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The Library of the Lost: In Search of Forgotten Authors
Why did W.B. Yeats want a hair from the head of Aleister Crowley, and how did the artist Althea Gyles get it for him? What was the terrible lesson learned by scholar and demonologist the Reverend Montague Summers? Why was Sherlock Holmes reticent about his college years? Which unlikely chronicler of the decadents numbered among his friends Christine Keeler, Sir Oswald Mosely, Colin Wilson and an assortment of beat poets?
This volume is a tribute to Roger Dobson (1954-2013), who had a keen eye for the strangest outposts of literature. The twenty essays offered here demonstrate why the eminent Spanish novelist Javier Marias described Dobson as ‘a remarkable man’, recondite and bookish. Readers will encounter kings, priests, tragic poets, dandies, and forgotten authors whose rare works should be better known. Several pieces track Arthur Machen’s characters through the great mystery of London, rediscovering their lairs and lost haunts, and there are vivid studies of M.P. Shiel, Bulwer Lytton, George Gissing, Jocelyn Brooke and others. The collection will delight all connoisseurs of fantastic, supernatural and outré literature.
It collects essays by Roger Dobson from such publications as The Antiquarian Book Monthly Review, The Lost Club Journal, Strange Attractor and Faunus, as well including previously unpublished material. It has been edited by and has an Introduction from Mark Valentine, and there is a Foreword by Javier Marias.
This volume is a tribute to Roger Dobson (1954-2013), who had a keen eye for the strangest outposts of literature. The twenty essays offered here demonstrate why the eminent Spanish novelist Javier Marias described Dobson as ‘a remarkable man’, recondite and bookish. Readers will encounter kings, priests, tragic poets, dandies, and forgotten authors whose rare works should be better known. Several pieces track Arthur Machen’s characters through the great mystery of London, rediscovering their lairs and lost haunts, and there are vivid studies of M.P. Shiel, Bulwer Lytton, George Gissing, Jocelyn Brooke and others. The collection will delight all connoisseurs of fantastic, supernatural and outré literature.
It collects essays by Roger Dobson from such publications as The Antiquarian Book Monthly Review, The Lost Club Journal, Strange Attractor and Faunus, as well including previously unpublished material. It has been edited by and has an Introduction from Mark Valentine, and there is a Foreword by Javier Marias.
301 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 28, 2020
4.5
http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/20...
The Library of the Lost is a tribute to Roger Dobson, a writer whose devotion to literature seems to have known no bounds. It is composed of twenty of his essays that are all delightfully informative, covering a wide range of topics and people connected to literature of the past.
Mark Valentine says of Dobson in his Introduction (parts of which are also found in his earlier post after Dobson's death in Wormwoodiana ) that he was
"an author, journalist, actor, and bookman who loved to explore the stranger margins of literature and its most outré characters,"
a man "devoted to literature;" who was the "leading Machen scholar of his time," and "extremely well-read." Even if I had not read the introduction, I would have been able to guess immediately that Dobson was an "extremely well-read" man given the examples of his amazing knowledge shared over all twenty essays collected in Library of the Lost.
The book is filled with astute, articulate, clever and often humorous essays about a number of different literary figures, some of whom are familiar to most readers, including Montague Summers, "a Jekyll and Hyde in reverse," M.P Shiel, George Gissing, Dennis Wheatley, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and W.B. Yeats. While he doesn't get his own chapter here, Aleister Crowley features quite a bit, for example in "W.B. Yeats and The Golden Dawn," and in another essay about poet Althea Gyles, a "strange red-haired girl" who asked for and received advice on how not to become too "enmeshed" by him. Less familiar subjects to me (and okay, positively unknown in a few cases) are Brocard Sewell, Julian Maclaren-Ross, John Gawsworth, Wrenne Jarman and Jocelyn Brooke. There are also essays in which the focus is not a specific author, but writers from the past still manage to be found within these as well.
I haven't mentioned Arthur Machen, but he is, of course, most prominent throughout Library of the Lost. As just one example of many I could offer, there are a number of discussions about Machen's characters, for instance, Wilde's Dorian Gray as a possible inspiration for Lucian Taylor of Hill of Dreams, the literary ancestors of The Great God Pan's Helen Vaughan, and how Machen's own experiences and "lonely struggles in London" may reflect those of some of the people who inhabit his fictional worlds. It's all fascinating stuff, great food for thought, and perhaps most importantly for me, filled with signposts to follow in future reading.
As the blurb notes,
"This collection will delight all connoisseurs of fantastic, supernatural and outré literature."
I can't begin to say how very much I loved this collection, but the proof is really in the new books now in my home library and their shelf designated as "Dobson to-reads" after finishing it.
So very, very highly recommended.
http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/20...
The Library of the Lost is a tribute to Roger Dobson, a writer whose devotion to literature seems to have known no bounds. It is composed of twenty of his essays that are all delightfully informative, covering a wide range of topics and people connected to literature of the past.
Mark Valentine says of Dobson in his Introduction (parts of which are also found in his earlier post after Dobson's death in Wormwoodiana ) that he was
"an author, journalist, actor, and bookman who loved to explore the stranger margins of literature and its most outré characters,"
a man "devoted to literature;" who was the "leading Machen scholar of his time," and "extremely well-read." Even if I had not read the introduction, I would have been able to guess immediately that Dobson was an "extremely well-read" man given the examples of his amazing knowledge shared over all twenty essays collected in Library of the Lost.
The book is filled with astute, articulate, clever and often humorous essays about a number of different literary figures, some of whom are familiar to most readers, including Montague Summers, "a Jekyll and Hyde in reverse," M.P Shiel, George Gissing, Dennis Wheatley, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and W.B. Yeats. While he doesn't get his own chapter here, Aleister Crowley features quite a bit, for example in "W.B. Yeats and The Golden Dawn," and in another essay about poet Althea Gyles, a "strange red-haired girl" who asked for and received advice on how not to become too "enmeshed" by him. Less familiar subjects to me (and okay, positively unknown in a few cases) are Brocard Sewell, Julian Maclaren-Ross, John Gawsworth, Wrenne Jarman and Jocelyn Brooke. There are also essays in which the focus is not a specific author, but writers from the past still manage to be found within these as well.
I haven't mentioned Arthur Machen, but he is, of course, most prominent throughout Library of the Lost. As just one example of many I could offer, there are a number of discussions about Machen's characters, for instance, Wilde's Dorian Gray as a possible inspiration for Lucian Taylor of Hill of Dreams, the literary ancestors of The Great God Pan's Helen Vaughan, and how Machen's own experiences and "lonely struggles in London" may reflect those of some of the people who inhabit his fictional worlds. It's all fascinating stuff, great food for thought, and perhaps most importantly for me, filled with signposts to follow in future reading.
As the blurb notes,
"This collection will delight all connoisseurs of fantastic, supernatural and outré literature."
I can't begin to say how very much I loved this collection, but the proof is really in the new books now in my home library and their shelf designated as "Dobson to-reads" after finishing it.
So very, very highly recommended.
July 28, 2019
Library of the Lost collects 20 literary essays by scholar and bookman Roger Dobson, a delightful collection that celebrates the lives and literature of “lost” or forgotten authors. It is a delight to read about the sinister life of the eerie clergyman Montague Summers or Dobson’s many musings on the works and life of Arthur Machen to M.P. Shiel’s strange life or how the title of King of Redonda went from him to bookman John Gawsworth. I particularly enjoyed reading the tribute to Father Brocard Sewell, scholar, theologian, biographer, editor, printer and a “great advocate for minor literary figures”, it always fascinates me to read of people who dedicated their lives to literature.
Roger Dobson’s prose is erudite and incredibly witty, bringing his own enthusiasm for the subject matter to the reader, making it a rare treat to read about these authors and their works, when often their lives were as interesting as the works they produced. This nice paperback edition comes with a wonderful introduction by Dobson’s long-time friend Mark Valentine, who shares some of his stories about Dobson, a man who truly lived and breathed literature. It’s delightful to read about those who delve into the hidden corners of literature and brings back treats like this; strange volumes and strange lives to be studied and enjoyed again. This was a fascinating and wonderful book, highly recommended for readers of Wormwood and literary history and critique.
Roger Dobson’s prose is erudite and incredibly witty, bringing his own enthusiasm for the subject matter to the reader, making it a rare treat to read about these authors and their works, when often their lives were as interesting as the works they produced. This nice paperback edition comes with a wonderful introduction by Dobson’s long-time friend Mark Valentine, who shares some of his stories about Dobson, a man who truly lived and breathed literature. It’s delightful to read about those who delve into the hidden corners of literature and brings back treats like this; strange volumes and strange lives to be studied and enjoyed again. This was a fascinating and wonderful book, highly recommended for readers of Wormwood and literary history and critique.
August 2, 2015
Tartarus Press is an award winning publisher of supernatural/strange fiction by the likes of Arthur Machen, Robert Aickman, Reggie Oliver. This book, however, is a collection of previously published essays by Roger Dobson. Roger Alan Dobson (1954–2013) was a British author, journalist, editor and literary researcher.
Rober Dobson was sort of an independent scholar on Arthur Machen--arguably the premier Machen scholar in the 1980s.
The essays are mostly about literary figures and some literary criticism. My interest in the essays varied, most likely due to personal tastes. In "Sherlock Holmes: The Last Mystery" Dobson considered the question concerning Sherlock Holmes' education. Some argue that Holmes graduated from Oxford, others say Cambridge. Dobson argues for a third alternative. Others might find this essay more interesting than I did.
"Terror By Night: The Sleeping Partner" is an essay about the author's experience with sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person, either falling asleep or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak, or react. It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (such as an intruder in the room) to which one is unable to react due to paralysis, and physical experiences (such as strong current running through the upper body). Fascinating essay. It reads like a fiction piece written by a master of the weird tale.
In the essay "Black Magic and the Beast: Episodes in the Life of the 'Strange Red Head Girl', Althea Gyles" relates this incident in the conflict between W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley:
Worried by being enmeshed by Crowley, Althea went to Yeats to ask if he could help her. ‘Bring me a drop of his blood and I will exorcise it,’ he said. Althea explained that this might prove difficult. ‘In that case,’ Yeats said, ‘bring me a hair of his head.’ If this were not possible, an object from his rooms would be necessary.....Althea had retained the hair from the Beast’s head, and she took it to Yeats, who then ‘cast the requisite spells and exorcisms’. That night Crowley discovered a vampire in his bed: all night long she bit and tore at him. According to the article this went on for nine nights, with Crowley’s sorcery proving ineffective against the entity. He consulted a fellow magician—not named, but doubtless his mentor Allan Bennett, Brother Iehi Aour (Let there be light), who was staying with him. Crowley was given instructions on how to deal with the fiend. ‘On the tenth night, as the vampire appeared, Crowley seized her by the throat and squeezed with all his strength. Just as the magician had predicted, the vampire groaned and disappeared.’
The book contains essays on Monatgue Summers, M.P. Shiel, Arthur Machen, Althe Gyles, Brocard Sewell, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Wrenne Jarman, George Gissing, Joceyln Brooke, Dennis Wheatley.
I never met Roger Dobson but the impression I get of him is that he valued reading and friendship. Friends remember him fondly.
Rober Dobson was sort of an independent scholar on Arthur Machen--arguably the premier Machen scholar in the 1980s.
The essays are mostly about literary figures and some literary criticism. My interest in the essays varied, most likely due to personal tastes. In "Sherlock Holmes: The Last Mystery" Dobson considered the question concerning Sherlock Holmes' education. Some argue that Holmes graduated from Oxford, others say Cambridge. Dobson argues for a third alternative. Others might find this essay more interesting than I did.
"Terror By Night: The Sleeping Partner" is an essay about the author's experience with sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person, either falling asleep or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak, or react. It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (such as an intruder in the room) to which one is unable to react due to paralysis, and physical experiences (such as strong current running through the upper body). Fascinating essay. It reads like a fiction piece written by a master of the weird tale.
In the essay "Black Magic and the Beast: Episodes in the Life of the 'Strange Red Head Girl', Althea Gyles" relates this incident in the conflict between W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley:
Worried by being enmeshed by Crowley, Althea went to Yeats to ask if he could help her. ‘Bring me a drop of his blood and I will exorcise it,’ he said. Althea explained that this might prove difficult. ‘In that case,’ Yeats said, ‘bring me a hair of his head.’ If this were not possible, an object from his rooms would be necessary.....Althea had retained the hair from the Beast’s head, and she took it to Yeats, who then ‘cast the requisite spells and exorcisms’. That night Crowley discovered a vampire in his bed: all night long she bit and tore at him. According to the article this went on for nine nights, with Crowley’s sorcery proving ineffective against the entity. He consulted a fellow magician—not named, but doubtless his mentor Allan Bennett, Brother Iehi Aour (Let there be light), who was staying with him. Crowley was given instructions on how to deal with the fiend. ‘On the tenth night, as the vampire appeared, Crowley seized her by the throat and squeezed with all his strength. Just as the magician had predicted, the vampire groaned and disappeared.’
The book contains essays on Monatgue Summers, M.P. Shiel, Arthur Machen, Althe Gyles, Brocard Sewell, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Wrenne Jarman, George Gissing, Joceyln Brooke, Dennis Wheatley.
I never met Roger Dobson but the impression I get of him is that he valued reading and friendship. Friends remember him fondly.
December 22, 2023
This is a collection of essays that pay tribute to Roger Dobson, a writer whose devotion to literature seems to have known no bounds. They are all informative, some for die-hard fans of weird fiction, but most will appeal to all. They cover a wide range of topics and people connected to literature of the past.
I read it to pick up recommendations, and came away with plenty.
I read it to pick up recommendations, and came away with plenty.
September 7, 2025
A fascinating combination of boring, pretentious, and written to recommend terrible books. I should have just read some Machen instead.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews