Gutenberg (or other PD) favorites

[GA Russell]

Thanks, Jeremy! That sounds interesting.

[SteveEisenberg]

It is hard to predict what novels another person will enjoy.

My favorite novelist is one of Wilkie Collins' contemporaries and fellow best-seller writers, Anthony Trollope. Here is how Trollope, in his autobiography, distinguished himself from Collins:

I am realistic. My friend Wilkie Collins is generally supposed to be sensational. The readers who prefer the one are supposed to take delight in the elucidation of the character. Those who hold by the other are charmed by the construction and gradual development of a plot. All this is, I think, a mistake,--which mistake arises from the inability of the imperfect artist to be at the same time realistic and sensational. A good novel should be both,--and both in the highest degree.

Others in the same circle of acquaintances included the Brontës, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Charles Dickens. Dickens may be most similar to Collins, also being in the less realistic/more sensational camp. But taste is so personal and various that there is no way to tell without your trying the lot of them.

[DMB]

I would second the recommendation of Saki. A brilliant writer.

Anybody fancy Charles Darwin? His books are still very readable. And for superb prose and great wit, Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

[SteveEisenberg]

Reading the OP again, my number one recommendation for maxbookworm is Ivanhoe. I can recall nothing better in the thrilling escape/daring romantic adventure line.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

H. Beam Piper, a science fiction author.

He was a somewhat popular author in his day, but not popular enough to make a living at writing (he killed himself because he was broke and couldn't sell any more of his writing, apparently).

Not exactly. The cause was the unexpected death of his agent. The agent had been keeping Piper's affairs in his head, and his death threw Piper's finances into chaos. At the time of his death, John W. Campbell at Analog Magazine was trying to locate him, because he'd just bought one of Piper's stories and was trying to get a check to him.

Piper had been making a living up to that point.

There was also a suggestion that suicide was also aimed at his wife. It wasn't a happy marriage, and one of her conditions for marrying him was that he take out a large insurance policy with her as beneficiary. Committing suicide voided the policy, and she couldn't collect. His work was out of print for years because she controlled the rights and had an exaggerated idea of what they were worth, and asked more than publishers were willing to pay for reprint rights.

His politics would probably rub a lot of people the wrong way nowadays (and back then, even - he'd be at home at a Tea Party event), but pretty much define his works.

Piper probably classifies as a Libertarian, but so did a lot of writers of his era, with Robert A. Heinlein the most noteable example.

Every time I read his most famous novel, Space Viking, I can't help but thing it's very very relevant to today.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47980

(His work is out of copyright in the US, but I guess not Canada? Go figure. Gutenberg has it, as do a lot of places)

The stuff at PG is mainly magazine versions. Those had separate copyrights, and dated from the days before the US became a signatory to the Berne convention, and copyrights expired and had to be renewed. Often, they weren't, and some stuff by living authors falls into that category. Someone forgot to renew it. (It's really weird when you see stuff turning up in PG by people you knew.)

But seconded. Piper's work counts among the classics, particularly _Little Fuzzy_. He was one of the first to write stories set in a coherent universe, with his "Federation" and "Paratime" series. His death by suicide was a tragedy for the field.

About the only thing of Piper's that isn't in the public domain now is _Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen_, in the Paratime universe. But that was put together from novelettes published in Analog magazine, so it's possible we'll see the magazine versions at some point.

MR poster HarryT has omnibus collections of all of Piper's work in the eBook Uploads area.
______
Dennis

[maxbookworm]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

Reading the OP again, my number one recommendation for maxbookworm is Ivanhoe. I can recall nothing better in the thrilling escape/daring romantic adventure line.

Thanks for the reco -- I will definitely check it out!

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Hampshire Nanny

I really liked the "Mars" novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He also wrote a series set on Venus. And, I understand that there are similar books (swordsmen in space kind of adventure) by Otis Adelbert Kline. I'm pretty sure all the available books are in the MobileRead database.

ePub format:
Burrough's Barsoom Omnibus, prepared by Harry T
Burrough's Venus Omnibus, prepared by Harry T
Kline's Venus Omnibus, prepared by mtravellerh

MobiPocket format:
Burrough's Barsoom Omnibus, prepared by Harry T
Burrough's Venus Omnibus, prepared by Harry T
Kline's Venus Omnibus, prepared by Harry T

Burroughs produced some great adventures, I re-read them probably once every two years or so. Harry's omnibus versions are about the best out there and I have just finished the Pellucidar Omnibus in MOBI format on my Omnia smartphone.

Otis Adelbert Klein's books are certainly in the same genre as ERB's. In fact it was rumoured ERB had some sort of rivalry going with him, though never substantiated. Unfortunately the only complete series is his Venus series. There is only one of the Mars books available at PG.

I will not link as I am unsure of copyright restrictions though they are readily available on PG-Australia.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Otis Adelbert Klein's books are certainly in the same genre as ERB's. In fact it was rumoured ERB had some sort of rivalry going with him, though never substantiated. Unfortunately the only complete series is his Venus series. There is only one of the Mars books available at PG.

I'd call it fairly well substantiated. See http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1407.html
______
Dennis

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I'd call it fairly well substantiated. See http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1407.html
______
Dennis

I am not so certain if it ever was. I do believe it could have been hyped up a tad to promote each authors book sales.

For a decade-long-game of one upsmanship, there's remarkably little documentary or direct evidence.

The feud is at best unproven, and seems more likely its hoopla manufactured by Editors and Publishers and supported by genre historians like Sam Moskovitz to sell more books.

The above is what I am referring to.

Still, I consider ERB to be the better author of the two, but both author's works are enjoyable and that is really all that matters, over 70 years on.

[dapriuk]

"Triplanetary" and others by EE "Doc" Smith, I'm a sucker for SciFi pulp and the Lensman series by Smith must be one the best.

[grzzly]

Originally Posted by jgumphress

You too? I thought I was alone here. I too never read a classic in shcool. Surprised I got through with passing grades. Anyway, now I'm reading all those greats and loving it. Maybe that's the plan all along, to instill interest for later in life.

I feel sorry that you didn't have a teacher that could bring the greatness of classics across to you. I read many classics in school and enjoyed most of them. Others (like Madame Bovary for instance) I will now give another chance. I had English teachers that were really able to spark the interest in me for Tennessee Williams, Steinbeck, Shakespeare or Orwell. It's probably the reason why I am still into books.

To the topic, I read the Great Gatsby recently and I have to say it is probably the greatest book I ever read. I know, it's sort of a no-brainer, but in case someone hasn't read it yet, do so