Books to read
Did you know that Nathaniel Hawthorne was livid over a rival author whose book The Lamplighter outsold the Scarlet Letter ten to one, and became the third best selling book of that time? He believed that woman had no right to authorship, or the influence of society. Did you know that the book that Jo was reading in the movie Little Women was titled The Wide Wide World and was the first American book to sell over a million copies? Did you know that the author of Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, published in 1896, was given a thousand dollar award for writing what was considered the most powerful book of the late 1800’s, and within six weeks there was a demand to reprint an extra two hundred thousand copies? Did you know that after The Lamplighter was published, another female author in England started her writing career that led to an immediate embrace of her stories, reaching record breaking sales of over two and a half million copies.
Why? I believe it can be summed up best with the following: Maxwell Perkins, Scribner’s editor, once wrote to Marjorie Rawlings, author of The Yearling, that “most of the best books in the world are read by both children and adults. This is a characteristic of a great book, that it is both juvenile and adult,” and that they stand the test of time.
posted by Mark Hamby | 5:25 PM
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"Is it true," asked Raphael, when at last he paused in his reading-" is it true that in your blessed land these Scriptures are open to all? "The poorest can have a Bible," replied Horace. "What power must be wielded there for the truth!" said the Italian, laying his hand upon the open Testament. "In this country there is but a man here and there, like a picket in a hostile land, a sentinel on a post of danger, to grasp with a feeble hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God standing forth in a cause which, were it not the cause of the Almighty, he might well consider to be desperate; but with you, how strong, how united a phalanx(body of soldiers close and deep with shields joined together) must hold ground against all opposers,and go forward conquering and triumphant in the great battle that is waged on earth!"...."Of what battle do you speak?" said Horace..."The great battle between Truth and Error, Light and Darkness, God and Satan," replied Raphael; "the battle in which every individual must be enlisted on one or the other side." ....
Raphael fixed his large, earnest eyes upon the speaker with an expression of grave surprise, "In the world's warfare," he said "what do we esteem a soldier who shrinks from taking his part in the struggle, who obeys not his leader, who deserts his banner at a period of danger?"..."We esteem him a coward" said Horace "And if he takes part with the enemy?"..."He has the name, and deserves the fate of a traitor"..."And what do we call those who enlisted from infancy to oppose sin and Satan, are content to remain mere spectators of the strife, or who actually join the ranks of the foe?" asked Raphael.."Nine-tenths of the Christian world do so,...and certainly look upon themselves neither as cowards nor traitors. Few consider that there is any battle to be fought at all. Men follow their own pleasure, do their own will, and doubt not but that all will be well in the end." said Horace.....You do not think so?"..replied Raphael.....The Robbers Cave (pg84-85)
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