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More Stories to Remember
*Lost Horizon(Hilton) *The Verger(Maugham) *Jack Still(Marquand) *Return of the Rangers(Roberts) *Old Man at the Bridge(Hemmingway) *The Cyprian Cat(Sayers) *Call of the Wild(London) *She Went By Gently(Carroll) *Thru the Veil(Doyle) *The 3 Strangers(Hardy) *The Lady(Richter) *Sam Weller Makes His Bow(Dickens) *The King Waits(Dane) *Babylon Revisited(Fitzgerald)...AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!...Erskine, Day, Kanotr, Christie........
880 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Thomas B. Costain
127 books186 followersCostain was born in Brantford, Ontario to John Herbert Costain and Mary Schultz. He attended high school there at the Brantford Collegiate Institute. Before graduating from high school he had written four novels, one of which was a 70,000 word romance about Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange. These early novels were rejected by publishers.
His first writing success came in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in York, Ontario on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs. Howard Haycraft) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). Also in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean's magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of The Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
In 1920 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for Doubleday Books as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of 20th Century Fox’s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was “enough of an editor not to send them out”. He next planned to write six books in a series he called “The Stepchildren of History”. He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century pirate John Ward aka Jack Ward. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel For My Great Folly was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The New York Times reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
Raised as a Baptist, he was reported in the 1953 Current Biography to be an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved bridge, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in the The Pirates of Penzance).
Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as The White and The Gold, a history of New France to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and apocrypha begins). His most popular novel was The Black Rose (1945), centred in the time and actions of Bayan of the Baarin also known as Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and Edward I, but became caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the Literary Guild with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year.
His research led him to believe that Richard III was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the princes in the tower. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was Henry VII.
Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried in the Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
His first writing success came in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in York, Ontario on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs. Howard Haycraft) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). Also in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean's magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of The Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
In 1920 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for Doubleday Books as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of 20th Century Fox’s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was “enough of an editor not to send them out”. He next planned to write six books in a series he called “The Stepchildren of History”. He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century pirate John Ward aka Jack Ward. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel For My Great Folly was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The New York Times reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
Raised as a Baptist, he was reported in the 1953 Current Biography to be an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved bridge, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in the The Pirates of Penzance).
Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as The White and The Gold, a history of New France to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and apocrypha begins). His most popular novel was The Black Rose (1945), centred in the time and actions of Bayan of the Baarin also known as Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and Edward I, but became caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the Literary Guild with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year.
His research led him to believe that Richard III was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the princes in the tower. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was Henry VII.
Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried in the Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2020
Lost Horizon by James Hilton 5 stars, everything else 3 or 4.
July 19, 2024
Although somewhat dated, these stories are classics. From The Lost Horizon to an Arthur Conan Doyle mystery, they are stories from the masters of literature.
October 1, 2014
LOST HORIZON: I greatly enjoyed this story, no matter that it took me so long to read. It's written like other classics, a style which I enjoy, but a style I think should be savored slowly. Even so, I read it much more quickly once I got to the twist in the middle of the story. It was interesting to me and I'm glad I read this story. 4/5 stars (2/10/2012)
THE SILVER MASK: I know I liked it, but I'm not entirely sure why. Nor am I entirely sure what happened. I understood the basic plotline, but the metaphor of the mask went a bit over my head I think. However, the tone and mood was definitely creeping, leaving me tense the whole story. The ending, while just as creepy, didn't get me the satisfaction I craved. 3/5 stars (5/8/2012)
THE CYPRIAN CAT: This story is a small piece of brilliance. It starts as a simple story. A man who is being charged with murder is telling his story to his lawyer. So you're thinking it's merely a contemporary story. Until the end. The ending is what makes me love this story. The author doesn't state what happened right out, but, throughout the tale, gives you all the clues you need to figure it out yourself. I highly recommend you find a copy. 4/5 stars (9/8/2012)
SHE WENT BY GENTLY: While this story was not very long, it had a great message, unique for its time. The title of the story perfectly describes how the writing carried the theme. This mastery of technique added immersible value to the story and power behind its cause. 4/5 stars (9/21/2013)
TALE OF MY AUNT JENEPHER'S WOOING: Characterization ruled in this piece. By contrasting Jenepher and Valentine, the author amplified both of their impacts on the reader. To me, this story was not merely about Jenepher finding love. It was also a great example of a brother-sister relationship. 4/5 stars (10/19/13)
THE SILVER MASK: I know I liked it, but I'm not entirely sure why. Nor am I entirely sure what happened. I understood the basic plotline, but the metaphor of the mask went a bit over my head I think. However, the tone and mood was definitely creeping, leaving me tense the whole story. The ending, while just as creepy, didn't get me the satisfaction I craved. 3/5 stars (5/8/2012)
THE CYPRIAN CAT: This story is a small piece of brilliance. It starts as a simple story. A man who is being charged with murder is telling his story to his lawyer. So you're thinking it's merely a contemporary story. Until the end. The ending is what makes me love this story. The author doesn't state what happened right out, but, throughout the tale, gives you all the clues you need to figure it out yourself. I highly recommend you find a copy. 4/5 stars (9/8/2012)
SHE WENT BY GENTLY: While this story was not very long, it had a great message, unique for its time. The title of the story perfectly describes how the writing carried the theme. This mastery of technique added immersible value to the story and power behind its cause. 4/5 stars (9/21/2013)
TALE OF MY AUNT JENEPHER'S WOOING: Characterization ruled in this piece. By contrasting Jenepher and Valentine, the author amplified both of their impacts on the reader. To me, this story was not merely about Jenepher finding love. It was also a great example of a brother-sister relationship. 4/5 stars (10/19/13)
January 26, 2020
Yet another set of volumes to feed my ever-growing taste for short ficiton. Assembled in 1958, this collection looked to bring together quality literature that bears true entertaining quality. It's interesting to see what that meant in the 1950's.
But more so, it was a very nice way to discover stories and authors I hadn't before had the chance to read, despite being fairly well-read.
My favorite was "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton, the origin of the modern myth of Shangra-la. That it centers on a war veteran in government service with an emotional and intellectual bent similar to my own was extremely intriguing.
The other stories, however, were no less enjoyable.
But more so, it was a very nice way to discover stories and authors I hadn't before had the chance to read, despite being fairly well-read.
My favorite was "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton, the origin of the modern myth of Shangra-la. That it centers on a war veteran in government service with an emotional and intellectual bent similar to my own was extremely intriguing.
The other stories, however, were no less enjoyable.
Currently reading
September 16, 2007I have read "She Went by Gently" by Paul Vincent Carroll. I really liked it. I also read "Tale of my Aunt Jenepher's Wooing" by Donn Byrne because Ravi wooed Jen.
August 2, 2008
Good collection of stories and short novels.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews