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Found at Blazing Star by Bret Harte

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There happened to be some truth in this dark prophecy, but none of the kind that the misogynist supposed. In fact, Spindler had called a few evenings before at the house of the Rev. Mr. Saltover, and Mrs. Saltover, having one of her "Saleratus headaches," had turned him over to her widow sister, Mrs. Huldy Price, who obediently bestowed upon him that practical and critical attention which she divided with the stocking she was darning. ... Read more

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Devil's Ford by Bret Harte

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Leonidas is quite the skilled scamp -- and getting to learn more wiles all the time. That trick with the secret letters for that newcomer Mrs. Burroughs, the one who was so kind to him -- that was a new one for him, and one he thoroughly enjoyed. And seeing her face transform when she read that secret letter -- that made it all worth while.

But the rattlesnake trick -- that was all his own.

"How did you know it was here?" said Mrs. Burroughs, recovering herself from the sight of the snake.

"I fetched him here," Leonidas told her proudly. "Made him follow! I've handled him, sure, but it was after I'd first made him strike his pizen out upon a stick. Ye know, after he strikes four times he ain't got any pizen left. Then ye kin do anythin' with him, and he knows it! I've bin three months trainin' him!"

Bret Harte (1836-1902) gained fame for his local-color tales of the Far West, in the days of the California Gold Rush. ... Read more

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Subjects: Short storiesNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Bret Harte was the best-known and highest paid writer in America in the early 1870s, yet his vexed attempts to earn a living by his pen led to the failure of his marriage and, in 1878, his departure for Europe. Gary Scharnhorst's biography of Harte traces the growing commercial appeal of western fiction and drama on both sides of the Atlantic during the Gilded Age, a development in which Harte played a crucial role.

Harte's pioneering use of California local color in such stories as "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" challenged genteel assumptions about western writing and helped open eastern papers to contributions by Mark Twain and others. The popularity of Bret Harte's writings was driven largely by a literary market which his western stories helped create.

The first Harte biography in nearly seventy-years to be written entirely from primary sources, this book documents Harte's personal relationships and, in addition, his negotiations with various publishers, agents, and theatrical producers as he exploited popular interest in the American West. ... Read more

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On the death of his parents, Faraday Little was taken to Raby Hall. In accepting his guardianship, Mr. Raby struggled stoutly against two prejudices: Faraday was plain-looking and sceptical.

"Handsome is as handsome does, sweetheart," pleaded Jael, interceding for the orphan with arms that were still beautiful. "Dear knows, it is not his fault if he does not look like--his father," she added with a great gulp. Jael was a woman, and vindicated her womanhood by never entirely forgiving a former rival.

"It's not that alone, madam," screamed Raby, "but, d--m it, the little rascal's a scientist,--an atheist, a radical, a scoffer! Disbelieves in the Bible, ma'am; is full of this Darwinian stuff about natural selection and descent. Descent, forsooth! In my day, madam, gentlemen were content to trace their ancestors back to gentlemen, and not to--monkeys!"

"Dear heart, the boy is clever," urged Jael.

"Clever!" roared Raby; "what does a gentleman want with cleverness?"



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As Clarence Brant, President of the Robles Land Company, and husband of the rich widow of John Peyton, of the Robles Ranche, mingled with the outgoing audience of the Cosmopolitan Theatre, at San Francisco, he elicited the usual smiling nods and recognition due to his good looks and good fortune. But as he hurriedly slipped through the still lingering winter's rain into the smart coupe that was awaiting him, and gave the order "Home," the word struck him with a peculiarly ironical significance. His home was a handsome one, and lacked nothing in appointment and comfort, but he had gone to the theatre to evade its hollow loneliness. Nor was it because his wife was not there, for he had a miserable consciousness that her temporary absence had nothing to do with his homelessness. The distraction of the theatre over, that dull, vague, but aching sense of loneliness which was daily growing upon him returned with greater vigor.

He leaned back in the coupe and gloomily reflected.



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A biography that charts the boom and bust of America's first celebrity author, once Mark Twain's chief rival in American literature

In this first scholarly biography of Bret Harte in nearly seventy years, Axel Nissen sets out to reevaluate the life and literary career of the legendary chronicler of the California gold rush.

After his sensational breakthrough in the late 1860s, Harte came to symbolize the self-made literary man. He was a Midas of the pen and a literary prince of the Gilded Age. With "The Luck of Roaring Camp," "Tennessee's Partner," and "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" he reinvented the American short story and laid the foundations for the Western. In the age of mass-circulation newspapers he became America's first worldwide celebrity author. His stories were reprinted all over the globe, and his sayings and doings were reported in the press. His handsome face adorned newspaper columns, and his image was sold as an over-the-counter souvenir.

Based on extensive new sources, Nissen's biography gives a vivid account of Harte's tumultuous life from his birth in Albany, N.Y., in 1836 until his death in a sleepy English village in 1902. Exploring mysterious and previously unresearched areas, Nissen shines a bright light into the many dark corners of the life of this enigmatic nineteenth-century icon. Harte was the best-paid author of his day, but financial insolvency forced him into exile in Europe as a diplomat. For twenty years he lived in London, where he was the darling of the English aristocracy but remained apart from his wife and children. Nissen focuses on Harte's love-hate relationship with Mark Twain and examines the homoerotic element in his life and work. He also offers a satisfying account of why Harte became so famous in his own time and why in ours he has suffered a decline.

Harte aroused strong and conflicting feelings in those who knew him. William Dean Howells felt he was a blithe spirit who burned his candle at both ends. Mark Twain thought him "the most contemptible, poor little soulless blatherskite that exists on the planet today." Henry Adams considered Harte one of the most brilliant men of his time. To a reviewer of an early biography he was a "fugitive from home." To the bigot aware of Harte's mixed ethnic heritage he was a "Hebrew." To the average dresser he was a fop. To the pious he was a purveyor of "moral filth." To the reader of this innovative biography Harte comes alive both as a fascinating figure and an author ripe for revival.

Axel Nissen is an associate professor of American literature at the University of Oslo. In 1997 his doctoral thesis was awarded H.M. the King of Norway's Gold Medal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well-researched & highly readable:
Give this book as a gift to anyone interested in American literature orAmerican-European cultural exchange in the latter half of the nineteenthcentury, and treat yourself to a copy, too. It's an innovative biography,bringing characters to life in novelistic scenes, yet maintaining itsscholarly authority. Nissen has deliberately chosen a style that a wideaudience can enjoy. But he has also done his homework. Manuscripts relatedto Bret Harte are scattered throughout U.S. and European libraries, andNissen has performed the laborious task of piecing them together--includingmany sources previously unknown to Harte scholarship. Through the newresearch, BRET HARTE: PRINCE AND PAUPER offers, for instance, the mostprobing anaysis yet of Harte's close relationships with other men. In sum,the book is an illuminating, authoritative, moving portrait of a writer whoonce enjoyed the acclaim of both popular audiences and the literaryestablishment. See the author's comments linked to this site. Then read thebook.

An intriguing, moving, biographical study.
Bret Harte: Prince & Pauper is the first scholarly biography of theauthor to appear in nearly seventy years, and provides a new assessment ofthe life and achievements of the writer. New sources provide additionalinsights into Harte's life and times, bringing to life new truths about hisfinances and separation from family. An intriguing, moving study. ... Read more

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It was at this time that he became fascinated by another member of the party whose position had been too humble and unimportant to be included in the group already noted. Of the same appearance as the other teamsters in size, habits, and apparel, he had not at first exhibited to Clarence any claim to sympathy. But it appeared that he was actually a youth of only sixteen--a hopeless incorrigible of St. Joseph, whose parents had prevailed on Peyton to allow him to join the party, by way of removing him from evil associations and as a method of reform. ... Read more

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Subjects: American fiction -- 19th centuryNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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The prototype of the modern man of letters as a man of business, Harte epitomized the professional writer in America immediately after the Civil War. Nor was his career short-lived. His collected writings run to twenty-five volumes, and his tales were regularly translated into German, French, Italian, Swedish, Russian, and other languages. Part I of this volume lists first printings and many reprintings and translations of nearly 850 of Harte's poems, stories, and plays. It reconstructs his lecture tours and the performance schedules of several plays and lists texts falsely attributed to him. Part II lists a number of documentary sources, many of them new to Harte scholarship, including interviews, a selection of Harte obituaries, and archives that hold Harte manuscripts. ... Read more

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Subjects: American fiction -- 19th centuryNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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East and WestDickens in CampSalomy JaneThe Queen of the Pirate IsleIn a Hollow of the HillsBy Shore and SedgeA Ward of the Golden Gate ... Read more

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excerpt from the book...
The life of Bret Harte divides itself, without adventitious forcing,
into four quite distinct parts. First, we have the precocious boyhood,
with its eager response to the intellectual stimulation of cultured
parents; young Bret Harte assimilated Greek with amazing facility;
devoured voraciously the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Irving,
Froissart, Cervantes, Fielding; and, with creditable success, attempted
various forms of composition. Then, compelled by economic necessity, he
left school at thirteen, and for three years worked first in a lawyer's
office, and then in a merchant's counting house.
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