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David Harum: A Story of American Life
David Harum: A Story of American Life was a best-selling novel of 1899 whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term horse trading. Written by retired Syracuse, New York banker, Edward Noyes Westcott, the work was rejected by six publishers before being accepted for publication by D. Appleton & Company. Published in the fall of 1898 - some 6 months after the author's death - it sold an impressive 400,000 copies during the following year. Although the book contains the mandatory love story, the character and philosophy of the title character, small town banker and horse trader David Harum, expressed in the dialect of 19th-century rural central New York is the focus of the book.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1899
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 30, 2018
This was the #1 best seller of 1899. Only book Westcott wrote I believe. Later it became a best selling movie, twice, but I can't see how. I was surprised that I liked this book but I really did. It's the story of a story teller who tells stories. We have the main character, John Lenox who is refined from NYC. And his boss, country banker in Western, NY, David Harum. Harum is a folksy bank owner who dabbles in the dubious practice of horse trading. Imagine if Andy Taylor had been a banker. Usually I struggle and dislike dialog written in dialect but I didn't mind too much with this book. This book makes a strange backstory jump at chapter three making you scratch your head if there was a problem with editing but it comes back around at chapter 11. There is a romance story buried in there but it's only in the backstory and then boomerangs back at the end. I really looked forward to the stories, observations, and philosophies of the old man. He reminded me of one of my first mentors.
July 23, 2015
Originally written and published in 1898, this is considered a bit of a character study of a country banker/horse trader in the rural area of Central New York.
David Harum's version of the Golden Rule -- "Do unto the other feller the way he'd like to do unto you, an' do it fust." is his main motivator. Getting up in years, he feels he needs someone to assist him in his country bank, but wants it to be someone who is not familiar with the locals or his way of business. He sends a letter to a lawyer friend asking for a recommendation of someone.
John Lennox is of a good family, is well educated and travelled. While returning from a few years of touring Europe, he meets up with a young lady, Mary Blake, he had slightly known in the past. They find that they are mutually attracted to each other and continue seeing each other after returning home. Mary lives with her sister and husband and travels with them frequently. When the sister and husband decide to go on another trip there is a lapse in communication and John feels that Mary no longer wants to see him.
After returning home, John takes a position with a law firm, but finds that he isn't really interested in the field. When his father suddenly passes away he now finds that he must work to support himself. At this crossroad of dissatisfaction with the law and need to work, he is told of the position with David Harum in Homeville. Thinking he has nothing to lose he takes it.
It is a major change in living conditions, social situations and learning, but he is determined to ride it out. As time goes on he grows in many ways under the tutelage of David Harum and becomes more confident and understanding about dealing with people. There is also a bond that develops between the two men as a father and son one.
Written in dialect, it can be a bit difficult to read, but once you settle in it adds to the time and place and character of the people. An enjoyable read at an easy pace.
A little more info, this book did not publish until the author has died. It was later made into a movie in 1934 with Will Rogers as David Harum.
David Harum's version of the Golden Rule -- "Do unto the other feller the way he'd like to do unto you, an' do it fust." is his main motivator. Getting up in years, he feels he needs someone to assist him in his country bank, but wants it to be someone who is not familiar with the locals or his way of business. He sends a letter to a lawyer friend asking for a recommendation of someone.
John Lennox is of a good family, is well educated and travelled. While returning from a few years of touring Europe, he meets up with a young lady, Mary Blake, he had slightly known in the past. They find that they are mutually attracted to each other and continue seeing each other after returning home. Mary lives with her sister and husband and travels with them frequently. When the sister and husband decide to go on another trip there is a lapse in communication and John feels that Mary no longer wants to see him.
After returning home, John takes a position with a law firm, but finds that he isn't really interested in the field. When his father suddenly passes away he now finds that he must work to support himself. At this crossroad of dissatisfaction with the law and need to work, he is told of the position with David Harum in Homeville. Thinking he has nothing to lose he takes it.
It is a major change in living conditions, social situations and learning, but he is determined to ride it out. As time goes on he grows in many ways under the tutelage of David Harum and becomes more confident and understanding about dealing with people. There is also a bond that develops between the two men as a father and son one.
Written in dialect, it can be a bit difficult to read, but once you settle in it adds to the time and place and character of the people. An enjoyable read at an easy pace.
A little more info, this book did not publish until the author has died. It was later made into a movie in 1934 with Will Rogers as David Harum.
December 2, 2021
It's a bit of an adjustment getting used to the phonetically written words of Harum and his crowd, and for people used to modern writing full of drama and intrigue it probably seems boring. But if you can get past those hangups this is a very well-written and humourous book. The characters are all extremely well developed, even if they hold very small roles in the story. Their personalities peek through in subtle and sometimes unsuspecting ways that keep the reader guessing. It's a shame this is the only book Westcott had the chance to write.
January 10, 2019
The sweetness of life.
I love the language and the pace of this story reminds me that there is a lot of life in daily living.
I love the language and the pace of this story reminds me that there is a lot of life in daily living.
March 29, 2019
A charming little book. By little, I mean in its focus, not in its length, which is almost 400 pp., but which reads much more quickly than one would expect from such a length. By 'little' I mean in its relatively circumspect vision: it is essentially the story of two main characters, the title character who is a banker in Homeville, a small town in the interior of New York state and David Lenox, a young man of the gentleman class from New York, with rather scant financial means and only the vaguest of notions regarding what to do with his life, who comes to work for Harum. He gets on fairly well and with a rather serendipitous ending to its romantic subplot, the novel concludes. 'A Story of American Life' is certainly ain't, unless one can believe that through the microcosm of two individuals the spirit of life existing in an entire nation can be presented.
Still, as little as it is, the story is absolutely charming. Rather than as a novel, it is best read as a collection of short stories, told when David, in his own phrase 'gits goin'': that is, lets his compunction to spin tales get the better of him. The sale, and subsequent re-sales of a horse is the first of these, and amply exhibits David's canny wit in both coming to terms with a recalcitrant equine as well as in turning the financial tables on a would-be sharper in the 'hoss bisness'. However, it is the story of himself as a lad ''twixt thirteen and fourteen' who, accustomed only to meanness and physical violence at home, is befriended for one night by a young man who takes him to the circus which takes pride of place in the series of vignettes this novel contains. The manner in which it marked a turning point in David's life and the machinations he puts into play to affect the fortunes of a needy widow connected with the narrative were truly sublime. In addition, the story of his marriage and child present a unique combination of poignancy, humor and real emotion.
I also loved the ear of Westcott for the local speech: just in the first few pages, I had to get used to
'wa'al' for 'well', 'mebbe' for 'maybe', 'fust' for 'first', 'idee' for 'idea', 'putty' for 'pretty', 'air' for 'are' and 'hull' for 'whole'. Many, many more examples of this could be given, but they all added to the charm of Harum's many stories. Morgan, a lawyer who helped Lenox get in touch with his future employer remarked that though he was capable of perfectly fine English, 'he uses the most unmitigated dialect'. I never did feel satisfied that I'd accurately read 'calculating' for 'cal'latin'.
Homeville is a fictional town, somewhat close to another - I believe - artificial construction: Syrchester (Syracuse + Rochester). Fatally stricken with tuberculosis in 1895, its author of this novel devoted the last few years of his life to its writing, which appears to be his only work. He died at the age of 51, before the work was finally published in 1899. Having worked in a bank prior to the onslaught of his disease, I suspect a lot of its contents are somewhat autobiographical.
Although slight, it is undoubtedly good, charming, memorable and to be recommended.
Still, as little as it is, the story is absolutely charming. Rather than as a novel, it is best read as a collection of short stories, told when David, in his own phrase 'gits goin'': that is, lets his compunction to spin tales get the better of him. The sale, and subsequent re-sales of a horse is the first of these, and amply exhibits David's canny wit in both coming to terms with a recalcitrant equine as well as in turning the financial tables on a would-be sharper in the 'hoss bisness'. However, it is the story of himself as a lad ''twixt thirteen and fourteen' who, accustomed only to meanness and physical violence at home, is befriended for one night by a young man who takes him to the circus which takes pride of place in the series of vignettes this novel contains. The manner in which it marked a turning point in David's life and the machinations he puts into play to affect the fortunes of a needy widow connected with the narrative were truly sublime. In addition, the story of his marriage and child present a unique combination of poignancy, humor and real emotion.
I also loved the ear of Westcott for the local speech: just in the first few pages, I had to get used to
'wa'al' for 'well', 'mebbe' for 'maybe', 'fust' for 'first', 'idee' for 'idea', 'putty' for 'pretty', 'air' for 'are' and 'hull' for 'whole'. Many, many more examples of this could be given, but they all added to the charm of Harum's many stories. Morgan, a lawyer who helped Lenox get in touch with his future employer remarked that though he was capable of perfectly fine English, 'he uses the most unmitigated dialect'. I never did feel satisfied that I'd accurately read 'calculating' for 'cal'latin'.
Homeville is a fictional town, somewhat close to another - I believe - artificial construction: Syrchester (Syracuse + Rochester). Fatally stricken with tuberculosis in 1895, its author of this novel devoted the last few years of his life to its writing, which appears to be his only work. He died at the age of 51, before the work was finally published in 1899. Having worked in a bank prior to the onslaught of his disease, I suspect a lot of its contents are somewhat autobiographical.
Although slight, it is undoubtedly good, charming, memorable and to be recommended.
October 4, 2021
I read this because I wanted to know how people spoke in New York State in the late 1800s and didn't expect to enjoy it; I was just going to skip through looking at the dialogue. However, it drew me in and I found it endearing and enjoyable right from the beginning to the end. It's a small-scale, easy to read novel full of folksy stories and gentle humour; a domestic portrait of small-town life around 1890. There is no real drama, no grand passions, just likeable and sometimes mildly eccentric people going about their lives.
July 7, 2020
How did I come by this book, was it my grandmother's or an old book I picked up somewhere? I'd like to think it was grannies. My goodness, her home was cleaned out back in the 80's and the books have been with me quite a while. Looking for a book to read around the house I found David Harum: A Story of American Life, and it was in excellent shape for its age being printed in 1904.
An innocent book about good people and their lives in the state of New York.
An innocent book about good people and their lives in the state of New York.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews