The subtitle of Sober Truth, compiled by Margaret Barton and Osbert Sitwell reads: A Collection of 19th Century Episodes, Fantastic, Grotesque and Mysterious. Indeed, right at the beginning of the preface, Sitwell confesses that the aim of the compilers (was) more propagandist than literary. True to the professed aim, the first chapter had the description … Continue reading #ClassicsClub #FFB: Sober Truth (ed.) Margaret Barton and Osbert Sitwell (1930)
Tag: Anthology
#ClassicsClub: The Omnibus of Crime (ed.) by Dorothy L. Sayers (1929)
This mammoth anthology is divided into two main parts with further subdivisions. The first Detection and Mystery starts with Biblical mysteries: The History of Bel (considered to be the first locked-room mystery) where Daniel reveals that the food offered to Bel is actually eaten by the priests. Daniel plays detective again in The History of … Continue reading #ClassicsClub: The Omnibus of Crime (ed.) by Dorothy L. Sayers (1929)
SSW: Great English Stories (ed) Lewis Melville and Reginald Hargreaves (1930) – Part V
Time to wind up the book. The last grouping begins with Ernest Bramah's The Malignity of the Depraved Ming-Shu Rears its Offensive Head which is an extract from his book Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat. Ming-Shu, the villain to the hero Kai Lung, attacks his village and kidnaps his wife and sets off with her. … Continue reading SSW: Great English Stories (ed) Lewis Melville and Reginald Hargreaves (1930) – Part V
SSW: Great English Stories (ed) Lewis Melville and Reginald Hargreaves (1930) – Part IV
On to the last part of the book: the authors who saw both the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. There are 39 authors in this section, so I have divided it into two parts. We begin with Ouida, the pen-name of Anglo-French Louis de la Ramee. Her story Cecil Castlemaine's Cage takes us back to … Continue reading SSW: Great English Stories (ed) Lewis Melville and Reginald Hargreaves (1930) – Part IV
SSW: A Very Murderous Christmas (ed) by Cecily Gayford (2018)
This book contains 10 stories set around the festive season. The anthology begins with Margery Allingham's The Man with the Sack. Albert Campion is invited to a Christmas party which includes the mandatory nouveau-riche vulgar person. Soon there is a robbery. There is nothing new in this story of the clash of the classes. The … Continue reading SSW: A Very Murderous Christmas (ed) by Cecily Gayford (2018)
First Read of 2023: The Puffin Book of Funny Stories (2005)
After the rather tepid last read of 2022, Frank Baker's The Twisted Tree, which ended on a disturbing note, I wanted to start 2023 with something much more cheerful. LO had borrowed this book from the library and I read it today. The book features some of the most well-known and loved authors of India: … Continue reading First Read of 2023: The Puffin Book of Funny Stories (2005)
Short Story Wednesday: Rogues’ Gallery: The Great Criminals of Modern Fiction (ed.) by Ellery Queen (1945)
Usually when I read a mystery, I want the criminal to be punished and the moral-order restored. Usually. Because at times, I find myself rooting for the criminal and hoping that he escapes the long-arm of justice. In this anthology of short stories, all the criminals escape justice (or rather not but I will come … Continue reading Short Story Wednesday: Rogues’ Gallery: The Great Criminals of Modern Fiction (ed.) by Ellery Queen (1945)
Friday’s Forgotten Books: Best Crime Stories Vol.3 (Ed.) John Welcome
Best Crime Stories Vol. 3, edited by John Welcome, is an anthology of 11 stories which I enjoyed a lot.The volume begins with a masterly study of terror: Max Hensing by Algernon Blackwood. Williams, a reporter interviewing Dr. Hensing, standing trial for having poisoned his wife, is so much repulsed by the man that the … Continue reading Friday’s Forgotten Books: Best Crime Stories Vol.3 (Ed.) John Welcome
First Read of 2015: The Individual and Society
I have started 2015 with an anthology The Individual and Society. Divided into five parts: Caste/ Class; Gender; Race; Violence and War; and Living in a Globalized World, this has some wonderful pieces on all these important issues. While many of the writers were familiar to me, I have also discovered new voices like Maya … Continue reading First Read of 2015: The Individual and Society
a hot cup of pleasure