Summer Isles Of Eden

In an old wooden sloop, Philip Marsden plots a course north from his home in Cornwall. He is sailing for the Summer Isles, a small archipelago near the top of Scotland that holds for him a deep and personal significance. On the way, he must navigate the west coast of Ireland and the Inner Hebrides. Bearing the full force of the Atlantic, it is a seaboard which is also a mythical frontier, a place as rich in story as anywhere on earth. Through the people he meets and the tales he uncovers, Marsden builds up a haunting picture of these shores - of imaginary islands and the Celtic otherworld, of the ageless draw of the west, of the life of the sea and perennial loss - and the redemptive power of the imagination. Exhilarating and poignant, Marsden's prose has been widely praised. Bringing together themes he has been pursuing for many years, The Summer Isles is an unforgettable account of the search for actual places, invented places, and those places in between that shape the lives of individuals and entire nations.

One of the greatest rewards which literary fame has to give must be the power which it lends an author of being on intimate terms with his public. An author has won his spurs, his public know and love him, and he can then, if he will, talk to them in print as he might chat with friends. Trivial subjects become important because he chooses to write about them. He is at ease with his readers, so much so that he can drop all formality and discuss questions of the day, or tell them what he saw in a morning walk, or what he thinks on this or that literary subject, in much the same tone of voice that he might discuss the same things at his breakfast-table. It must be a pleasure to do this. It must be enjoyable to feel that one has the right to ramble from one topic to another, unchecked by the question which confronts a young author whether the topic of which he writes is “ timely" or “ vital." In the hands of a master, any subject is both timely and vital. He may write about that which interests himself, and he may be sure it will interest others. In his book 'Literature and Life', Mr. Howells has allowed himself all latitude in the choice of the subjects of the essays which compose the books. Lest some readers should not understand exactly what motive threw some random impressions of the horse show and an essay on the relation of the young contributor to the editor between the same covers, Mr. Howells has explained in his preface: “ I have never been able to see much difference between what seemed to me Literature and what seemed to me Life. . . . Out of this way of thinking and feeling about these two great things, about Literature and Life, there may have arisen a confusion as to which is which. But I do not wish to part them, and in their union I have found since I learned my letters a joy in them both which I hope will last till I forget my letters." The joy which Mr. Howells has felt in “ these two great things," he has conveyed in his writing. One feels that it was work which it gave him pleasure to do. It is one of those books where the author permits one to make his acquaintance; as he lingers over the book, the reader receives the impression that he had listened to someone talking rather than that he had been reading a printed page. It is certain that Mr. Howells is one of the few writers who can produce such work. These essays approach in spirit and in form the French feuilleton which, in the hands of such men as Anatole France, has attained such perfection.

"Short Stories and Essays (from Literature and Life)" by William Dean Howells. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author and literary critic. He wrote his first novel, Their Wedding Journey, in 1871, but his literary reputation really took off with the realist novel A Modern Instance, published in 1882, which describes the decay of a marriage. His 1885 novel The Rise of Silas Lapham is perhaps his best known, describing the rise and fall of an American entrepreneur in the paint business. His social views were also strongly reflected in the novels Annie Kilburn (1888) and A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890). While known primarily as a novelist, his short story "Editha" (1905) - included in the collection Between the Dark and the Daylight (1907) - appears in many anthologies of American literature. Howells also wrote plays, criticism, and essays about contemporary literary figures such as Ibsen, Zola, Verga, and, especially, Tolstoy, which helped establish their reputations in the United States. He also wrote critically in support of many American writers. It is perhaps in this role that he had his greatest influence.

For nearly two centuries, Hawaii's leaders have endeavored to forge a unique international role for the Islands in Pacific and even in world affairs. Colorful figures such as Kalakaua, Walter Murray Gibson, and a host of others labored mightily to transform the Islands into an oceanic political power. Although their campaigns eventually failed, Hawaii was put forever on the diplomatic map with such ventures as the attempted annexation of a distant South Pacific islands group, the provocation of a quarrel with Germany that led to the brink of war, and the persistent defense of the interests of Pacific islanders in the capitals of Europe and America. A very different but nonetheless ambitious surge of activism followed Hawaii's annexation by the United States at the turn of the present century. Shortly after World War I, local internationalists formed the Pan-Pacific Union and the Institute of Pacific Relations as the foci of a concerted effort to foster greater political and cultural understanding throughout the Pacific and the world. While both groups frequently created headlines with various programs and proposals, the latter organization became widely known when it came under the attack of the anticommunist movement during the late 1940's and 1950's. Related endeavors in more recent years have produced numerous activities in educational, political, scientific, and commercial circles that presently involve a fair proportion of the Island establishment as well as numerous prominent figures from abroad. Elusive Destiny brings the details of this little-known but always present impulse in Hawaiian history together for the first time and goes on to speculate about the likely causes of successes or failures. Carefully researched and documented, richly illustrated, and concisely written, the book should interest all persons concerned with the modern Hawaiian experience.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.