 1942 Ward Lock reprint | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Series | Berry books |
| Genre | Short stories |
| Publisher | Ward Lock & Co [1] |
Publication date | 1920 [1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 320 [1] |
| Preceded by | The Brother of Daphne |
| Followed by | Berry and Co. |
The Courts of Idleness is a 1920 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), his second book. Half of the tales feature his 'Berry' characters.
The book includes two main collections of short stories: “Book I: How Some Passed Out of The Courts for Ever” which consists mainly of pre-war frivolities, and “Book II: How Others Left the Courts Only to return” which relates post-war tales. Dividing the groups is a single-story “Interlude”.
The first story of Book I has the characters in London, after which they proceed to the island of Rih (a thinly-disguised Madeira). [2] The final story concludes with the sudden end of the male characters, now serving in the Great War, who hear a sound which some interpret as a ship's siren and others as the sound of a heavy gun. A moment later, all are killed in the crater of a great shell.
The Interlude features a unique set of characters, initially in Scotland on the opening day of the Great War, and subsequently on the Western Front.
The stories of Book II return to the entirely different 'Berry' set of characters from The Brother of Daphne collection, with the addition of Adèle Feste, an American. The first two stories of this Book immediately follow those of the earlier collection. Next come three stories set at the end of the war in which the Berry & Co. characters meet in Egypt and, joined by Adèle, travel home via Rome. The volume closes with a final story, "Nemesis”, in which Berry and Boy are back in London.
The stories of Book I were published monthly in The Windsor Magazine in 1914 and 1915, with the final story (which concludes during the War on the Macedonian front, where Mercer himself served) being published in June 1919. [3]
The first two stories of Book II were published in the Windsor in August and September 1914, the remaining four not appearing until 1919. The latter are partly set in Egypt, where Mercer had also served. The final story, "Nemesis", was originally intended for Punch and is shorter than the normal Windsor stories. In the Windsor version the protagonist is named Jeremy, but for the book this was changed to Berry. [4]
After being released from war service and returning home, Mercer decided not to return to his pre-war work at the bar, but to concentrate on writing. [5]
| Chapter | Title | Windsor Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | What's In A Name ? | December 1914 | XLI | 240 | 149-158 | G C Wilmshurst |
| II | A Sister Ship | January 1915 | XLI | 241 | 250-258 | G C Wilmshurst |
| III | To Seat Four | February 1915 | XLI | 242 | 389-398 | G C Wilmshurst |
| IV | Love Thirty | March 1915 | XLI | 243 | 510-518 | G C Wilmshurst |
| V | For Better Or For Worse | June 1919 | L | 294 | 17-26 | Norah Schlegel |
| Chapter | Title | Windsor Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| And The Other Left | November 1914 | XL | 239 | 661-671 | Charles J Crombie |
| Chapter | Title | Windsor Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A Bébé In Arms | August 1914 | XL | 236 | 321-327 | G C Wilmshurst |
| II | Contempt Of Court | September 1914 | XL | 237 | 429-436 | G C Wilmshurst |
| III | Beauty Repeats Itself | July 1919 | L | 295 | 97-107 | Norah Schlegel |
| IV | The Desert Air | August 1919 | L | 296 | 181-192 | Norah Schlegel |
| V | As Rome Does | September 1919 | L | 297 | 275-284 | Norah Schlegel |
| VI | Nemesis | November 1919 | L | 299 | 483-486 | Howard K Elcock |
The illustrations from The Windsor stories were not included in the book version, although one of the illustrations by Norah Schlegel (1879-1963) from "For Better Or For Worse" was used to illustrate the dustjacket of the first edition.
The review in the September 1920 edition of Punch was much less enthusiastic than that for the author's first collection, The Brother of Daphne : [6] "The main object of the characters in The Courts of Idleness (Ward, Lock) was to amuse themselves, and as their sprightly conversations were often punctuated by laughter I take it that they succeeded. To give Mr Dornford Yates his due he is expert in light banter; but some three hundred pages of such entertainment tend to create a sense of surfeit." [7] The reviewer ended on a more positive note, saying "Mr Yates can be strongly recommended to anyone who thinks that the British take themselves too seriously", [7] a quotation that Ward Lock used on the rear covers of many of the author's later volumes.
Dornford Yates was the pseudonym of the English novelist Cecil William Mercer, whose novels and short stories, some humorous, some thrillers, were best-sellers in the period between the First and Second World Wars.
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'.
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'.
Jonah and Co. is a 1922 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
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.
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. It was his 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.
And Five Were Foolish is a 1924 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, first published in The Windsor Magazine.
As Other Men Are is a 1925 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, first published in The Windsor Magazine.
Maiden Stakes is a 1928 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, first published in The Windsor Magazine.
The Stolen March is a 1926 fantasy novel by the English author Dornford Yates, first serialised in The Windsor Magazine.
This Publican is a 1938 novel by the English author Dornford Yates.
It was first serialised in Woman's Journal.
It was published in the US under the title The Devil in Satin.