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Disturbed at his hotel by a pistol shot, Roger Lawrence discovers the body of a man he had earlier refused to help, who has now killed himself. At his side is his daughter, who Roger, overcome with horror and moved by her plight, ends up adopting. As she blossoms, could she become the perfect wife? ... Read more

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Return on Investment
In later years, Henry James rejected his first novel. After he had still made corrections for a new edition some years after the first one of 1871, he would later not include it in collected editions and would call the next novel, Roderick Hudson, his first.
I can see why he would do that. This one is a little embarrassing, sometimes.

The plot is melodrama without depth: Boston gentleman `adopts' 12 y old orphan girl after her father's suicide and hopes that she will develop into a suitable young woman for him to marry. He finally marries her after fighting off some competition. That has an ugly smell to it. It is not a very funny comedy either.

One wonders, from today's perspective and with our broad exposure to publicized abuse cases, about the darker implications: a single man of 30 adopts a 12 y old girl, not even related to him by family? How does this work legally? Apparently there is no legal status at all here. In other words, the sultan raises his concubine for his harem, or, from the other angle, total dependence or total freedom, whichever way you look at it. Were laws at the times (1860s or so) that lax? The fact that the sultan is more of a Professor Higgins and that the harem is monogamous does not really change everything, does it?

The man starts telling people fairly soon that he plans to marry the girl later. That starts when she is 14 or so. (Isn't there a famous film director who discarded his wife to marry her adopted daughter?)
The man even considers telling her early on that he expects eventual payback for his goodness. Isn't that disgusting, even if he has enough sense, at least, to shut up? James finds it in him to tell us that the girl develops a `passion for gratitude'. Yikes, what is that?
When she has grown to be an 18 y old beauty, men look at her and think in terms of `Roger's investment', or `Roger's property'.

In defense of James one has to admit that he was quite aware of this minefield and that he brought it to the forefront of the man Roger's hesitations and uncertainties. In a way, this is the main theme of the whole short novel, not just a subject that remains in nether regions of awareness, for us to dig out.

When you add to the odd plot and the slow comedy a fairly conventional narrative technique (all-knowing 3rd party), you see that there is no claim for greatness here. There are fortunately also some strengths: I see them in the male portraits. The main male, as well as his rivals, are all delightful little psychograms, while Nora, the corpus delicti, remains rather bland. So you do get some entertainment out of this, but at least as much irritation. I think the least that James could have done to save us and himself some embarrassment would have been to marry Nora to somebody else and avoid the `happy end' from Roger's perspective.

New England Regionalist?
"Watch and Ward" was the first novel of Henry James Jr, published in The Atlantic Monthly 1n 1871. "Junior" was 28 years old. "Watch and Ward" did not catapult him to literary fame, and has never been regarded as one of his masterworks, nothing more than a 'good start' toward "Portrait of a Lady". His masterpieces were not to be written until he was solidly middle-aged. James Junior, to put it bluntly, was not especially precocious. "Watch and Ward" is a brief, well-crafted but slightly bland novel -- a 'romance' actually, in the specific sense of that genre as practiced by New England writers of the generation of Henry James Senior. It's interesting to note that Junior had paid an extended visit to the elderly Seer of Concord, Ralph Waldo Emerson, around the time when he was working on "Watch and Ward". Neither Henry, Senior or Junior, was any sort of consistent transcendentalist, but their literary manners were learned at the knee of Emerson, so to speak. The style and the narrative of Junior's early stories and this first novel come straight from Brook Farm. I haven't encountered any scholarly criticism of Henry James that perceives the influence on him of Nathaniel Hawthorne or Luisa Alcott, but I'd say such an influence is obvious in "Watch and Ward", both in the syntax and the themes. W&W is even a "Twice-Told Tale", patently inspired by the Hellenic myth of Pygmalion. And it's both a "moral romance", close to Hawthorne's short story "Doctor Rappucini's Garden", and a Love Romance which readers of "Little Women" would have approved. Why, it has what might be called a 'happy ending' -- certainly the sort of resolution that James would never repeat.

The plot concerns a fastidious, well-intentioned, somewhat priggish Boston gentleman who finds himself maturing in years and wealth without encountering a woman whom he can imagine as a wife. One day a desperate stranger, a 'westerner' of dubious character, approaches him begging for monetary aid, which he refuses. When the stranger later commits suicide, our gentleman rescues his scrawny, grimy, illiterate 12-year-old daughter and, without legally adopting her, launches into a fantasy life-plan of raising such a girl to become a model wife. James Junior was NOT yet the psychological novelist or the razor-edge dissector of human relationships of his later works; "Watch and Ward" is utterly naive from a post-Freudian perspective. So, of course, were most of the great novels of Victorian England that James must have aspired to match.

"Watch and Ward" is not a novel that you can't live without reading. If James Junior had written another dozen such novels, he'd have filled a niche as a regionalist comparable to Sarah Orne Jewett or Sherwood Anderson. Instead, it's astonishing to follow his evolution: "Daisy Miller" in 1878, "Washington Square" in 1880, "Portrait of a Lady" serialized in '80-'81, "The Bostonians" and "Princess Casamassima" in 1885 ...

Henry James Jr has long been adored by critics and scholars as perhaps America's greatest novelist, yet his later novels -- complex, turgid, elusive -- have daunted and discouraged altogether too many readers. If you're a reader hesitating to give Junior a second chance, I recommend starting where he himself started, with his mellow New England romances. "Watch and Ward" is included in the Library or America volume of 'Novels 1871-1880', together with "Roderick Hudson", "The American", "The Europeans", and "Confidence". I've already reviewed the first three of that list. ... Read more

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The story of Fred Bartlett's experiences as a game control officer in Kenya and later a professional hunter with Ker & Downey safari company.Known as one of the fastest shots with a double rifle he has probably shot more buffalo than any man alive.Limited edtion of 250 signed,numbered,and slipcased copies. ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1856Original Publisher: Hayes ... Read more

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Little known history of N. C. Texas
This book should be rquired reading for anyone wishing (or claiming) to know about what North Central Texas was like before the white man took it over from the Indians.This book gives the reader a hitherto unknown picture of the upper regions of the northern rivers and the flora and fauna that was found there.Excellent and informative reading. ... Read more

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'Fred and I' is the true story of an Englishman who discovered that he had a guardian angel who organised every aspect of his life. He realised that the guardian angel (Fred) existed, after he attended a course in Practical Philosophy. This taught him how to keep the mind in the present moment through mind stilling exercises and meditation. When in the present everyone is in touch with a guardian angel. 'Fred and I' is also an adventure story as the author decided to let Fred take charge of his life and this Fred did, taking him to many different parts of the world and in many perilous and penniless situations. The more one relies on Fred the more he looks after you. The book demonstrates this in a humourous and interesting way. Only two rules apply. One you must be in the present moment as much as possible and two you must not look for any other means of security, such as money, insurance etc. In other words Fred comes to help only when needed. ... Read more

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Chapters: Andy Bell, Steve Garvey, Norman Watt-Roy, Fred Thelonious Baker, Doug Parmenter, Danielle Ward, Cait O'riordan, Pete Wilson, Alan Spenner, Clive Chaman, Kevan Frost, Malcolm Pool, Paul Dean (Bass Player, Songwriter), Ian Maynard, Bob Brunning, John Rees-Jones, Gary Day, Helen Mccookerybook, Dave Swift, Rory Mcfarlane, Paul Jeffreys, Percy Jones, Jon Jeary, Peter Momtchiloff, Mark 'snake' Luckhurst, Alan Hake, Earl Falconer, Jack Monck, Dave Wintour, Ade Easily, Ali Star, Iwan Gronow. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 86. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Andrew Piran "Andy" Bell (born 11 August 1970 in Cardiff, Wales) is a British musician, songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the early 1990s shoegazing band, Ride, and later, Hurricane #1. He is also well known for playing bass guitar (and contributing songwriting) for British rock band Oasis. On Oasis' last albums, the band took less clearly defined roles and Bell was able to contribute guitar on his own songs. He is currently recording a new album with Oasis members Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Jay Darlington and Chris Sharrock under a new name. Bell formed Ride with Mark Gardener (guitarist), who he met at Cheney School in Oxford and Laurence Colbert (drummer) and Steve Queralt (bassist), who he met doing Foundation Studies in Art and Design at Banbury in 1988. While still at Banbury the band produced a tape demo including the tracks "Chelsea Girl" and "Drive Blind". In February 1989, Ride were asked to stand in for a cancelled student union gig at Oxford Polytechnic that brought them to the attention of Alan McGee. After supporting The Soup Dragons in 1989 McGee signed them to Creation Records. With Ride, Bell released three EPs between January and September 1990, entitled Ride, Play and Fall. While the...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1084332 ... Read more

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1909. The novelist Mrs. Humphrey Ward (Mary Arnold Ward), was the niece of the poet Matthew Arnold, and granddaughter of Dr. Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School who was immortalized as a character in the novel Tom Brown's Schooldays. The book begins: A stifling hot day! General Hobson lifted his hat and mopped his forehead indignantly. What on earth this place can be like in June I can't conceive! The tenth of April, and I'll be bound the thermometer's somewhere near eighty in the shade. You never find the English climate playing you these tricks. Roger Barnes looked at his uncle with amusement. Don't you like heat, Uncle Archie? Ah, but I forgot, it's American heat. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

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1909. The novelist Mrs. Humphrey Ward (Mary Arnold Ward), was the niece of the poet Matthew Arnold, and granddaughter of Dr. Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School who was immortalized as a character in the novel Tom Brown's Schooldays. The book begins: A stifling hot day! General Hobson lifted his hat and mopped his forehead indignantly. What on earth this place can be like in June I can't conceive! The tenth of April, and I'll be bound the thermometer's somewhere near eighty in the shade. You never find the English climate playing you these tricks. Roger Barnes looked at his uncle with amusement. Don't you like heat, Uncle Archie? Ah, but I forgot, it's American heat. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

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1909. The novelist Mrs. Humphrey Ward (Mary Arnold Ward), was the niece of the poet Matthew Arnold, and granddaughter of Dr. Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School who was immortalized as a character in the novel Tom Brown's Schooldays. The book begins: A stifling hot day! General Hobson lifted his hat and mopped his forehead indignantly. What on earth this place can be like in June I can't conceive! The tenth of April, and I'll be bound the thermometer's somewhere near eighty in the shade. You never find the English climate playing you these tricks. Roger Barnes looked at his uncle with amusement. Don't you like heat, Uncle Archie? Ah, but I forgot, it's American heat. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

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Includes: Short Stories - Engagement Party by Nancy Pope Mayorga; The Nervous Thief by John and Ward Hawkins; One Night of Trouble by Cecile Gilmore; The Improbable Blond by Robert Carson. Articles - New War on Hit-and-Run Killers by Joseph N. Bell; The Face of America, Frozen Sunrise photographed by Thomas Peters Lake; Personal...From Budapest by ned Barber; Pro Football Come sDown to Earth by Harry T. Paxton; The Truant Officer learns to Smile by Morton M. Hunt; I'm Glad I Bought a Toupee by Fred Sparks; My Dad, Walt Disney, Part V, Suddenly He Was a Genius by Diane Disney Miller as told to Pet martin; Dedliest Fighter in the Air by Frank Harvey. Serials - Rendezvous in Tokyo (forth of eight parts) by John P. Marquand; The Secret of Shining Brook (conclusion) by Clarend Buddington Kelland; etc. ... Read more

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64 Pages, Fully Illustrated.Topics extend beyond:Bridges & Barriers, Slanguage: Hooking Up, & Beyond Father & King. ... Read more