"Father and Son" (1907) is a memoir by poet and critic Edmund Gosse, which he subtitled "a study of two temperaments." Edmund had previously published a biography of his father, originally published anonymously. The book describes Edmund's early years in an exceptionally devout Plymouth Brethren home. His mother, who died early and painfully of breast cancer, was a writer of Christian tracts. His father, Philip Henry Gosse, was an influential, though largely self taught, invertebrate zoologist and student of marine biology ...
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"Father and Son" (1907) is a memoir by poet and critic Edmund Gosse, which he subtitled "a study of two temperaments." Edmund had previously published a biography of his father, originally published anonymously. The book describes Edmund's early years in an exceptionally devout Plymouth Brethren home. His mother, who died early and painfully of breast cancer, was a writer of Christian tracts. His father, Philip Henry Gosse, was an influential, though largely self taught, invertebrate zoologist and student of marine biology who, after his wife's death, took Edmund to live in Devon. The book focuses on the relationship between a sternly religious father who rejects the new evolutionary theories of his scientific colleague Charles Darwin and the son's gradual coming of age and rejection of his father's fundamentalist religion.As Michael Newton, Lecturer in English, University College London, has written, the book is "a brilliant, and often comic, record of the small diplomacies of home: those indirections, omissions, insincerities, and secrecies that underlie family relationships." "[B]rilliantly written, and full of gentle wit," the book is "an unmatched social document, preserving for us whole the experience of childhood in a Protestant sect in the Victorian period....Above all, it is one of our best accounts of adolescence, particularly for those who endured...a religious upbringing." Although Edmund Gosse prefaces the book with the claim that the incidents described are sober reality, a modern biography of Philip Henry Gosse by Ann Thwaite presents him not as a repressive tyrant who cruelly scrutinized the state of his son's soul but as a gentle and thoughtful person of "delicacy and inner warmth," much unlike his son's portrait. Biographer and critic, D.J. Taylor described the latter as "horribly partial" and noted that "the supposedly sequestered, melancholic pattern of [Edmund] Gosse's London and Devonshire childhood is repeatedly proved to have contained great affection, friends, fun and even light reading.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. No Jacket. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾"; Type: Book This book is a classic autobiographical study of the clash of temperaments in post Darwinian England and dwells on the ultimate connections of mind and heart between a man and his son. 250 pages. Light foxing to the top edge pages. There are No Marks, No Underlining, and No Writing in the book. The book is clean and tight. The book is in excellent readable condition.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Book is in excellent condition. Pages are crisp and clean, binding tight. Small amount of writing on inside of front cover. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Orders received before 3PM PT typically ship same day. All profits support the non-profit community.
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Seller's Description:
Good Condition. Text appears to be clean. Cover has wear and corner bumps. The spine is in good condition with some wear. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Education; ISBN: 0393001954. ISBN/EAN: 9780393001952. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561034817.
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Seller's Description:
W. W. Norton, 1963. Good., Paperback, Small octavo, 250. Clean, tight. 250 pages. Printed price on cover has been scratched out. Norton Library edition. Packed and shipped with care.
