And Berry Came Too

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And Berry Came Too
And Berry Came Too, Yates, 1936.jpg
1936 first edition cover
Author Dornford Yates
SeriesBerry books
GenreComic novel
Publisher Ward Lock & Co [1]
Publication date
1936 [1]
Media typePrint
Pages320 [1]
Preceded by Adèle and Co.  
Followed by The House That Berry Built  

And Berry Came Too is a 1936 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.

Contents

Plot

The book consists of eight short stories, mostly set in Hampshire. According to an introductory note by the author, the action of the book may be presumed to have taken place during the summer between the events of chapters 1 and 2 of Berry and Co. , [2] ie some 16 years earlier. In addition to the regular "Berry & Co" characters this book also features the family's two-year-old Alsatian "The Knave", and a visiting American, Perdita Boyte.

Background

All of the stories in And Berry Came Too had originally appeared in The Windsor Magazine between May and December 1935. They were written while Mercer was settled at Pau with his second wife, Elizabeth (whom he thought of as 'Jill', and to whom the book was dedicated). [3]

Chapters

ChapterBook TitleWindsor TitleDateVolumeIssuePagesIllustrator
IHow The Knave set out for Cock Feathers, and Berry made an acquaintance he did not desireEnter The KnaveMay 1935LXXXI485715-734E G Oakdale
IIHow Berry perceived the obvious, and Daphne and I put spokes in each other's wheelsPeriod StuffJune 1935LXXXII48634-49E G Oakdale
IIIHow Berry prophesied evil, and The Knave purged his contemptThe Law And The ProphetJuly 1935LXXXII487173-183E G Oakdale
IVHow Daphne was given a present, and Jonah took off his coatBlack MagicAugust 1935LXXXII488274-288E G Oakdale
VHow Perdita bought a staircase, and Berry put on a raiment that was not hisA Roman HolidaySeptember 1935LXXXII489423-438E G Oakdale
VIHow Berry met his match, and a mule lay down with The KnaveSpade WorkOctober 1935LXXXII490649-665E G Oakdale
VIIHow Jill enjoyed herself, and Len and Winnie were made to waste valuable timeBig BusinessNovember 1935LXXXII491775-791E G Oakdale
VIIIHow Perdita left White Ladies, and Berry sat down with a lady who knew no lawLady FriendsDecember 1935LXXXIII49241-54E G Oakdale

Four of the stories were serialised in Woman's Home Companion during 1935, illustrated by Frederick Chapman - chapter 1 in March, chapter 2 in May, chapter 4 in July and chapter 5 in September, under the same titles as The Windsor.

Illustrations

The illustrations from the Windsor stories by E G Oakdale were not included in the book version.

Critical reception

Punch reviewed the book on 29 January 1936. The reviewer welcomed the return of Berry after an absence of five years and suggested that the publication would be met with "a loud and general cheer". There was, however, some criticism of the author's "curious blind spot" in his portrayal of women, and in particular the way in which the narrator, Boy, maintains a commentary on the beauty, sweetness and virtue of the female characters, and the way in which he enthusiastically and repeatedly likens his girlfriend to a child. AJ Smithers in his 1982 biography considered this criticism to be 'entirely fair'. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dornford Yates</span> English writer and novelist (1885–1960)

Cecil William Mercer, known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous, some thrillers, were best-sellers during the Interwar Period.

<i>The House That Berry Built</i> 1945 novel by Dornford Yates

The House That Berry Built is a 1945 humorous semi-autobiographical novel by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters. It is a lightly fictionalised recounting of the construction of the author's house Cockade in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.

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<i>Berry and Co.</i> 1921 short story collection by Dornford Yates

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<i>Jonah and Co.</i> 1922 short story collection by Dornford Yates

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<i>Adèle and Co.</i> 1931 novel by Dornford Yates

Adèle and Co. is a 1931 comic novel by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters. This was Yates's first full-length Berry novel, following several earlier Berry short story collections. It was the first Berry book to be published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton, and the first not to be serialised in The Windsor Magazine.

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<i>As Berry and I Were Saying</i> 1952 fictionalised memoirs of Dornford Yates

As Berry and I Were Saying is the first volume of fictionalised memoirs of the English author Dornford Yates, published in 1952 and featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters - Berry, Daphne, Boy and Jill. A second volume, B-Berry and I Look Back, was published in 1958.

<i>B-Berry and I Look Back</i> 1958 fictionalised memoirs of Dornford Yates

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<i>Blind Corner</i> (novel) 1927 adventure novel by Dornford Yates

Blind Corner is a 1927 novel by the English author Dornford Yates. The book was the first in his Chandos thriller series and is narrated in the first person by Richard Chandos. In addition to Chandos and his servant Bell, the novel features a cast of characters who recur in many of the later books: George Hanbury and Jonathan Mansel; their respective servants Rowley and Carson; and Tester the Sealyham terrier. Mansel's character also appears as Jonah Mansel in the author's 'Berry' series of comic books and short stories, though he is not written for comic effect in this nor the later 'Chandos' books.

<i>Perishable Goods</i> 1928 novel by Dornford Yates

Perishable Goods is a 1928 novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the second in his Chandos thriller series and a sequel to Blind Corner. The story features the recurrent characters Richard Chandos (narrator), Jonathan Mansel and George Hanbury, with their respective servants Bell, Carson and Rowley.

<i>Blood Royal</i> 1929 adventure novel by Dornford Yates

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<i>Anthony Lyveden</i> 1921 adventure novel by Dornford Yates

Anthony Lyveden is a 1921 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates. It was first published in monthly instalments in The Windsor Magazine. The book was Mercer's first attempt at a full-length novel, and was succeeded by Valerie French which continued the story of the main characters.

<i>Valerie French</i> (novel) 1923 adventure novel by Dornford Yates

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<i>As Other Men Are</i> 1925 short story collection by Dornford Yates

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<i>Maiden Stakes</i> 1928 short story collection by Dornford Yates

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "British Library Item details". primocat.bl.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. Yates, Dornford (1936). And Berry Came Too. Ward Lock & Co. Note before chapter 1.
  3. Smithers 1982, pp. 158, 167.
  4. Smithers 1982, pp. 167–168.

Bibliography