The Londoners , by Mr. Robert Hichens, is the lightest of souffles , happily exempt from the fuzzy-wuzzy satire which flecked "The Green Carnation " and the morbid psychology which blended so inharmoniously with the cleverness of "Flames." Here Mr. Hichens wears the cap and bells, and with as good a grace, be it said, as did Mr. Pinero in "The Magistrate '' or Mr. Jones in "The Rogue's Comedy." Indeed, he reopens the question whether society farces are not as effective between book covers as on the stage. Certainly there ...
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The Londoners , by Mr. Robert Hichens, is the lightest of souffles , happily exempt from the fuzzy-wuzzy satire which flecked "The Green Carnation " and the morbid psychology which blended so inharmoniously with the cleverness of "Flames." Here Mr. Hichens wears the cap and bells, and with as good a grace, be it said, as did Mr. Pinero in "The Magistrate '' or Mr. Jones in "The Rogue's Comedy." Indeed, he reopens the question whether society farces are not as effective between book covers as on the stage. Certainly there is a finer exhilaration, for the same money, in The Londoners , read at a single sitting, than in the horse-play of such a "farce' as one is likely just now to see in a New York theatre. Not only does the house party at Ascot give rise to interplay of brilliant wit, but there are situations ranging from comic to burlesque which are quite as satisfying to one's stage eye, and as provocative of laughter, as if they were visibly presented. The leading personages are Mrs. Verulam, who wished to get out of London society, and Mrs. Huskinson Van Adam, an American divorcee, who wished to get into it, and had like to have gratified both her friend's and her own ambition by appearing in male attire. Her efforts at young mannishness and Mrs. Verulam's demure acquiescence with scandal are most amusing. Mr. and Mrs. Lite, who rented their establishment to Mrs. Verulam during race week for the glory that would accrue to the "buns" which had brought them a fortune, and indeed to Mrs. Lite the sobriquet of "the raised pie'' because of her changed social condition, were put to infinite anxiety for the welfare of their parrots, their four pugs -- Dinah, Sam, Gog, and Magog -- and their orchestrion; and neither field-glasses nor detectives nor a brace of blundering servants could keep the unwelcome guests from "a rolling of the jerryaneeums and a rooting up of the roses." From this, and the fact that within fifty pages both Chloe seated herself in the darkness on a large cactus, and that pink of propriety, Rodney, reclined on a bed of angry nettles, as previously, at a stereopticon lecture, he had inadvertently sat down in a duchess's lap, may be inferred the thoroughness with which Mr. Hichens has studied horticultural discomforts and their accessibility to the awkward. Much delicacy and care, too, are bestowed on the ever fascinating topic of trousers, and each of the minor characters, from Martha Sage with her resentful double-chins, and Lady Pearl with the "cooing, thunderous voice'' inherited from her mother, to Lady Drake who ate enormously, is hit off by a rememberable characteristic. The beauty of the tale is its consistent tone of levity, unmarred by obtrusive cynicism or "dogginess." That Mr. Hichens is egregiously smart is undeniable; but his smartness will not pall on one who is content to skim the creamy froth he has provided with a correspondingly light touch. A comparison of The Londoners with Mr. Sharp's "Wives in Exile " will show the extent of Mr. Hichens' present achievement. This is a skit, pure and simple, in the presence of which "analysis should hold its merciless hand, psychology veil its piercing eye." -- The Book Buyer: A Monthly Review of American and Foreign Literature
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Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $111.15, very good condition, Sold by Rooke Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BATH, SOMERSET, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1898 by Herbert S. Stone & Company.
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Seller's Description:
None. Very Good Indeed. A smart first US edition of this satirical work on society life from English author Robert Hichens. First US edition, published the same year as the UK first. Uncommon edition. Following two smart young women; one who has become wearied with her position and its duties, so sets out to escape from society life, and the other who intends to make every effort to get into proper society. Written by Robert Smythe Hichens, an English journalist, novelist, music lyricist, short story writer, and music critic who collaborated on many successful plays. In the original pictorial cloth binding. Externally, very smart with light rubbing to the extremities. Minor fading to the spine with the odd small mark to the boards. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright and clean with the odd small handling mark. Light residue from the previous owner's bookplate to the front pastedown. Very Good Indeed.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $45.94, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $48.35, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $47.00, very good condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1906 by Duffield & Company.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine. First edition thus. Originally published in 1898 by Herbert S. Stone & Co. Decorative blue-gray cloth stamped in yellow, red, and white, top edge gilt. Modest edgewear, else near fine.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $55.63, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Wildside Pr.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $64.08, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $66.74, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $70.74, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Palala Press.
Add this copy of The Londoners to cart. $105.69, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Wildside Pr.
