tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post7534405302982958658..comments2024-03-17T02:38:18.796+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: Stuff of the Dead TomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-86781095901515984832013-09-15T08:52:39.674+02:002013-09-15T08:52:39.674+02:00I'm glad to hear from a Wentworth fan that thi...I'm glad to hear from a Wentworth fan that this was not par for the normal course and I'll keep the titles you mentioned in mind for when I decide to give her another shot. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-4660580081920044922013-09-14T21:28:27.230+02:002013-09-14T21:28:27.230+02:00I love Miss Silver. See my comment below.I love Miss Silver. See my comment below.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07418612871246199865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-62826107704021715482013-09-14T21:27:40.620+02:002013-09-14T21:27:40.620+02:00I know we all have different tastes in mysteries, ...I know we all have different tastes in mysteries, but the Miss Silver series is one of my favorites. That said, The Benevent Treasure is the absolutely the worst of her books!! I read it this summer and was horrified! I highly recommend Out of the Past, Miss Silver Comes to Stay, and Miss Silver Deals With Death.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07418612871246199865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-77620351637607458252013-09-14T18:29:19.800+02:002013-09-14T18:29:19.800+02:00My problem with Miss Marple has more to do with he...My problem with Miss Marple has more to do with her books than with the character herself, because there aren't any books in the series I would consider to be "Great Detective" novels. <br /><br /><i>The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side</i> came close, but shot itself in the foot with a couple of additional, and completely unnecessary, killings that dulled the impact of the first murder – which was vintage Christie! The only, slightly negative side-effect of only that first murder would've been that the readers would probably sympathize with the murderer, but it would'e also been a more solid mystery novel. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-24606103248157166482013-09-14T18:27:27.240+02:002013-09-14T18:27:27.240+02:00That clears that up and thanks for the additional ...That clears that up and thanks for the additional information. Much appreciated! TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-74925154412884129392013-09-14T16:06:50.218+02:002013-09-14T16:06:50.218+02:00According to Hubin's Crime Fiction II, there w...According to Hubin's Crime Fiction II, there were two editions of the book. Lippincott published it in 1954, and then Hodder published it in 1956. These are also the dates given in John M. Reilly's Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers. Lippincott was an American publishing firm and Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing firm. The 1956 date you cite appears to be the copyright date for the British edition. Since your reprint was from the Hodder and Stoughton edition, it would make sense for the copyright date in your edition to be the later one. Patricia Wentworth appears to me to have been a British subject, but for some reason, when I look down the list of her published books, the first edition in most instances after 1945 appears to have been the American Lippincott edition. The British edition would then appear one or two years or even three years later. I have no interest in this author because old lady detectives who knit bore me so I don't know why the publishing schedule appears to me to have been set up that way. Maybe she had a bigger fan base in America than in Britain. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-13416089555949955592013-09-14T15:32:59.226+02:002013-09-14T15:32:59.226+02:00Patricia Wentworth is a new author for me and her ...Patricia Wentworth is a new author for me and her sleuth, Miss Silver, certainly reminds me of Miss Marple who, for some reason, is not very popular among readers of detective fiction who prefer Poirot to the sweet old lady. Thanks for bringing this author to my notice.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-84267107896259456472013-09-14T09:21:31.987+02:002013-09-14T09:21:31.987+02:00There's always the inevitable wear and tear in...There's always the inevitable wear and tear in the work of prolific (mystery) writers, but in some the decline is more discernable than in others. <br /><br />You wouldn't immediately notice the wear and tear in Rex Stout or Appie Baantjer, because the quality of writing and/or characterization has been constant throughout the series – until you compare the caliber of the earlier plots with the latter ones. I've no idea if Wentworth from the 1920-or 30s will be any better, but that's something to discover in the far, far away future. <br /><br />And according to my H&S reprint, <i>The Bevenent Treasure</i> appeared for the first time in 1956. Is the date in my reprint wrong? <br />TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-81712843164318122732013-09-14T03:49:17.694+02:002013-09-14T03:49:17.694+02:00I think an interesting study could be made of what...I think an interesting study could be made of what periods professional authors turn out their best work over the course of their careers. The passage of time tells us which portions of their work remain viable. I think such a study would shed some light on the nature of the creative process.<br /><br />Some authors produce their best work at the start of their careers, and thereafter simply repeat the pattern for the rest of their lives, as though they have only one story to tell.<br /><br />Some authors have apprentice periods of lesser or greater lengths before they produce their best work.<br /><br />Some authors have to wait until they find their ideal subject matter or hero before they can do their best work.<br /><br />If we look at Edgar Rice Burroughs, for instance, I have always thought that his best book was his very first novel, and then the two immediate Carter sequels. As far as Tarzan goes, I thought the best ones after the first were books further down the line like Tarzan the Untamed, as though it took a while for his technique to evolve to best employ the character.<br /><br />As far as Patricia Wentworth goes, her career went from 1923 to 1961, the year she died. Miss Silver's first novel appearance was in 1928, with the last one appearing in 1961, for a total of 33 novels, according to my reference book. The Benevolent Treasure first appeared in 1954, toward the end of her career.<br /><br />I think it is a pretty rare author who can keep the full blaze of creativity alight decade after decade. I think there is a general consensus that the last two volumes of the stories about even the mighty Sherlock Holmes are not up to the standard of the earlier volumes.<br /><br />Maybe Patricia Wentworth shows to better advantage in earlier volumes (not that I would care to make the experiment myself). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com