A Dog With a Bad Name

by Talbot Baines Reed

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

462 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2007

About the author

Talbot Baines Reed (3 April 1852 – 28 November 1893) was an English writer of boys' fiction who established a genre of school stories that endured into the second half of the 20th century. Among his best-known work is The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's. He was a regular and prolific contributor to The Boy's Own Paper (B.O.P.), in which most of his fiction first appeared. Through his family's business, Reed became a prominent typefounder, and wrote a classic History of the Old English Letter Foundries.

Reviews

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Interesting Curiosity With An Impressive Pedigree

Talbot Baines Reed was one of the first, and probably the best, authors of serialized school stories for the legendary "Boy's Own Paper". The Paper was published from 1879 to 1967, and "real Boy's Own stuff" has become synonymous with improbable, heroic and daring adventures. Contributors included Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, R.M. Ballantyne, Robert Baden-Powell, (the Boy Scouts founder), and later even Isaac Asimov. Reed's specialty, though, was public school stories. He set the standard and form for virtually all who would follow. It has been said, though, that while imitators wrote about schools with school cliches, Reed wrote about people recognisably of flesh and blood.

This book was published in 1894 and later serialized. It starts at Bolsover, with the headmaster's decision that all of the boys are to play rugby football. We are introduced to a great range of characters, amongst whom is "Cad" Jeffreys a hulking and short-tempered sort. Jeffreys severely injures the most popular boy at the school and leaves in disgrace. (Jeffreys is the "dog" with the bad name.) We then follow Jeffreys' path to redemption. This sounds rather dry and melodramatic, but the character sketches are so compelling, the dialogue is so bright, and the narrative is so driving it is actually a very refreshing and satisfying read.

Despite its age this tale has a surprisingly modern feel and it's easy enough to get into the slightly formal rhythm of the writing. This is not in the "gripping yarn" category of, say, "Kidnapped", but rather in a calmer and more character driven style. If you have a younger reader who has shown interest in such stories this could be a very nice book to try.

Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to the publisher of this book.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I enjoyed another Talbot Baines Reed book. There is something enchanting to me about these books. The author has a great understanding of human nature and the desire to be good and to seek redemption and take the high path. I find these books enjoyable, partially because I know things will win out, good will triumph over evil, and I’ll enjoy the path the plot takes. I also like the author’s “asides” as he makes remarks directed to the “dear reader” about our “hero”. I also am impressed how he ties seemingly disparate sub-plots and characters into a neat package at the end of the stories.