Dere Mable: Love Letters of a Rookie

Dere Mable #1

by Edward Streeter, George William Breck (Illustrator)

1918. Read them-and live with the Rookie through all his perplexities, through all his amusements, through all his work, live with him and laugh with him-and at him! For genuine humor nothing written in recent years surpasses them. Streeter and Breck were both with the American Expeditionary force in France when this was written.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, World War I, Classics

124 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 1918

About the author

Edward Streeter was an American novelist and journalist.

Reviews

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read The Haunted Bookshop , and in it many titles were referenced—among them, Dere Mable, as the popular book du jour in 1919. Recalling that I had said book from my parents’ collection, I scurried up my step ladder and pulled down the 1918 tome, cleaned the dust off, and opened it.

It is amusing—the self-important, somewhat illiterate letters from a recruit during his basic training, before being shipped overseas to fight in France. But I didn’t laugh so much as feel sad. It’s a sadness I feel often these days. For instance, when I see adorable children; I’m overwhelmed by impotent protective impulses because of their inevitable loss of innocence and the hardships they will endure as they age. I feel it when I think about the present and then the past. And 1918 is long gone, as are the author and illustrator of this charming little book. Certainly this sadness is not what E. Streeter sought to evoke in 1918. But here it is 101 years later.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a 1918 copy as a gift from a friend who knew I'd be interested in what passed for the writing of an uneducated army guy back then. Some of Bill's jokes felt too clever for someone whom the author expected us to laugh at as an ignoramus at other times. Illustrations didn't add much to the story. Also includes, unfortunately, references to "Huns" and a use of the n-word. Maybe other epithets that I didn't catch, not being clued in. As a story, it's not much, but I appreciated it as an artifact.

[Miramira Endevall · Rating 5 out of 5]

::GRIN::

"I received the red scarf your mother made me for Christmas. Tell her I love her just the same. --yours relentlessly, Bill"

[Ania · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it. The spelling is atrocious and it sort of feels like a book about war for 5 year old boys. The cartoons that go with the letters are cute but again, like a 5 year old drew them. Not my style.

If you liked this though,
1) there are other books in this series
2) you might also enjoy Love Letters of a Rookie to Julie (Illustrated Edition) which is very much like this book but with somewhat better spelling.

[Mary Grace McGeehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Letters from semi-literate soldier Bill to his girl back home, full of delusional boasting ("I been made an officer," he writes when he's promoted--briefly--to corporal), digs at Mable's family ("They have been learnin us a lot about gas attacks. These are not the kind your father has"), and French lessons ("a croquette is a French society woman"). Wonderfully illustrated by G. William Breck.

I read this book as part of my My Year in 1918 project (myyearin1918.com).

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous look at the war from a stateside camp. Downloaded it last night, read it in two gulps, downloaded book two, likewise, and am now reading book three. I was looking for something light and funny and it fit the bill. Okay, it's not going to make the top 100 humour books, but it did make me and my husband (I read him the best bits) laugh. Several times.

Yes, there are some politically incorrect bits in it, but surprisingly few given the time it was written and the topic.

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stumbled upon this novel in my victory garden research while browsing the WWI section of gutenberg. These letters were filled with intriguing stories and tales. Like others I got an almost melancholy sense while reading it, but I wonder how others felt who read the novel in it's prime.

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A soldier writes his sweetheart, Mable, humorous letters while waiting for deployment during WWI. While there is some fun in reading the letters, I didn’t quite get on with some of the sentiments and language.

[Marilyn Fontane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dere Mable: Love Letters of a Rookie by E. Streeter and illustrated by Bill Breck, published in 1918, was a book I inherited from my Aunt Mable, who died before I was born. Since I have had it for many years, I decided to read it, and either keep or toss. I am still not certain which to do. It is funny. Written and illustrated by two men on active duty in WWI, it captures their attempt to accept the situation they are in. Bill, the letter writing narrator, writes home to Mable about his life in the army. He is a prime example of a bewildered narrator. He takes everything literally, spells phonetically, and expresses himself in malapropisms. It is, of course, highly exaggerated, but he is rather endearing. As he often says, "that's me all over." I'll probably keep it. It does display an unusual humor from a rookie's perspective. It was a quick read, but funny.

[laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny and the reader was good for the content. I think I would enjoy it more if I knew more about that time period; some of the jokes probably would have made sense.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quaint corn-pone humor from a simpler time. Comparable as an American (and apolitical) Good Soldier Svejk.