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The Spinners' book of fiction
Atherton, Gertrude; London, Jack; Austin, Mary and others..~ THE SPINNERS' BOOK OF FICTION..~ Boston:: Gregg Press,, 1979.~ Fine in near fine dust jacket.. Boston:: Gregg Press,, 1979.. Fine in near fine dust jacket.. Reissue - except for the introduction this is a complete photographic reprint of the original book. Includes a new Introduction by Priscilla Oaks. Collection of short stories by California writers published for the Spinners' Benefit fund, the first beneficiary was to be poet Ina Coolbrith, who had lost everything in the earthquake.
- GenresFantasy
367 pages, Loose Leaf
First published January 1, 1907
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January 2, 2017
This collection of short stories by California authors was published in 1907 to raise funds for Ina Coolbrith.
Who was that and why did she need money?
Exactly what I said!
Here is what I learned: Ina Coolbrith was the first Poet Laureate of California, and an important figure in the literary world of early San Francisco. In the 1906 earthquake and fire, she lost her house, including a manuscript she had been working on about the history of California literature and her entire library of 3,000 books. Her friends wanted to help, and author Gertrude Atherton spearheaded this project. But according to wiki (where I found all of this info) the book did not sell as well as expected, and Atherton added money of her own to the funds that would help Coolbrith rebuild her home.
As usual in any short story collection, even those with high hopes and lofty goals like this one, some stories are better than others. Jack London's The League Of Old Men was a good one (but then I'm quite partial to Jack so I may be biased). I also was totally absorbed in The Tewana by Herman Whitaker, since it takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. And Mary Hallock Foote's story, Gideon's Knock, was another wonderful piece, and only the second of two that were written specifically for this collection. Maybe that is one reason the book was not as popular as they hoped? Out of 16 stories only 2 were written 'on purpose'. The rest were all reprints. Mostly good stories and by at the time well-known California authors, but reprints nonetheless.
Did Gertrude Atherton contribute anything, you ask? Yes, she did. The very first story in the book is hers. It is called Concha Arguello, Sister Dominica. I thought the writing was too snooty for the story of a nun. (That sounds snooty, but I can't help myself.) We learn about the nun on the day she dies, then hear from her sister the story of how they both became nuns. While reading this story I was hoping that the others would be better, and luckily most of them were.
As usual, I entertained myself by gathering information about each contributor, making a reading list for Someday from what I found. All except three of these authors have other titles available at Project Gutenberg, and I am looking forward to exploring such authors as Mary Austin, Eleanor Gates, Miriam Michelson and W.C. Morrow, to name a few.
I can't rate the overall book more than three stars, but the fun list-making I did while reading made up for that. So I can safely say I very much enjoyed my first book of 2017!
Who was that and why did she need money?
Exactly what I said!
Here is what I learned: Ina Coolbrith was the first Poet Laureate of California, and an important figure in the literary world of early San Francisco. In the 1906 earthquake and fire, she lost her house, including a manuscript she had been working on about the history of California literature and her entire library of 3,000 books. Her friends wanted to help, and author Gertrude Atherton spearheaded this project. But according to wiki (where I found all of this info) the book did not sell as well as expected, and Atherton added money of her own to the funds that would help Coolbrith rebuild her home.
As usual in any short story collection, even those with high hopes and lofty goals like this one, some stories are better than others. Jack London's The League Of Old Men was a good one (but then I'm quite partial to Jack so I may be biased). I also was totally absorbed in The Tewana by Herman Whitaker, since it takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. And Mary Hallock Foote's story, Gideon's Knock, was another wonderful piece, and only the second of two that were written specifically for this collection. Maybe that is one reason the book was not as popular as they hoped? Out of 16 stories only 2 were written 'on purpose'. The rest were all reprints. Mostly good stories and by at the time well-known California authors, but reprints nonetheless.
Did Gertrude Atherton contribute anything, you ask? Yes, she did. The very first story in the book is hers. It is called Concha Arguello, Sister Dominica. I thought the writing was too snooty for the story of a nun. (That sounds snooty, but I can't help myself.) We learn about the nun on the day she dies, then hear from her sister the story of how they both became nuns. While reading this story I was hoping that the others would be better, and luckily most of them were.
As usual, I entertained myself by gathering information about each contributor, making a reading list for Someday from what I found. All except three of these authors have other titles available at Project Gutenberg, and I am looking forward to exploring such authors as Mary Austin, Eleanor Gates, Miriam Michelson and W.C. Morrow, to name a few.
I can't rate the overall book more than three stars, but the fun list-making I did while reading made up for that. So I can safely say I very much enjoyed my first book of 2017!
Displaying 1 of 1 review