As Dracula Daily winds its way to its thrilling conclusion, Literary Letters begins.
Our first book will be The Lightning Conductor by Alice Muriel Williamson and her husband, Charles Norris Williamson. The Lightning Conductor, first published in England in 1902, was an early work from this prolific power-couple. The novel catapulted the pair to fame through its runaway success in America, where it sold over a million copies. They followed it up with a 1914 film adaptation (now lost) and two sequel books: The Lightning Conductor Discovers America - also sold as The Lightning Conductress - in 1916 and The Lightning Conductor Comes Back in 1933.
What is the novel about?
Molly Randolph is an American on tour in Europe with her Aunt Mary at the turn of the 19th century. In a series of letters to her father, she details the events of the trip, beginning with her impulsive decision to purchase a motor-car. The novel details her sightseeing, travel mishaps, and colorful companions. The story combines elements of romance, adventure, travelogue, and comedy, all in an epistolary format.
The first installment will be November 12 and the last will be January 28. Most letters will be sent at 5pm EST, since the characters seem to write their letters in the evenings. After The Lightning Conductor ends, Literary Letters will continue in mid-February with a science fiction novella, Time Grabber by Gordon R. Dickson.
If you (or anyone you rope into reading along with you) would like to catch up or read ahead, the text of the novel is taken from Project Gutenberg, a free online library of public domain literature. Happy Reading!
I adored this book, and am fortunate to have a copy of the green book illustrated above. Thank you for the tip about 'Discovers America being the same as 'Conductress, as we just finished the latter, and are now in search of 'Comes Back. ... hope your reading tour went well and many were introduced to these charming charming stories! Are you on mastodon / bookwyrm?
Yay!