Penguin Modern Classics 5–American Classics

My modest collection of American writers published in the Penguin Modern Classics series begins with Ambrose Bierce’s ever popular Devil’s Dictionary. We could use some of his scepticism in these politically correct days.

William Faulkner is the next in alphabetical order, and I appear to have only his novel Sanctuary in the Modern Classics, though have another of his books in a standard Penguin edition.

1971 edition – “Surprise in the House of Masks” by Facetti	1972 edition – “The Bar” by Bernard Perlin

The sublime, in my opinion, F. Scott Fitzgerald is well represented in my library and I have several in both Modern Classic editions and standard editions. The Great Gatsby is one of my all time favourite books, and I consider it a perfect novel. No one writes party scenes with as much panache as Fitzgerald does.

1968 edition – “Montparno’s Blues” by Kees Van Dongen	1967 edition – cover illustration by Virgil Burnett

1968 edition – “Madame Bonnard” by Pierre Bonnard

A  lone Ernest Hemingway collection of short stories is all I have in the Modern Classics, but it has a great cover by Paul Hogarth.

1964 edition – cover illustration by Paul Hogarth

Several of  the Penguins in my collection I acquired for the Literature course at University, and I recall Henry James’ Portrait of A Lady was one of the books on the curriculum. The others I no doubt purchased separately after taking a liking to his prose.

The ancient editions of Portrait of A Lady and Washington Square have cover illustrations by Philippe Jullian.

1966 edition – cover art by Philippe Jullian	1965 edition – cover art by Philippe Jullian

1966 edition – “Cup of Tea” by Mary Cassat	1966 edition – “Repose” by John Singer Sargent

1969 edition – cover art by Atkinson Grimshaw

Next, three classic American novels - Jack Kerouac’s On The Road,  J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye and Of Mice and Men (& Cannery Row) by John Steinbeck.

1972 edition – “The Athlete’s Dream” by Larry Rivers	1969 edition

1973 edition – “Threshing” by Joe Jones

I have previously displayed the Berkley paperback editions of  the Edith Wharton novels in my collection. Below are two more published in the Penguin Modern Classics series.

1979 edition – “Portrait of a Lady” by Frank Weston Benson	1974 edition – “The Misses Vickers” by John Singer Sargent

Finally for American classics, In The Money by William Carlos Williams.

1972 edition – detail from “Carnaval, 1924” by Francis Picabia

Coming up – Irish and Latin American modern classics

General Non Fiction – A miscellaneous selection

I’ve spent the last week since Christmas scanning the fiction shelves on the left hand side of the large bookcase. It was a task that involved unforeseen toil and trouble. I was wondering why I ended up in the evening with a sore throat, then finally realised today that it was the dusty state of the books that was causing this. The shelves, I must admit have not been dusted for over twenty years. This exercise has at least cleaned them up.

Anyway, before I get stuck into fiction, I’ll finish off the non fiction.

First Andre Breton’s Manifestos of Surrealism and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces (which book I discovered in the fiction shelves).

Next – a few books relating to psychology. Ego And Archetype and The One Dimensional Man.

A stray Pelican on Existentialism and The Highest State of Consciousness

Literature & Biography – The Bloomsbury Group, both books by Quentin Bell.

A biography of Oscar Wilde by Philippe Jullian

It has been many years since I last heard Findhorn mentioned, but apparently the community is still going. The New Agers of the 1970s were of course fascinated by its claims of giant vegetables and fairies at the bottom of the garden. Being a new ager of the 1970s I of course have a book on the subject.

And Celtic fairies…

Finally a biography of Marie Stopes and a facsimile of colonial Australian history titled Town Life In Australia.

Coming soon – mass market paperbacks of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Art Books – Art Nouveau

Why I have so many books on Art Nouveau, is beyond my comprehension.

Granted, the era with its multiform artistic expression did fascinate me at one stage of my life and it was resurrected in popular culture during the 1960s and ‘70s along with the Decadents and Symbolists. Books on the subject were plentiful and I obviously bought every one I came across.

These days I prefer the elegant geometric style of Art Deco rather than the often ornate florid style of Art Nouveau. There is an Art Deco exhibition currently running at the Victorian National Gallery which I am looking forward to visiting next Monday.

But back to Art Nouveau, below is my collection of books on the subject.

This one could have been called the Giant Book of Art Nouveau. It covers every aspect of the movement from objet d’art, furniture to architecture and is quite comprehensive.

The following books were published by various discount publishers, at that time bringing culture to the masses. The reproductions are actually quite good, so in buying these books you got value for money.

The next one is by Phillipe Jullian who was an authority on the subject and authored books on the Symbolists and Decadents. He also illustrated the English editions of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past - the C K Scott Moncrieff editions.

Coming next – Decadents and Symbolists