, and it's a pleasure to be reunited with the style by such a well written book.  I expect I'll enjoy this and all the ones to follow.  Bill Nighy's book tip batting average is running high- I hope I can keep up.

Vacation reading

 

On every vacation I've ever taken, I always have a book or two with me to fill the quiet moments.  Though it is apparently now rare, I still frequently read for pleasure, and a cozy little house in midcoast Maine is the perfect spot for it.  A cup of coffee, a sofa, and a good book are all anyone needs, according to Anthony Trollope.  And this vacation is no different.  I've been reading two books, and picked up a third while here at a local bookshop.  The first is The Three Clerks, by Anthony Trollope.  This is the current book in a year-long series that is the subject of bi-weekly zoom meetings from London, UK.  While I have a fine print copy, I've been reading this one on my ancient 2nd generation Kindle reader.  It's no longer fully functional, as Amazon stopped supporting direct connections to it some time ago.  But the device works perfectly well, and I can patch it into my laptop to download free books from Project Gutenberg which provides open access text files that work with this old reader.  So I've been plodding along with this novel, which is not my absolute favorite of all Trollope's works.  It is the story of three clerks in the English civil service, and the trouble they get into- in relationships and in business.

Even 15-year old Kindles have their place for avid readers

Much more interesting is a book that was recommended to me by a reader of this blog.  Mailman, by Stephen Starring Grant is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the US Postal Service.  In 2020 when Covid started to change the world, Grant was a high earning consultant living in Blacksburg, Virginia but often travelling to NYC and other cities on business.  But as the pandemic raged, he suddenly lost his job and was simultaneously diagnosed with cancer.  With a family to support, he decided to take a job as a postal carrier in rural Appalachia.  This book recounts his gripping experiences.  From an intense training period, to a long period of learning the actual skills required on the job, this is an attention grabbing book that reveals the work we, the public, take for granted in our postal system.  It is a huge and complex operation, and much more goes into delivering the daily mail - letters, bills, magazines, and parcels - than most of us think about.  I have a new appreciation for the USPS, and those who do their difficult job well without the recognition they deserve.

A fascinating look behind the curtain

And finally, I've been reading a small volume I bought while here in Rockland.  On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is a timely book that addresses the current state of the country. Snyder is the Levin Professory of History at Yale University, and in this book he proposes 20 "lessons" to guide us as the USA goes through these dark days.  Each lesson is accompanied by historical context and examples of what happens when despots rule unchallenged.  A sobering and thought-provoking book.

A thought-provoking book for this dismal period

Next up

 The next book in this year's list of the Trollope Society's Big Read is The Three Clerks. This is Anthony Trollope's sixth novel (out of a total of 47), written when he was 42 years old.  The book was published amidst his familiar six book Chronicles of Barsetshire, which detailed life in an English country cathedral town.  In contrast, this current novel is set in London and deals will a trio of government employees.  Trollope, himself an administrator in the Royal Mail, would have been quite familiar with London office life, and perhaps for that reason, the author always spoke proudly of The Three Clerks.  I look forward to diving into this well made Trollope Society edition.

Next Trollope

 Earlier this week was the final Zoom meeting session to discuss the Anthony Trollope novel The Claverings.  This is a part of the ongoing Big Read project organized by The Trollope Society.  Starting today, I begin reading the next novel on the list, John Caldigate.  This is a story of a young man, estranged from his father, who leaves his home in England to make his fortune in Australia.  After doing so, he returns to England, only to be embroiled in a bigamy scandal when he is accused of being already married to an Australian wife when he marries in England.  The book is said to be Trollope's response to the common theme in the novels of Charles Dickens of bureaucratic incompetence, as exemplified in Little Dorrit by the Circumlocution Office, which displays its unerring knowledge of "how not to do things."  Trollope, himself a government official in the Royal Mail, refutes Dickens with characters who are government employees who possess cool efficiency and professionalism. I look forward to this book, and the bi-weekly Zoom meetings to discuss it.

Tony 210

 Happy 210th birthday to Anthony Trollope!  It was on this day in 1815 that one of the best known Victorian novelists was born.  That year also saw the Battle of Waterloo, and the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  It also was the year of the Corn Laws; protectionist tariffs are nothing new, you see.  Trollope's life saw a lot of social change and turmoil.  And before his death in 1882 he wrote 47 novels, along with short stories and travelogues.  All while holding a day job with the Royal Mail.  A remarkably prolific author.  His books are both entertaining and thought-provoking, as they satirize many social and political aspects of life in his day.  As I continue to read his works as park of the Trollope Society Big Read, I will remember this day as one that marks the beginning of an astonishing life.

Next book...

 Today is the final online book club meeting of the Trollope Society to discuss my current Trollope novel, Dr. Wortle's School.  It's been a fast read, and an interesting book.  One of the first Trollope books I've read that is set partly in the USA.  In fact, there is a suspenseful scene in my hometown of Chicago.  But with this meeting, we now turn attention to the book on the list, The Claverings.  This novel by Anthony Trollope was written in 1864 band published as a serial before being released as a complete novel.  It is the story of a man caught in a love triangle between two women.  I look forward to the story with some misgivings, however.  As is my practice, I bought a used copy of the book on ABE, and neglected to closely read the description.  What arrived was an Oxford University Press edition that might be called a pocket edition.  It is a very small, hardcover book, with very small type.  I hope my aging eyes will be able to cope.

New month, new book

 Earlier this week, The Trollope Society held the final online book club meeting of the novel we'd been reading since the beginning of the year, The Vicar of Bullhampton.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which was completely new to me.  Anthony Trollope was an especially prolific writer, so even though I've read his works for many years, there are still many that I have yet to read.  Another such novel is Dr. Wortle's School, which is the next book in the yearlong book club reading list.  This one is a bit shorter, and will be covered in two bi-weekly meetings, as opposed to the six that covered Vicar of Bullhampton.  As I dive into one of Anthony Trollope's last novels, I gather it will cover what was in Victorian times an unpardonable sin:  a man and woman living together, unmarried.  Such a condition is now commonplace, but even still, we have other issues of intolerance and bigotry that are the modern day equivalents of "living in sin".  What lessons will Trollope offer for those who judge and those who are judged by an intolerant society?

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

 On this day, 213 years ago, Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.  He would eventually become one of the greatest writers in the English language.  But before that, he had a difficult childhood.  He grew up under a spendthrift father who was perpetually in debt- at a time when that condition held great shame and often the threat of imprisonment.  Young Charles was sent to work in a factory at a very young age in order to support his family while his father was in a debtor's prison.  This had a profound effect on him.  Not only did it influence his writing, but Dickens also carried a lifelong desire to aid the poor and oppressed, even founding a shelter home for homeless women.  That's not to say, of course, that he was universally kind and benevolent.  He was a distant father to his many children, an unfaithful husband to his devoted wife, and a cantankerous client of his many publishers.  Yet, he managed to be a prolific and popular author of many novels that have a permanent place in the English literary pantheon.  And each year, his classic A Christmas Carol is read, performed, and shown as a movie (in countless iterations) to a degree hardly seen with any other piece of writing.  Thought his life ran a short 58 years, his lasting influence on the culture cannot be overstated.  So on this day, let us remember a true titan of the written word, Charles Dickens.

New year, new book

 Just as the year 2025 begins, I have begun to read a new book.  It is a Victorian novel by one of my favorite authors, Anthony Trollope.  The Vicar of Bullhampton is a stand-alone novel, not part of one of Trollope's novel series, like the Chronicles of Barestshire, or the Palliser series.  I chose this book since it will be the topic of discussion at an online bookclub organized by The Trollope Society.  The first 14 chapters are due to be covered in the first meeting on Monday, January 6, 2025.  So far, I've made it through eight chapters and found the book to have a faster start than some of Trollope's novels.  Several main characters have already been introduced, and there's been a minor scuffle between two of them.  Tension, conflict, and a budding love affair, all in the first 52 pages!  This novel was published in 1870, by which time the prolific Trollope was a well-established author.  I've read over a dozen of his other works and look forward to completing this one.

The book ration has been increased

 As much as I enjoy chocolate, my passion for books is far stronger.  So the library collection grew once again this week as I received my signed, numbered copy of 1984, by George Orwell.  As I mentioned a few days ago, this is a special limited edition volume published by The Folio Society on the 75th anniversary of the first release of the novel.  Despite its scandalously inflated price, I couldn't resist ordering my own copy of a book that means so much to me.  Even though my recent experiences with various shipping services such as UPS and USPS has been lackluster, FedEx conveyed my copy to me here in central Alabama from London, England in astonishingly fast fashion - arriving a day earlier than scheduled.  (Yes, FedEx delivering a book about intrusive surveillance is full of irony.)  Upon opening the package, I found an impressively well crafted tome, just as I would expect from Folio.  It is a top quality example of the bookbinder's art and includes artwork from illustrator La Boca and a forward by Turkish author Elif Shafak.  The book and beautiful barn door slipcase are largely hand crafted in a meticulous fashion, as shown in the video below.  To a book enthusiast like me, this is all an irresistible combination.  The pleasure of fine literature is always enhanced by luxury bookbinding.

Somebody's always watching me

 And interesting confluence of items crossed my desk yesterday.  First was an advertising email from The Folio Society, a purveyor of luxury editions of classic books.  They've recently released a limited edition of 1984, by George Orwell on the 75th anniversary of its first publication.  The landmark novel is one I have had repeated experiences with.  I was required to read it in high school, at a time when I couldn't yet fully comprehend its message.  I read it later as an adult and appreciated the dystopian tale much more.  Then in 2017, I attended a Broadway theater production of 1984, just as the full Orwellian nature of the Trump administration was becoming understood.  The loss of objective truth, the populist authoritarianism, the memory holes, and the doublespeak ("alternative facts" was an early feature of those dark years) was damage that the country still is dealing with.  The Broadway stage version of 1984 was as shocking and provocative as live theater could possibly be, and as gloomy and foreboding as Orwell must have intended.  Having experienced the show and having lived through the (hopefully only) Trump term, I will be forever changed.  So with that in mind, I ordered a copy of the new book, bibliophilic prole that I am.  More on that in a later post.

Concurrently with all that, I read an article in the Washington Post that describes a formal surveillance program of the US Postal System.  The so-called "mail covers program" allows the tracking of postal mail to and from targeted individuals, with little regulation or oversight.  Back when mail was still a primary mode of individual communication, and the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution was still respected, detailed laws were put in place to require warrants to open mail.  But merely monitoring and recording addresses of mail to a specific person requires very little formal approval.  Without warrants or judicial approval, law enforcement agencies of all descriptions can request the USPS to monitor the mailboxes of targeted individuals, which it does with little resistance.  Despite the Post's recent article, this is not a new practice.  In 2013, the mail surveillance of award-winning author William Vollmann was described in an article in Harper's Magazine.  Vollmann had mistakenly fallen under suspicion by the FBI of being a suspect in the Unabomber bombings.  His mail was tracked - and indeed opened - for years before his innocence was demonstrated by the brother of the actual Unabomber, who recognized his manifesto.  This is a sobering reminder for a snail mail aficionado like me, who likes to believe that old-fashioned physical letters escape some of the privacy concerns of online digital communication.  Indeed, I can't help wondering if my innocent personal correspondence with iconoclastic individuals like publisher Fred Woodworth has landed me on some watch list.  Woodworth himself has often written about incidences of FBI harassment in his own long publishing career.  The truth is evident: 75 years later, Big Brother is still watching.

Happy Birthday Anthony!

 Today is the 209th birthday of one of my favorite authors, Anthony Trollope.  Yes, on April 24, 1815, Trollope was born in London.  A contemporary of Charles Dickens, he would never match Dickens' fame, but Trollope was a respected and popular author in his own right.  What's more amazing, he was a prolific writer while continually holding down a day job with the Royal Mail.  In fact, Anthony Trollope was responsible for the design of the familiar English pillar box postal collection container.  But mainly, he is known for his multitude of novels that examine class struggle, politics, and labor conditions of the Victorian age.  Among his many novels, my favorite is Doctor Thorne, which encompasses all these familiar themes, overlaid by warnings against the excesses of alcoholism. During a 2019 trip to London, I visited Trollope's grave in Kensal Green Cemetary, and there gave him my thanks for the many hours of enjoyment I've derived from his work.  Happy Birthday, Anthony!

Hot off the press

 Another wonderful issue of one of my favorite 'zines landed in my mailbox today.  This is No. 62 of The Mystery and Adventure Series Review, published by Fred Woodworth.  Fred has been steadily putting out multiple publications since 1969.  He does this entirely without use of digital equipment of any kind.  Instead, he uses analog offset printing presses and associated gear of the sort that I remember from my teen years, working in my father's print shop in the 1980s.  It's painstaking and skilled work, made more challenging by the fact that supplies for the printing process are becoming difficult or impossible to obtain. To overcome the obstacles, Fred turns to his endless resourcefulness to improvise solutions for each problem.  I'm astonished by his technical and typographic knowledge, and his unstoppable drive to publish his catalog of 'zines.

This 'zine ostensibly focuses on boy's series books, but delves into many literary and typographic topics.  On top of all that, Fred has been publishing a novel which has been serialized over several past issues in the manner of Charles Dickens in the mid 1850s.  This issue of the Review contains the final chapters of The Sunken City, a Tom Quest novel.  The anachronistic charm of every aspect of this magazine really gets me where I live.  I've been a subscriber for over a decade now, and while the years are piling up for Fred, I hope he continues for many more.

Classic style

 As my familiar New Years Resolution, I frequently resolve to spend more time reading.  This is not an activity that I must force myself to do.  Rather, I have to work to overcome the guilt I feel when reading for enjoyment, which usually brings thoughts about all the other household chores and obligations that I should instead be doing.  This year I renew my resolution to overcome this overwrought guilt and make time, no matter what, to read for the sake of relaxation and enjoyment.  To that end, I've nearly completed reading a literary classic I have long wanted to read:  Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Those who haven't read this book will still be familiar with parts of it.  Everyone has heard of the novel's antagonist, Long John Silver.  And we all have heard the tune, "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" So this past week I have finally sat down to the classic pirate adventure and found it an entertaining yarn.  This volume was a Christmas gift from my dear wife, and is a limited edition from Easton Press, the firm that specializes in publishing older and classic books in very luxurious bindings.  Reading is fun, and even more so when the book is leather bound, gold-embossed, and comes in an equally beautiful slipcase.  As I've always said, extravagance in literature is no vice. While I have "read" many books via audiobook form, it's especially nice to immerse myself in the timeless ink-on-paper version. Here's to a productive year of reading!