A Boy I Knew and Four Dogs

by Laurence Hutton

First published in 1898, this delightful true story, is a biography of a boy growing up in affluent style in 19th century America. Written by famed essayist Laurence Hutton, this book is a snapshot of elite living in a bygone time. Packed full of illustrations and photos, as we follow the author from the hot, endless summer of childhood in the United States to visit family members in St. Andrews in Scotland. This text has been republished here for its historical and cultural significance. Including a new introduction on dogs in fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2016

About the author

1843-1904

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this charm of an autobiography for research purposes, to learn more about an artist's colony in upstate New York in the 1890s. I fell in love with the author, the heavily-moustached Laurence Hutton, editor of Harper's Magazine and a force in the literary scene of New York at that time. Instead of the usual "I did this and then that" narrative, Hutton talks about his dogs (pictures included) and their adventures. An utterly endearing book, undeservedly forgotten. If you like dog stories - Virginia Woolf's Flush, Jack London's White Fang, Albert Payson Terhune's collies - you'll fall for this.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this one is because it was so short, and I love dogs, so I wanted to get to the part where it talked about them, which was at the very end.

[Edy Gies · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book at John King's bookstore in Detroit. (An absolute must visit for any book lover.) The title struck me as being absolutely terrible so I picked it up and brought it home to get a laugh out of it. I decided to read it and discovered that it was as terrible a book as it is a title. Seriously, it is really bad. It's more just a rambling collection of memories than a story.

Lesson learned: Do not read a book because it has a terrible title. (This should seem obvious, but I admit that I have been known to make some terrible decisions. Reading this book was one of them.)