Classics Welcome to the Classics Salon

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CharlieBird

I misunderstood that the first three books were declared and not still in the proposal stage.

I started Daniel Deronda last night and will be on board for Don Quixote and anything by Dickens. Ashamed to say I've never read anything by him except A Tale of Two Cities in high school many years ago and why I'd be ready to read it again.

Glad to have you, CharlieBird! You can pace yourself on Daniel Deronda as the official start date to read and discuss is May 15.

Originally Posted by gmw

If people were considering some Dickens you could do worse than some of his non-fiction works, that way you might (perhaps) mange to strike on one that less people had already read. I enjoyed American Notes, which given the mixed audience here might generate some interesting conversation, but I also found The Uncommercial Traveller and A Child's History of England to be interesting.

I think this is an excellent idea; I’ve also seen his journalism recommended. I’ve read none of the nonfiction myself.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by gmw

I enjoyed American Notes, which given the mixed audience here might generate some interesting conversation,

Ooh, this one sounds interesting. It featured prominently in "Printer's Error" a book I read recently, in chapters about C19 USA's rather different approach to copyright/IP issues then versus now, and how that affected Dickens financially as well as impacting his perception of the US and vice versa.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I like these nonfiction Dickens suggestions especially American Notes.

There are several nonfiction Mark Twain books that have been on my TBR for a long time such as Life on the Mississippi, Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I like these nonfiction Dickens suggestions especially American Notes.

There are several nonfiction Mark Twain books that have been on my TBR for a long time such as Life on the Mississippi, Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad.

Whenever I see "nonfiction Mark Twain" I always think of his "it's funny 'cos it's true" piece on the German language

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by CharlieBird

I misunderstood that the first three books were declared and not still in the proposal stage.

I started Daniel Deronda last night and will be on board for Don Quixote and anything by Dickens. Ashamed to say I've never read anything by him except A Tale of Two Cities in high school many years ago and why I'd be ready to read it again.

Welcome and glad to have you!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

There are several nonfiction Mark Twain books that have been on my TBR for a long time such as Life on the Mississippi, Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad.

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Whenever I see "nonfiction Mark Twain" I always think of his "it's funny 'cos it's true" piece on the German language

I’ve read Life on the Mississippi and The Innocents Abroad fairly recently. Life was wonderful; Innocents was more rollicking good fun and nothing wrong with that.

Uncle Robin’s post reminds me that perhaps my favorite Twain of all is the posthumous collection of essays, Letters from the Earth on topics of religion and morality, which is sidesplitting, at least in my memory. I do think perhaps he’s at his best in this type of essay; the incisesiveness can be hard to sustain over the course of a book and both longer nonfiction works that I mentioned above have their slow spots.

[Quoth]

I've been meaning to read some Chekov. Maybe the Schoolmaster and Schoolmistress? Is that right.
I've also a loan of the daunting 2 volume "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" glaring at men from behind the bed.

I need to prioritise.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I like these nonfiction Dickens suggestions especially American Notes.

There are several nonfiction Mark Twain books that have been on my TBR for a long time such as Life on the Mississippi, Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad.

The same for me. I remember reading A Tramp Abroad a great many years ago, and laughing so much I nearly dropped the book. Suffice to say that he and his friend barely walked anywhere as they kept on getting rides with others.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I suggest H. G. Wells.

Originally Posted by issybird

I loved Dickens’ other historical novel Barnaby Rudge

Originally Posted by gmw

Another that fits that description was Hard Times.

...I enjoyed American Notes, which given the mixed audience here might generate some interesting conversation, but I also found The Uncommercial Traveller and A Child's History of England to be interesting.

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

There are several nonfiction Mark Twain books that have been on my TBR for a long time such as Life on the Mississippi, Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad.

Originally Posted by issybird

...perhaps my favorite Twain of all is the posthumous collection of essays, Letters from the Earth on topics of religion and morality, which is sidesplitting, at least in my memory.

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

I remember reading A Tramp Abroad a great many years ago, and laughing so much I nearly dropped the book.

I'd pretty much love to read any of these, so all great suggestions.

For Wells, I read the Island of Dr. Moreau for the book club here but haven't read War of the Worlds or The invisible Man, and I think I read parts or most of The Time Machine when I was young but don't remember.

I haven't read any of those Dickens or Twain mentioned. I haven't been so enamoured with the two Twain books I've read (Tom Sawyer and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court); some of his witty quotes I've read are great but in book form his writing hasn't grabbed me yet (a bit like Oscar Wilde in that regard). Still, I have Huckleberry Finn on my tbr so I'm definitely interested in reading more of him and would love to try his nonfiction; maybe it would suit me better... and even if it doesn't, it might be fun to be a naysaying counterpoint in a discussion.

[astrangerhere]

As a southerner, I have a love-hate relationship with Twain. I appreciate his humor. I don't appreciate some of the exaggerated stereotypes he saddled us with that persist to this day.

[issybird]

Posts related to Daniel Deronda have been moved to the new book discussion thread, here.

[issybird]

The Edith Grossman translation of Don Quixote is currently $1.99; price set by HarperCollins so that should be good all over (the US, that is).

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

The Edith Grossman translation of Don Quixote is currently $1.99; price set by HarperCollins so that should be good all over (the US, that is).

It's also $1.99 in Amazon Canada right now.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by issybird

The Edith Grossman translation of Don Quixote is currently $1.99; price set by HarperCollins so that should be good all over (the US, that is).

$A14.99 down here. :-(

[Bookpossum]

Sorry - put into the wrong thread.