Robert Barr’s “The Sword Maker”

BLOG #18, SERIES 6

WEDNESDAYS WITH DR. JOE

DR. JOE���S BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB #40

ROBERT BARR���S THE SWORD MAKER

May 6, 2015

Well, there���s always a first time for everything. Quite candidly, when I re-read Robert Barr���s A Prince of Good Fellows after an interval of over half a century, although I was pleased by the second reading, I failed to recapture my original delight. So much so that when I returned the book to my library after writing the April 1 blog (Blog #13, Series #6), I noticed another Barr title I���d evidently never read before, The Sword Maker. After scanning it, I decided to read it and see if I���d been mistaken about Barr���s writing power.

I had not. I literally could not put The Sword Maker down! Turns out it is a much more unputdownable read than was A Prince of Good Fellows. I didn���t quit reading until I reached the last page in the middle of the night. The result? Concluding that I must follow up last month���s blog by another book by the same author.

The setting is imperial Frankfort in Germany back in medieval times. I���ve always been fascinated by the hilltop castles overlooking the Rhine River, thus when I discovered Barr���s protagonist daring to pit his wits against the robber barons who from time to time brought river commerce to a halt, it was a great opportunity to learn more about that period of German history.

I will be most interested in hearing from you, seeing if or not you agree with my featuring this second Barr title.

For biographical information, please refresh your memory by re-reading the April 1 blog.

I���m guessing that a number of you will now be interested in reading more of Barr���s novels.

Here���s a list to help you in your search.

��������� In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories (1892)

��������� The Face and the Mask (1894)

��������� In the Midst of Alarms (1894)

��������� From Whose Bourne (1896)

��������� One Day is Courtship (1896)

��������� Revenge! (n.d.)

��������� The Strong Arm (n.d.)

��������� A Woman Intervenes (1896)

��������� Tekla: A Romance of Love and War (1898)

��������� Jennie Baxter, Journalist (1899)

��������� The Unchanging East (1900)

��������� The Victors (1901)

��������� Prince of Good Fellows (1902)

��������� The O���Ruddy, A Romance, (with Stephen Crane) (1903)

��������� The Tempestuous Petticoat (1905)

��������� A Rock in the Baltic (1906)

��������� The Triumphs of Eug��ne Valmont (1906)

��������� The Measure of the Rule (1907)

��������� Stranleigh���s Millions (1909)

��������� The Sword Maker (1910)

��������� The Palace of Logs (1912)

* * * * *

The Sword Maker by Robert Barr (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1910).