There is a book collector who owns a store called Heirloom Art & Co. He is doing firesides about books once a month and I am starting to go. These are my notes from tonight’s presentation of From Shakespeare to Harry Potter: 400 Years of English Literature.
The presenter went to the home of The Bronte sisters who wrote weathering Heights and Jane Eyre. He saw a mirror (or may had been engraved in the glass of window) that had a part of a letter from one of the sisters. In a paragraph of the letter, she talked about how she missed her sister after her death. In the paragraph and talked about the beauty of nature, and how the two sisters used to enjoy spending time together.
The presenter has a copy of one of two first volumes of Harry Potter that is signed by a seven-year-old boy named Daniel Ratcliff (actor of Harry Potter.) As a boy, he who wrote the book that he was going to be Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was originally rejected by 12 publishers so when JK tried the 13th time she changed her name and put her first name as a middle initial and I believe her grandmother’s name as a first name thus making it JK Rawlings
Shakespeare lost both parents and was put under the management of a Catholic priest.
Shakespeare fell in love at the age of 18 but his guardian said he could not marry until he was 21. Shakespeare agreed and waited an additional three years until 21. At 21 he went over to the woman’s house and proposed. When he felt love originally in 18 his wife is 26. They had three kids.
In 1623 was when the first volume of the complete works of Shakespeare was printed. About 7 years after his death. There were only four times that a complete collection Shakespeare plays were printed after his death in the 1600s. And these are called the four folios. There were about 250 volumes printed at each printing. The rarest of the four folios is the third edition, because the great fire of London destroyed most copies.
At age 54 before his death Shakespeare penned a curse to be put on his tombstone. Part of the curse referenced those that might move his bones.
Shakespeare is known to have created 3000 original words. Some of those words were goose chase and bedazzled. He was also known to do a number of humorous insults.
Shakespeare was influenced by William Tyndale’s. Tyndale’s helped translate the first Bible into English. Tyndale’s bible was used by Shakespeare in many of his quotes in his plays. One of the words that Tyndale’s had to create was the word ‘atonement’ which meant (at one). Shakespeare also used the word ‘atonement’ in his play. There was an average of 50 to 100 quotes of the Bible in each Shakespeare’s plays.
The Presenter found a copy of Handel’s Messiah printed into metal plates it cost him about $100 bucks.
Doyle’s first book of A Study in Scarlet, references Mormons. Doyle’s reference material of Mormons was from a book an anti-Mormon who left the church. She wrote a book: An English woman in Utah. There are four things that were often said about the United States from British citizens. Niagara Falls, the bad manners of United States citizens, Chicago meat factories and Mormons.
From Charles Dickens personal library is a book of sonnets by Tuford. (Tuford was the lawmaker that worked on the first author’s copyright law to protect author’s material; otherwise, other people stole their material and they got no income from.
A Christmas Carol sold out the first day of publication. The book the Pickwick papers was dedicated to Tuford.
Dickens confessed to a friend named Smith that he worried that he wouldn’t sell his books. His memoir is his book, David Copperfield.
J.R.R. Tolkien was born in South Africa lost both parents by the age of 10. Tolkien and CS Lewis were both in the writing group inklings
CS Lewis was born in Ireland and lost his mother and his father was a drunkard. He used to be picked on a lot at school. Upon meeting his mentor CS talk about how while the place wasn’t his move to and his mentor says how can you say that? When the boy could not answer his mentor told him to say anything unless you can back it up.
Bought a copy of the Screw tape letters bought it for about $120 and sold it for $3500 below the bidding price.
Do you know an interesting tidbit about any of these people? Please feel free to share in the comment section of this blog.
