The Remarkable History of Sir Thomas Upmore, Bart., M.P., Known as Tommy Upmore:

by R.D. Blackmore

This book humorously chronicles the life of Tommy Upmore, a boy whose strange ability to levitate made him a sensation in the 1800s. Throughout his childhood and into adulthood, Tommy endures the relentless curiosity and prodding of a team of eccentric scientists from London determined to understand what makes him defy gravity. The author sets these events against the backdrop of contemporary social and intellectual movements to provide a timeless exploration of scientific inquiry, the nature of celebrity, and the search for personal identity amidst extraordinary circumstances. Ultimately, the book posits that even ordinary lives can offer insights into the complexities of the human condition.

Genres: British Literature

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1884

About the author

Richard Doddridge Blackmore, referred to most commonly as R.D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works.[1] Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.

Blackmore, a popular novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century, often referred to as the "Last Victorian", acted as pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others. He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Blackmore has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred."

Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been altogether ignored, and his entire body of work, save for his magnum opus Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable popularity since its being published, has gone out of publication. Thus his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his favourite.