The Inauguration Bible

When Barack Obama makes history, he will be using the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used on March 4, 1861.

It was not the family Bible, because the Lincoln family possessions were still packed up and en route to Washington from Illinois, but one that was specially purchased on the eve of the inauguration by the Clerk of the Supreme Court.

And it wasn't even new, having been published by the Oxford University Press in 1853.

A handsome volume, it is bound in burgundy velvet and edged heavily in gilt. The two covers are both protected on three sides by a narrow metal edge, which accounts for what is described as its "tolerably good condition" now. Held at the Library of Congress, it even has provenance -- a handwritten testimonial by the Clerk who bought it.

Keyboard or Quill?

The Washington Post features a charming study by Joseph J. Ellis (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Fathers, the Revolutionary Generation, pictured). It is called The Writing Life, and sub-titled "Why the pen is mightier than the laptop."


I know several authors who swear by the pen. They write their manuscripts in longhand, and Mr. Ellis, it seems, is of the same mind. People, he says, call him old-fashioned, even anachronistic, and strongly recommend that he dump his beloved pens in favor of a laptop.


The spirit is willing, or so he says, but habit prevails. It begins with taking notes in writing as he goes through his research material -- something which no research assistant can do, as there is not a research assistant alive who can pick out the little gems from the mass of manuscript -- the little golden nuggets that are going to breathe vigor into the final book.



That is usual enough. I know from my own experience that there are not many people a historian can trust to find exactly the apt little tidbits needed. But Joseph Ellis then settles down to write the first draft of his manuscript by hand.


The "symmetry between the muscular movement of my hand and the flow of ideas in my head," he says, would be "destroyed by a keyboard," which, poetically he adds, "becomes an alien intruder in the dialogue within myself."


H'm. Does he finish up with scratched-out scribbles, pages torn and pasted in a different order? He doesn't say, but that would be the inevitable state of anything I tried to write by hand. And I would be forced to use a pencil. With an eraser on the end.

So I have to confess it: from the very first word of the very first draft, I am wedded to the computer. The keyboard functions as a smooth conduit between what passes as my brain and the unfolding story, and more often than not as I consult my own research notes my awkward writing baffles me and makes me angry. I abbreviate at whim, and half the time I can't decipher the result. I know without a shade of doubt that if I tried to write the draft, everything would be in the wrong order, and I wouldn't be able to cut and paste to set things right and make the damn thing flow. The keyboard is so much easier.


But then, I was taught to type properly, at the right age, which I believe is a huge advantage. I can touch type, which I notice very few people can do. It always amazes me that in this computer-driven age children and teenagers are not taught to type. Surely it should be a skill as basic as learning to write by hand?

The privateer barons of old New York

Defying Empire: Trading with the Enemy in Colonial New York uncovers the story of New York City merchants engaged in a forbidden trade with the enemy before and during the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War).

Ignoring British prohibitions designed to end North America's wartime trade with the French, New York's merchant elite conducted a thriving business in the French West Indies, insisting that their behavior was protected by long practice and British commercial law. But the government in London viewed it as treachery, and its subsequent efforts to discipline North American commerce inflamed the colonists.

Through fast-moving events and unforgettable characters, historian Thomas M. Truxes brings eighteenth-century New York and the Atlantic world to life. There are spies, street riots, exotic settings, informers, courtroom dramas, interdictions on the high seas, ruthless businessmen, political intrigues, and more.

The author traces each phase of the city's trade with the enemy and details the frustrations that affected both British officials and independent-minded New Yorkers. The first book to focus on New York City during the Seven Years' War, Defying Empire reveals the important role the city played in hastening the colonies' march toward revolution.

American Indians discovered Europe first?

Raising controversy already is Jack D. Forbes's The American Discovery of Europe, which speculates about Native American crossings of the Atlantic before the time of the great European discovery of the Americas: in effect, he says that Native Americans toured Europe before the time of Columbus.

The aboriginals of the Caribbean, it seems, were the Polynesians of America. Sophisticated boat-builders and mariners, they had the benefit of favorable winds and currents.

In the Middle Ages, there were rumors of "redmen" in Portugal.

Columbus himself noted Indian-like men in canoes off the German coast in 1410.

Inuit harpoon heads have been found in Ireland and Scotland.

Forbes is the professor emeritus of Native American studies and anthropology at University of California at Davis, so knows how to juggle terminology and logic convincingly. Whether he succeeds is debateable. That harpoon head business reminds me of my reaction when I was phoned by a radio station for comment, after the skull of a European woman who, according to carbon dating, had been killed sometime in the mid- to late-1700s, was discovered north of Wellington. Did this mean that women traveled on American whaleships to New Zealand before 1800? Nope, said I. The skull had been carried here by some Victorian traveler, or maybe even by a theatrical troupe with Hamlet on their playlist, and then had been lost or dumped.

So who knows when those harpoon heads arrived in Ireland and Scotland? Or can prove that they were carried there by Inuit travelers?

For a precisely argued review by Mark Meuwese of The American Discovery of Europe, read on.

Rumpole's creator Mortimer dies

Dramatist and author Sir John Mortimer, who created enduring character Rumpole of the Bailey, has died aged 85 after a long illness.

Sir John, who began working as a barrister in the 1940s, went on to becomeone of the most prolific writers of books and screenplays.

He first radio play was broadcast in 1957, and later wrote a TV adaptation of one of my favorite books in all the world, Laurie Lee's Cider With Rosie.

Sir John, whose daughter is actress Emily Mortimer, was knighted in 1998.

Story from BBC NEWS

Those romantic shortlisters

A comment left on my post about the shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the year made me realize that the nominees were not done equal justice. So here are all the fine writers, in a medley that covers a surprising amount of the globe:

First, Judith Lennox, whose nomination is her third, and whose enthusiastic fan I thank for the comment. Her book, Before the Storm, reveals what may be dark secrets in an apparently perfect husband's past. Judith lives in Cambridgeshire.

Susanna Kearsley is Canadian, but her time-slip book, Sophie's Secret, is set in Scotland. (Can she be following in the footsteps of mega-bestseller Diana Gabaldon?)

Lesley Downer's book has been described as "Gone With the Wind set in Japan." The author has an intriguing background, being half-Chinese with a passion for Japan, and has written a well-received travel book. The Last Concubine sounds even more intriguing, being the story of a shogun, a princess, and three thousand women, overtaken by civil war. (So my fears about another Jewel of Medina are laid to rest.) She lives in London.

Julia Gregson follows three women as they go to India for a wedding. (Which sounds as if it will make a splendid movie.)

Linda Gillard is nominated for her lyrical story of a blind woman and the stranger who arrives on her doorstep. Linda lives in Glasgow.

Cecelia Ahern, whose hero is American, comes, naturellement, from Ireland.

Have I left anyone out?

Romantic Novel of the Year shortlist

'Tis the season for the shortlist, apparently. The Romantic Novelists' Association has announced the all-female nominations for their prize, which recognizes excellence in romantic fiction writing.

Bestselling author Cecelia Ahern (daughter of an ex-prime minister) is listed for her "mind blowing" romance based on the unexpected outcome of a blood transfusion, Thanks for the Memories.

Lesley Downer is "thrilled and flattered" at the inclusion of her book, The Last Concubine (which hopefully has nothing to do with Mohammed).

I last listed Julia Gregson's book East of the Sun in the post on Richard and Judy's summer reads.

Susanna Kearsley, Linda Gillard, and Judith Lennox are also on the list. The winner will be announced in London on 10 February.

Waterstone's Children's book prize shortlist

In announcing the finalists for this year's Waterstone's Children's book prize, manager Sarah Clarke said, "We are incredibly excited by the quality and range of this year's short list.

"It includes everything from adventure and mystery to a page-turning horror story featuring vampires and werewolves."

Well, the vampires are predictable, considering the supernatural success of Stephanie Meyer's YA series, but to find that the list includes an airline pilot who scribbles fifteenth century fantasies between flights really is unusual. One has to hope that his mind clicks back into the 21st era when he seats himself in the cockpit. Even the title of his book seems kinda ominous. One can't help but wonder, does he have problems with flight control?

Rob Stevens' The Mapmakers' Monsters is one of a list of eight. The other seven:

Elen Caldecott, How Kirsty Jenkins sold the Elephant
Vanessa Curtis, Zelah Green Queen of Clean
Steve Feasey, Changeling
Michelle Harrison, Thirteen Treasures
Ceci Jenkinson, Gnomes are Forever
Marie-Louise Jensen, Lady in the Tower
Rachel Ward, Numbers

Well stacked, and other riverboat phrases

A delightful site managed by Jerry Hay features a lexicon of colorful nineteenth century riverboat phrases.

A couple of examples:

Well Stacked: Men will often use this term to describe the admirable attributes of a female, but that isn't its original use. As steamboats evolved from modest packet boats to multi-decked vessels of grandeur design, some had the appearance of giant wedding cakes going down the river. Some were stacked with five to six levels of cabin and lounge decks. These boats were considered well stacked. Another use for the term was in reference to the tall, ornate smokestacks of the fancy boats.

Outlandish Behavior: The origins of this phrase have some similarity to the word "hillbilly." In the 1800s all lands west of the Mississippi River was called the outland. As with boats on the Ohio River, steamboats hired local residents to serve as roustabouts. The men coming from the states of Arkansas and Missouri had a reputation for being hard to manage. These rough and tough fellows from the outland were rowdy and fights would often ensue. Over a period of time, anyone misbehaving was considered to be having outlandish behavior.

Spider-Man nabs Obama as a co-star

What was that I said about trivialization of the US presidency? To my vast amusement, I read on Huffington Post that the inauguration edition of the Marvel comic Spider-Man will feature the president-elect.

Said Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief, it was really cool to find that "the commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in chief," who used to collect Spider-Man comics as a child -- "It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in the White House."

They are so thrilled, they are putting out a bonus issue with Mr. Obama as Spider-Man's side-kick. The story opens when Spider-Man's nerdish alter-ego, Peter Parker, spots two identical Obamas while taking pix at the inauguration. Deciding on the instant that "the future president's gonna need Spider-Man," he leaps into costume and action, deduces which is the real Obama using clues known only to real basketball players, and punches out the fake.

Obama thanks him with a fist-bump.