Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Celebrate with a book of Irish literature! Special Collections owns many first editions of literary works by Irish writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, from prolific novelist Charles Lever to modernist provocateur James Joyce. Here are a few suggestions to get your celebration started, whatever your literary taste: Start traditionally …
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” (Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities) “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.” (Bronte, Jane Eyre) “It is a truth universally acknowledged….” (Austen, Pride & Prejudice) Great 19th century British novels provide some of the best opening …
Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first issued by his London publisher, Macmillan, in July 1865. Before Alice Carroll had published a number of mathematical works under his true name, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He adopted his famous pseudonym in 1856 for the many poems, short prose, and even puzzles which he submitted to …
Today we celebrate the birth of beloved (and prolific!) Victorian author Anthony Trollope, 200 years ago. Trollope wrote over 60 books during his lifetime, including 47 novels, as well as numerous short stories, an autobiography, and even a few plays. Trollope’s professional career was with the General Post Office. His early novels were written while …
Introducing a new series of posts: the Victorian Book of the Month! During the first week each month of 2014-15 academic year, we’ll be featuring one of the items in the Victorian Collection, from beautiful books to historic treasures to the just plain weird and wacky. This month’s featured item is Steve Young. No, of …
Part VII: Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-73) This week marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Irish novelist Sheridan Le Fanu. Le Fanu is best remembered for his ghost stories and gothic tales and for his famous literary relation, playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (who was his great-uncle). Le Fanu launched his writing career with several …
August marks the 150th anniversary of the first appearance of Elizabeth Gaskell’s beloved novel Wives and Daughters. Gaskell published the novel serially in the beginning in the August 1864 issue of the literary magazine The Cornhill, accompanied by illustrations by George du Maurier. Sadly, Gaskell died of a sudden heart attack in November 1865 before …
May marks the 150th anniversary of the first appearance of Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend. It was the last complete novel published during the author’s lifetime, and was serialized in monthly parts between May 1864 and November 1865. Dickens was still working on the novel on June 9, 1864, when the South Eastern Railway train …
Part V: Mrs. Henry Wood (1817-1887) Friday, Jan. 17 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Victorian author Ellen Wood, who wrote as Mrs. Henry Wood. Her teen years were marred by a spinal curvature which kept her confined to her bed. At the age of 22, she married and moved to France, where …
Part II: Anthony Hope British author Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (pseud. Anthony Hope) was born 150 years ago on February 9, 1863. A lawyer by trade, Hawkins began publishing short stories and novels in his late twenties. He is best known for the runaway bestseller The Prisoner of Zenda, published in April 1894. The novel, …