 1940 dustjacket | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Ward Lock & Co [1] |
Publication date | 1923 [1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 312 [1] |
| Preceded by | Anthony Lyveden |
Valerie French is a 1923 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), a sequel to Anthony Lyveden . It was first published in monthly instalments in The Windsor Magazine . [2]
Anthony Lyveden loses his memory, and confuses the two women who love him, Valerie French and André Strongi’th’arm.
After completing Anthony Lyveden , the chance reading of an article in The Spectator convinced Mercer that his writing needed more gravitas, and he significantly altered his style for this volume to incorporate the systematic use of the colon. He also introduced a device that became his trademark – the words 'More' or 'Worse' standing alone between periods. [3] His biographer AJ Smithers commented, "Whether or not this was an improvement on his old style must be a matter of opinion." [4]
| Chapter | Book Title | Windsor Title | Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A Pillar Of Salt | A Pillar Of Salt | December 1922 | LVII | 336 | 3-16 | Norah Schlegel |
| II | Leviathan | Rogues And Vagabonds | January 1923 | LVII | 337 | 130-142 | Norah Schlegel |
| III | Figs Of Thistles | Figs Of Thistles | February 1923 | LVII | 338 | 248-260 | Norah Schlegel |
| IV | Blind Alley | Blind Alley | March 1923 | LVII | 339 | 372-386 | Norah Schlegel |
| V | Fallacy Row | Fallacy Row | April 1923 | LVII | 340 | 483-494 | Norah Schlegel |
| VI | Poor Players | Poor Players | May 1923 | LVII | 341 | 603-614 | Norah Schlegel |
| VII | The Sieve Of Vanity | The Sieve Of Vanity | June 1923 | LVIII | 342 | 17-30 | Norah Schlegel |
| VIII | Straight Street | Straight Street | July 1923 | LVIII | 343 | 141-154 | Norah Schlegel |
| IX | The Swine's Snout | The Swine's Snout | August 1923 | LVIII | 344 | 261-275 | Norah Schlegel |
| X | Until The Day Break | Until The Day Break | September 1923 | LVIII | 345 | 405-419 | Norah Schlegel |
The illustrations from the Windsor stories by Norah Schlegel (1879-1963) were not included in the book version.
The editor of The Windsor Magazine reluctantly agreed to accept the book for publication. [5] Smithers, writing in 1982, was not enthusiastic either, commenting that the seams show too clearly where the individual episodes have been padded out to the required length by moralising. [5] He found both Lyveden and Miss French to be austere characters to whom it is impossible to warm, and felt that Mercer preferred the dog in his story to any of his human characters – and that he was probably right. [6]
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 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.'
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.
The Berry Scene is a 1947 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
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.
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.
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.
Summer Fruit is a 1929 omnibus volume by the English author Dornford Yates containing the two novels Anthony Lyveden (1921) and Valerie French (1923).
It was published by Minton, Balch & Company of New York. No similar omnibus volume was published in the UK.
Period Stuff is a collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates. Some were written in 1939 but not published in book form until 1942. Some of the tales had originally appeared in The Windsor Magazine and others in The Strand Magazine.