Art Gallery: Double Detective

1938

1938

George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior, Part 2

I know you fans of civility and decent behavior are in a big sweat for another heaping helping of advice from young George Washington (yes, he of the cherry tree). The first five, with the skinny on where they came from, are HERE.

6. Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.

7. Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of your chamber half dressed.

8. At play and attire, it's good manners to give place to the last comer, and affect not to speak louder than ordinary.

9. Spit not into the fire, nor stoop low before it; neither put your hands into the flames to warm them, nor set your feet upon the fire, especially if there be meat before it.

10. When you sit down, keep your feet firm and even, without putting one on the other or crossing them.

Thanks GW!

The Theme from Blazing Saddles!

Figurehead Mania, Part 1

One of my vacation destinations was the Mariner Museum in Newport News, Virginia, primarily to see the turret and other artifacts recovered from the Civil War ironclad the U.S.S. Monitor. As a bonus, I got to see a lot of other cool stuff, like these great larger-than-lifesize ships' figureheads.

Columbia, from the Benmore, 1870-1924.
Benmore was a 3-masted bark built in Glasgow. When she was sold to an
American in 1920, the figurehead was repainted with this American flag design.

Apollo, from the Apollo, 1854-1908.
The German bark Apollo was wrecked off the coast of Norway,
where this figurehead washed ashore and was put on display.

Dutch Burgher, ship unknown, circa 1800

Forgotten Books: To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer

The Riverworld series is hardly forgotten, but I’d forgotten it myself until I came across a made-for-SciFi Channel movie at the library. The movie, an unsuccessful series pilot from 2003, wasn’t bad, and reminded me of the fun I’d had reading the series.

So I hauled out this first book (first published in 1971) and gave it another go. Farmer’s concept here was a masterstroke - the idea that every person who has ever lived is reborn with 25-year old bodies and a lifetime of memories, on the banks of an endless river. Dang! I wish I’d thought of it.

This premise gave Farmer unlimited possibilities to play with historical characters and cultures, and its obvious he had a swell time with it. His choice for the hero of this first book was 19th Century explorer Richard Francis Burton, I guy I knew next to nothing about. So I learned stuff, and it made me want to learn more. The supporting cast includes Alice Lidell Hargreaves (the inspiration for the character Alice in Wonderland), Herman Goering and Farmer himself, here bearing the name Peter Jarius Frigate.

It’s great adventure, with splashes of historical detail and plenty of imagination. Because I was trapped on an airplane at the time, I finished the book in one sitting, and it was pretty much a thrill ride. But on reflection I found myself wanting something more (and I don’t mean simply a sequel, of which there are four).

The thing is, Farmer’s plots and action carry me along so fast that it takes awhile to realize I didn’t really connect with the characters. His heroes are passionate about such heroic stuff as courage, determination, imagination, revenge and a need to know, but fall a bit short on what I can only call heart. Beyond the qualities mentioned, I have a tough time connecting with them on an emotional level.

This is not a criticism so much as an observation. It’s the way Farmer wrote, and pretty much the way his literary heroes Edgar Rice Burroughs and “Kenneth Robeson” did too. The mission statement for them all might be  To Hell with Sentiment, on with the Action. And to that end, To Your Scattered Bodies Go certainly achieves its goal.

Check out the usual line-up of fabulous Forgotten Books at the always-cool blog of Mr. George Kelley.

George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior, Part 1

On our recent visit to Williamsburg, Virginia (more on that anon) and sidetrip to Washington D.C. (ditto) I was amused to find giftshops offering a slim little volume called George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. After resisting three times and feeling virtuous, I could resist no more and bought a copy.

According to legend, George was a Virginia schoolboy when he copied these rules by hand from a 16th Century Jesuit text. How much (if any) alteration Georgie made to the original precepts is unclear. But hey, if these rules were good enough for the future Father of our Country, they're good enough for me. The book contains 110 of these gems, so I'll present them here a few at a time to allow time for proper study and contemplation.

1. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.

2. When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body not usually discovered.

3. Show nothing to your friend that may affright him.

4. In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming voice, or drum with your fingers or feet.

5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh or yawn, do it not loud but privately, and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.

Words to live by.

Rebel: A rare misfire from Bernard Cornwell

For the past several years, Bernard Cornwell has been my second favorite author. Of the 50-odd books he’s written, I’ve read at least half, and thoroughly enjoyed them all . . . until I got to Rebel.

This isn’t really a bad book. Parts of it, particularly the 1st Mannassas/Bull Run battle scenes toward the end, are excellent. But I’ve been spoiled. Everything else I’ve read from Cornwell is so fine that this was a disappointment.

One problem in the protagonist. On Cornwell’s website, he says he stopped writing this Nathaniel Starbuck series after three books because it was too similar to his famous Sharpe series. So I expected Starbuck to be an American version of Sharpe. Far from it.

Sharpe is a hardbitten professional soldier who has risen through the ranks due to guts, determination and fighting knowhow. He knows how to handle men - and women. Nate Starbuck, on the other hand, is just a kid. He’s the son of a famous abolitionist preacher from Boston, a divinity student who has just begun to stray and feels endlessly guilty about it. His stupidity regarding women knows no bounds. Starbuck does some growing in this book, so he may be a better character in the next two. Or not. I'm in no hurry to find out.

This book’s other shortcoming is the shifting point of view. Most of Cornwell’s other books feature a single POV character in either first or third person. This one flits all over the place, sometimes in close third person, sometimes distant third, sometimes slipping into omniscient. Some of the POV characters are insignificant or uninteresting, while others, like Starbuck, are often annoying. I found myself fighting (and sometimes even succumbing to) the urge to skim.

Cornwell has hopes to someday continue Starbuck's adventures. I hope he doesn’t. He has too many great series going to waste time on a mediocre one.

Bottom Line: For great Civil War drama, Read James Reasoner’s Manassas instead.

Art Gallery: Roy Rogers

1941

1939

1948