Anthony Trollope -- FAVORITE AUTHOR, BOOK LIST

 

FAVORITE AUTHOR, BOOK LIST

Anthony Trollope

Thanks to Arches Bookhouse, I’m the happy new owner of a complete set of Anthony Trollope fiction. Plus some.

As you see, this isn’t a fancy set. It’s not even a matching set. These are all reader copies in mismatched paperback editions. I might call this a “collection,” but it’s not a collectible collection. Maybe calling it a "grouping" would be more accurate. Whatever you call it, I love it!

I had to rearrange a several of my paperback book shelves and even cull some books to make room for all of these. The result is a miracle of horizontal and double-deep organization. A common bookworm problem.

Anthony Trollope was a prolific Victorian author who wrote 47 novels, dozens of short stories, travel books, two plays, nonfiction, and several collections of correspondence. He died in 1882. The Trollope Society and the Trollope Society USA are excellent resources for Trollope fans. Both host in-person and online events for members and provide a trove of Trollope information.

The books I got at Arches include all the novels, short stories, and travel writing, plus a book of letters, his autobiography, two “companion” books, and a biography by Victoria Glendinning.

Trollope is best known for his two six-novel series, the Chronicles of Barsetshire and the Palliser Novels. I've read those books, although I'd like to read the Barsetshire novels again. But there are so many others that I haven't read for the first time, so it will be a while before I get to rereads. 

Are you an Anthony Trollope fan? Do you have any favorites or suggestions about which books to prioritize?

Here is Anthony Trollope's bibliography, which are novels unless noted:

The Macdermots of Ballycloran (1847)

The Kellys and the O’Kellys (1848)

La Vendee (1850)

The Warden (1855) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 1)

Barchester Towers (1857) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 2)

Doctor Thorne (1858) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 3)

The Three Clerks (1858)

The Bertrams (1859)

The West Indies and the Spanish Main (1859) (travel)

Castle Richmond (1860)

Tales of All Countries, 1st Series (1861) (short stories)

Framley Parsonage (1861) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 4)

North America, Volume 1 (1861) (travel)

Orley Farm (1862)

The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson, by One of the Firm (1862)

North America, Volume 2 (1862) (travel)

Rachel Ray (1863)

Tales of All Countries, 2nd Series (1863) (short stories)

North America, Volume 3 (1863) (travel)

The Small House at Allington (1864) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 5)

Can You Forgive Her? (1865) (Palliser Novels, Book 1)

Miss Mackenzie (1865)

The Belton Estate (1865)

Hunting Sketches (1865) (nonfiction)

Traveling Sketches (1866) (nonfiction)

Clergymen of the Church of England (1866) (nonfiction)

The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) (Chronicles of Barsetshire, Book 6)

The Golden Lion of Granpere (1867)

The Claverings (1867)

Nina Balatka (1867)

Lotta Schmidt and Other Stories (1867) (short stories)

Linda Tressel (1868)

Phineas Finn (1869) (Palliser Novels, Book 2)

He Knew He Was Right (1869)

Did He Steal It? (1896) (play)

On English Prose Fiction as a Rational Amusement (1869) (lectures)

The Vicar of Bullhampton (1870)

An Editor's Tales (1870) (short stories)

The Commentaries of Caesar (1870 (nonfiction)

Ralph the Heir (1871)

Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite (1871)

The Eustace Diamonds (1872) (Palliser Novels, Book 3)

Australia and New Zealand, Volume 1 (1873) (travel)

Australia and New Zealand, Volume 2 (1873) (travel)

Phineas Redux (1874) (Palliser Novels, Book 4)

Lady Anna (1874)

Harry Heathcote of Gangoil (1874)

The Way We Live Now (1875)

The Prime Minister (1876) (Palliser Novels, Book 5)

The American Senator (1877)

South Africa, Volume 1 (1877) (travel)

South Africa, Volume 2 (1877) (travel)

The Lady of Launay (1878)

Is He Popenjoy? (1878)

Cousin Henry (1879)

An Eye for an Eye (1879)

John Caldigate (1879)

Thackeray (1879) (nonfiction)

The Duke’s Children (1880) (Palliser Novels, Book 6)

The Life of Cicero, Vol. 1 (1880) (nonfiction)

The Life of Cicero, Vol. 2 (1880) (nonfiction)

Ayala’s Angel (1881)

Dr. Wortle’s School (1881)

Marion Fay (1882)

The Fixed Period (1882)

Kept in the Dark (1882)

Why Frau Frohmann Raised Her Prices and Other Stories (1882) (short stories)

Lord Palmerston (1882) (nonfiction)

Mr. Scarborough’s Family (1883)

The Landleaguers (1883)

An Autobiography (1883) (nonfiction)

An Old Man’s Love (1884)

The Noble Jilt (1923) (play)

London Tradesmen (1927) (nonfiction)

The Tireless Traveler: Twenty Letters to the Liverpool Mercury (1941).

The New Zealander (1972) (nonfiction)

The Letters of Anthony Trollope (1983)

NOTES

I cobbled together this list from wikipedia and other sources. It may not be 100% accurate, especially about publication dates. If anything is missing or in error, please let me know.

I linked to bookshop.org when I could, just to provide an easy source of information about the books. (Although I do have an account, so I probably get a few pennies if you order any of them.) If bookshop.org didn't have it, I cited to what I could find. 

Because the books are old and out of copyright, you can find many of the texts on line, in generic paperbacks, and very inexpensive "complete works" ebook editions. These last contain almost everything Anthony Trollope wrote, including the hard-to-find books, like his plays and lectures. I can't vouch for their completeness, especially as to posthumously published works. For instance, I could not find a "complete works" that contained his letters, which were published well after his death.  

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

As a kid growing up in South Africa, Elon Musk new pain and learned how to survive it.

-- from Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.

Love him, hate him, don't care -- Elon Musk is in the spotlight. I decided this was the perfect time to read Walter Isaacson's biography of Musk to get a better understanding of this man playing such a huge role in public affairs right now. The book came out at the end of 2023, so does not cover the 2024 election or Musk's role heading up the DOGE. But it offers a lot of insight into this man of the moment. 

Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was excellent, so I knew this one would be well-written, meticulously researched, and balanced. I just finished it and it is all those things. Musk is a fascinating person. His technological breakthroughs and business successes are jaw-droppingly impressive. He is also a really strange dude and can be a total jerk. I was riveted. I highly recommend this one.   

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Elon Musk:

They were impressed and wanted him to work full-time, but he needed to graduate in order to get a U.S. work visa. In addition, he came to a realization: he had a fanatic love of video games and the skills to make money creating them, but that was not the best way to spend his life.

There's a lot of Revenge of the Nerds to Musk's story.  

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

The #1 New York Times and global bestseller from Walter Isaacson—the acclaimed author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and World, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci—is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating, controversial innovator of modern times. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Elon Musk as he executed his vision for electric vehicles at Tesla, space exploration with SpaceX, the AI revolution, and the takeover of Twitter and its conversion to X. The result is the definitive portrait of the mercurial pioneer that offers clues to his political instincts, future ambitions, and overall worldview.

The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I lean over the saddle, my body aligning perfectly with the horse as I prod him to go faster.

-- from The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani.

I really enjoyed Sejal Badani’s earlier book, The Storyteller’s Secret (see my Book Beginnings post for that one), so am excited to read her new one, The Sun’s Shadow. It sounds like a family story with a hint of domestic suspense.

  

See the Publisher's Description below for more details. What do you think? 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Sun's Shadow:

Unsure of my destination, I navigate the empty streets in the dark. I stare at the stars in the open sky, wondering if what lies past them holds the solution to what is happening to my son.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Celine’s life is spiraling out of control. She’s in danger of losing the beloved equestrian farm that was her childhood home. Her distant husband, Eric, is devoting a suspicious amount of time to a stunning new colleague. Then her young son, Brian, receives a devastating cancer diagnosis. As her life falls apart, she faces an impossible fight

Felicity has uprooted her career and her teenage son, Justin, to get closer to Eric. She’s tired of keeping his secrets―that Eric’s frequent “business trips” have been time spent with her and Justin. Felicity is determined to get her happily ever after, even if it means confronting Celine at a delicate time.

But when Brian’s prognosis worsens, and a transplant from Justin becomes his best chance at survival, Felicity must make a wrenching decision about her son’s well-being―and Celine must accept that the “other woman” is her only hope.

In another life Celine and Felicity might have been friends. Can they put aside the pain between them to do what’s best for their families―and their own futures?

Pipsqueaks! Little Books with a Big Novelty Punch -- BOOK THOUGHTS

BOOK THOUGHTS

Pipsqueaks! Little Books with a Big Novelty Punch

Oh, the pipsqueaks! You know the little books that accumulate in your house? I don’t mean short books, although most are. I mean books that are physically small and often have what I think of as a novelty aspect to them. They are typically illustrated, often compilations, and are quick reads. They usually arrive as gifts or impulse purchases. They are the kind of little books often found at the checkout counter of bookstores.

I think of these little books as pipsqueaks. They hide on my shelves and occasionally squeak at me. They are meant to be read immediately and don't like being left on the shelf like an unread copy of Don Quixote or Moby Dick. In the interest of quieting the squeaking and clearing space on my shelves (admittedly, not much), I’ve gathered a very short stack of these cute little things, with the goal of reading them soon to get them off my shelves and out of my brain.

Would you have impulse purchased any of these?

• With Thanks & Appreciation: Thoughts, Sentiments, Tokens & Traditions of the Past by Pat Ross. Apparently, double-barreled titles are another feature of these books. I see there is a note inside telling me this was a gift from the realtor who helped me buy my first house back in 1989! Good grief! I need to read it or just pass it on.

• Bamboo Farmer Wisdom: 101 Inspirational Thoughts by Greg Bell. Greg is a friend of mine who wrote Water the Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals, an excellent business leadership/self-help book that I reviewed here. Bamboo Farmer Wisdom is a sort of tag along collection of inspirational aphorisms.

• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. I grabbed this one day when I was shopping at Powell's, intending to read it that afternoon. Several years later, it is still on my shelf. Time to remedy that!

• I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano. Didn’t every cat owner get this in a Christmas stocking hen it first came out? I think I got three copies!

• Freedom Feminism: Its Surprising History and Why it Matters Today by Christine Hoff Sommers. This is the only substantive book in the stack. I got it from American Enterprise Institute when I joined its Leadership Network and meant to read it right away.

• Bad Dad Jokes: That’s How Eye Roll by Bart King. My friend Jack Ohman illustrated this one, so I got a copy when they launched it.

• Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction by Sean Brand. This one is an understandable impulse purchase, since I will buy any books, whatever its size or format, that combines books and food.

• What Shall I Say: A Guide to Letter Writing for Ladies, no author, is a facsimile of an 1898 self-help book. I found it in a Little Free Library and couldn't resist. 

• The St. Trinian’s Story: And the Pick of the Searle Cartoons, compiled by Kaye Webb, illustrated by Robert Searle. Another LFL find. I knew nothing about Searle or St. Trinian's, but google tells me that Ronald Searle was a British artist and satirical cartoon artist. He created the famous, fictional St. Trinian's School as the subject of comic strips, books, and movies. 

• An Englishman’s Commonplace Book by Roger Hudson. It is unfair to lump this gorgeous Slightly Foxed edition with the others. For one thing, it isn't so little. But it is a very short compilation of brief observations, quips, and quotes, so has the high novelty value that makes it a pipsqueak to me.

What pipsqueaks are hiding on your shelves?

Jane Austen's 250th Birthday -- FAVORITE AUTHOR, BOOK LIST

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK LIST

Jane Austen's 250th Birthday

Did someone say bandwagon? Yes, I’ll jump on!

As we’ve all noticed, 2025 is Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. Or, technically, it is the 250th anniversary of her birth, because she isn't celebrating anymore. But we can! Like others, I plan to reread her six major novels in celebration of this milestone. I may get to some of her other works as well.

I’m going to read them in publication order. I’m too Teutonic in my reading habits to do it any other way. There are readalong groups reading by popularity and other criteria, but chronologically is my preference. Because she stopped and started her writing of some of the books, there is uncertainty about the precise order in which she wrote them, particularly the last two. So I'm going with publication order, not the order in which they were necessarily written. 

Jane Austen is a favorite of mine, ever since I first encountered her as an English Lit major in college. I’ve read the six major novels before, most of them two or three times. This time around, I plan to read them with my ears because I haven’t experienced them as audiobooks. 

My set, shown in the picture above, is a Book of the Month Club special edition issued 25 years ago for the anniversary of her 225th birthday. My then sweetheart, soon to be husband, gave it to me for my birthday that year. 

I read Sense and Sensibility in January. I’m happy to be back in Austenland!

Are you reading any Jane Austen books this year? What’s your favorite?

WRITINGS OF JANE AUSTEN

Austen wrote six major novels, another novel that she never submitted for publication, two unfinished novels, a play, poems, letters, prayers, and a large collection of juvenilia published in three volumes. 

Here is the list of Jane Austen's six main novels, in publication order. These are the books I plan to reread this year: 

• Sense and Sensibility (1811)
• Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• Mansfield Park (1814)
• Emma (1816)
• Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous)
• Persuasion (1818, posthumous)

Austen's other writings, which I may get to someday, but probably not this year, are:

• Lady Susan (the novel she never submitted for publication; published in 1871)
• The Watsons (novel begun in 1803 and abandoned in 1805; fragment published in 1871)
• Sanditon (novel begun in 1817 and left unfinished at her death in July of that year; fragment published in 1925)
• Sir Charles Grandison (a play adapted around 1800 from a novel by Samuel Richardson; published in 1980)
• Plan of a Novel (satire written in 1815; first published in 1926)
• Poems (written 1796–1817; perhaps published at her death in 1817, but I can't pin that down)
• Prayers (written 1796–1817; same as poems)
• Letters (written 1796–1817; same as poems)
• Juvenilia in Three Volumes (written 1787 to 1793, when she was 11 to 17 years old; organized by Austen into three volumes; perhaps first published in 1954, since updated) 

There is a Kindle omnibus edition of that includes Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon, Plan of a Novel, Sir Charles Grandison, and the three volumes of Juvenilia. This is all the minor works except the poems, prayers, and letters. At the time I wrote this post, the Kindle omnibus was $.99.