 1943 printing | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Series | Berry books |
| Genre | Short stories |
| Publisher | Ward Lock & Co [1] |
Publication date | 1922 [1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 320 [1] |
| Preceded by | Berry and Co. |
| Followed by | Adèle and Co. |
Jonah and Co. is a 1922 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
Berry, Daphne, Jonah, Jill, Boy and Adèle (with Nobby the Sealyham) travel by road through France to winter in Pau. While staying there they venture into northern Spain.
Boy and Adèle are newly married. Jill meets her future husband, Piers, Duke of Padua.
This was a happy period in Mercer's life; he had acquired a villa in Pau in South-west France, and his characters followed him there. It became the Mercer family's permanent home in 1922 after the book was published. [2]
All of the stories in Jonah and Co. had originally appeared in The Windsor Magazine between October 1921 and September 1922, [2] although the original editions of the book (until c. 1925) included a Prologue and Epilogue that had not been included in the magazine. [3] These were subsequently reprinted in The Best of Berry (Dent's Classic Thrillers, 1989) as The Gypsy's Warning and The Fairy Child respectively.
| Chapter | Book Title | Windsor Title | Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | |||||||
| I | How Berry stepped into the breach, and Jonah came first and was served | The Rule Of The Road | October 1921 | LIV | 322 | 449-460 | Norah Schlegel |
| II | How three wagers were made, and Adèle killed two birds with one stone | A Run For Our Money | November 1921 | LIV | 323 | 551-562 | Norah Schlegel |
| III | How a Golden Calf was set up, and Nobby showed himself a true prophet | By Order Of The Trustees | December 1921 | LV | 324 | 3-14 | Norah Schlegel |
| IV | How Berry made an engagement, Jill a picture, and Adèle a slip of some importance | A Snare And A Delusion | January 1922 | LV | 325 | 105-116 | Norah Schlegel |
| V | How love came to Jill, Herbert to the rescue, and a young man by his right | Nobility And Gentry | February 1922 | LV | 326 | 215-227 | Norah Schlegel |
| VI | How Berry ran contraband goods, and the Duke of Padua plighted Jill his troth | Manners And Customs | March 1922 | LV | 327 | 331-345 | Norah Schlegel |
| VII | How Daphne lost her bedfellow, and the line of least resistance proved irresistible | A Royal Progress | April 1922 | LV | 328 | 447-458 | Norah Schlegel |
| VIII | How Adèle bought a bottle of perfume which had no smell, and I cut Eulalie dead | Red Violets | May 1922 | LV | 329 | 561-572 | Norah Schlegel |
| IX | How Jonah took off his coat, and Berry flirted with Fortune for all he was worth | Zero | June 1922 | LVI | 330 | 3-15 | Norah Schlegel |
| X | How Berry sought comfort in van, and Nobby slept upon a Queen's bed | No Thoroughfare | July 1922 | LVI | 331 | 113-125 | Norah Schlegel |
| XI | How Berry put off his manhood, and Adèle showed a fair pair of heels | A Tight Place | August 1922 | LVI | 332 | 229-241 | Norah Schlegel |
| XII | How a telegram came for Jill, Piers demanded his sweetheart, and I drove after my wife | Journeys End | September 1922 | LVI | 333 | 345-357 | Norah Schlegel |
| Epilogue | |||||||
The illustrations from the Windsor stories by Norah Schlegel (1879-1963) were not included in the book version.
Jonah and Co. was as commercially successful as Berry and Co. had been. [4] In his 1982 biography of the author, AJ Smithers considered that Berry remains dauntlessly funny, and at the top of his form: "A merry journey over the long roads of France ... and all written with the freshness of one who was discovering these things for the first time." [2]
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.
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.
The Brother of Daphne is a 1914 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, the first book published under the pen name he had been using for magazine pieces since 1910. This was also the first book to feature the group of characters that featured in many of his future works: Bertram ('Berry') Pleydell, his wife and cousin Daphne Pleydell, Daphne's brother Boy Pleydell, another cousin Jonathan ('Jonah') Mansel, and Jonah's younger sister Jill Mansel. The group of five - Berry, Daphne, Boy, Jonah and Jill - later came to be known collectively as 'Berry and Co'.
The Courts of Idleness is a 1920 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, his second book. Half of the tales feature his 'Berry' characters.
Berry and Co. is a 1921 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, his third book, featuring his recurring characters Bertram ('Berry') Pleydell, his wife and cousin Daphne Pleydell, Daphne's brother Boy Pleydell, another cousin Jonathan ('Jonah') Mansel, and Jonah's younger sister Jill Mansel. The group of five - Berry, Daphne, Boy, Jonah and Jill - are collectively 'Berry and Co.'
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 not to be serialised in The Windsor Magazine.
And Berry Came Too is a 1936 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
The Berry Scene is a 1947 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
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.
B-Berry and I Look Back is the second volume of fictionalised memoirs of the English author Dornford Yates, published in 1958 and featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters - Berry, Daphne, Boy, Jill and Jonah. The first volume, As Berry and I Were Saying, had been published in 1952. B-Berry and I Look Back was Yates's last book.
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.
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.
Blood Royal is a 1929 novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the third in his Chandos thriller series. The story features the recurrent characters Richard Chandos (narrator) and George Hanbury, with their servants Bell and Rowley. Jonathan Mansel does not appear in this book.
Fire Below is a 1930 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the fourth in his Chandos thriller series and a sequel to Blood Royal. The book was published in the US under the title By Royal Command.
Red in the Morning is a 1946 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the seventh in his 'Chandos' thriller series. The events of the story immediately follow those of his 1939 novel Gale Warning in which Richard Chandos and Jonathan Mansel appear as characters. The book was published in the US under the title Were Death Denied.
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.
Valerie French is a 1923 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, a sequel to Anthony Lyveden. It was first published in monthly instalments in The Windsor Magazine.
Maiden Stakes is a 1928 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates originally written for The Windsor Magazine.
The Stolen March is a 1926 fantasy novel by the English author Dornford Yates, first serialised in The Windsor Magazine.