The Grand Babylon Hotel is a novel by Arnold Bennett, published in 1902 The protagonists are an American millionaire, Theodore Racksole, and his daughter Nella (Helen). While staying at the supremely exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, Nella asks for a steak and Bass beer for dinner, but the order is refused. To get her what she wants Racksole buys the entire hotel, for 400,000 "and a guinea" (so the previous owner can say that he haggled with the multi-millionaire businessman). Strange things are happening in the hotel. First, Racksole notices the headwaiter, Jules, winking at his daughter's friend, Reginald Dimmock, while they consume their expensive steak. He dismisses the headwaiter. The next day Miss Spencer, the pretty, efficient hotel clerk who has been employed there for years, disappears. It appears that she just took her things and left, no one knows when or where. And Prince Eugen, a prince regnant of Posen, who was to come to the hotel and meet his youthful uncle Prince Aribert (he and the nephew are of the same age), never turns up. Then the body of Dimmock, who was an equerry to the princes, come ahead to prepare for their visit, is found. He was obviously poisoned. And soon after, Dimmock's body disappears. The same evening the hotel is having a ball in the Gold Room, hosted by a Mr and Mrs Sampson Levi. There is a special secret window though which one can observe the room and the guests. Racksole looks out of it and sees among the guests the dismissed headwaiter, Jules. Racksole runs out to confront him and throw him out, but can't find him. He comes back to the secret window to find Jules, staring intensely into the ball room. Racksole orders him out of the hotel for the second
Emerson Bennett (March 16, 1822 - May 11, 1905) was a popular American author primarily known for his lively romantic adventure tales depicting American frontier life. He was the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. At one time, Bennett was one of the most popular authors in America. Several of his books reportedly sold over 100,000 copies. Bennett's work frequently appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Ledger and other periodicals. Some of his writings were translated into other languages. Bennett also wrote poetry and edited several periodicals. However these other literary endeavors never met with the commercial success of his prose fiction. Bennett wrote light, sensational and heroic adventure tales which many readers found engaging. His work sometimes first appeared in serialized form in newspapers and periodicals, which were subsequently reissued in book form. Despite selling well at times, Bennett's fiction is generally regarded as substantially lacking in literary merit. He is more remembered as one of the leading novelists of the "yaller kivers" period of mid-nineteenth century American fiction, (so called for the "yellow covers" on the cheap sensational novels sold in railway stations and by newsboys during that era.) His books have also been called "dime novels". Bennett's popularity declined significantly during his later life. Bennett was born in Monson, Massachusetts in May 16, 1822 and attended local schools and Monson Academy. At 17, he left home with the intention of becoming a writer. Little is known about this period of Bennett's life. It is known that after leaving home he moved initially to New York City, and then later to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, eventually relocating to Cincinnati in 1844. During this period he lived frugally and supported himself in several sales jobs. Unable to gain steady employment as a writer, he took work going on the road throughout Ohio selling subscriptions for the Western Literary Journal. Returning from one of these sales trips, Bennett learned that a story he had written while in Philadelphia had been published. On the strength of this first successful story, Bennett was able to obtain a commission to write a serialized story for the Western Literary Journal. Many more publications of Bennett's work followed. Bennett also edited several periodical publications during his career. In 1847 Bennett married Eliza G. Daly. In 1850, he returned to Philadelphia, where he eventually retired. He spent the last few years of his life as a resident of the Masonic Home in that city, until his death in 1905 at the age of 82
Emerson Bennett (March 16, 1822 - May 11, 1905) was a popular American author primarily known for his lively romantic adventure tales depicting American frontier life. He was the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. At one time, Bennett was one of the most popular authors in America. Several of his books reportedly sold over 100,000 copies. Bennett's work frequently appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Ledger and other periodicals. Some of his writings were translated into other languages. Bennett also wrote poetry and edited several periodicals. However these other literary endeavors never met with the commercial success of his prose fiction. Bennett wrote light, sensational and heroic adventure tales which many readers found engaging. His work sometimes first appeared in serialized form in newspapers and periodicals, which were subsequently reissued in book form. Despite selling well at times, Bennett's fiction is generally regarded as substantially lacking in literary merit. He is more remembered as one of the leading novelists of the "yaller kivers" period of mid-nineteenth century American fiction, (so called for the "yellow covers" on the cheap sensational novels sold in railway stations and by newsboys during that era.) His books have also been called "dime novels". Bennett's popularity declined significantly during his later life. Bennett was born in Monson, Massachusetts in May 16, 1822 and attended local schools and Monson Academy. At 17, he left home with the intention of becoming a writer. Little is known about this period of Bennett's life. It is known that after leaving home he moved initially to New York City, and then later to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, eventually relocating to Cincinnati in 1844. During this period he lived frugally and supported himself in several sales jobs. Unable to gain steady employment as a writer, he took work going on the road throughout Ohio selling subscriptions for the Western Literary Journal. Returning from one of these sales trips, Bennett learned that a story he had written while in Philadelphia had been published. On the strength of this first successful story, Bennett was able to obtain a commission to write a serialized story for the Western Literary Journal. Many more publications of Bennett's work followed. Bennett also edited several periodical publications during his career. In 1847 Bennett married Eliza G. Daly. In 1850, he returned to Philadelphia, where he eventually retired. He spent the last few years of his life as a resident of the Masonic Home in that city, until his death in 1905 at the age of 82
Emerson Bennett (March 16, 1822 - May 11, 1905) was a popular American author primarily known for his lively romantic adventure tales depicting American frontier life. He was the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. At one time, Bennett was one of the most popular authors in America. Several of his books reportedly sold over 100,000 copies. Bennett's work frequently appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Ledger and other periodicals. Some of his writings were translated into other languages. Bennett also wrote poetry and edited several periodicals. However these other literary endeavors never met with the commercial success of his prose fiction. Bennett wrote light, sensational and heroic adventure tales which many readers found engaging. His work sometimes first appeared in serialized form in newspapers and periodicals, which were subsequently reissued in book form. Despite selling well at times, Bennett's fiction is generally regarded as substantially lacking in literary merit. He is more remembered as one of the leading novelists of the "yaller kivers" period of mid-nineteenth century American fiction, (so called for the "yellow covers" on the cheap sensational novels sold in railway stations and by newsboys during that era.) His books have also been called "dime novels". Bennett's popularity declined significantly during his later life. Bennett was born in Monson, Massachusetts in May 16, 1822 and attended local schools and Monson Academy. At 17, he left home with the intention of becoming a writer. Little is known about this period of Bennett's life. It is known that after leaving home he moved initially to New York City, and then later to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, eventually relocating to Cincinnati in 1844. During this period he lived frugally and supported himself in several sales jobs. Unable to gain steady employment as a writer, he took work going on the road throughout Ohio selling subscriptions for the Western Literary Journal. Returning from one of these sales trips, Bennett learned that a story he had written while in Philadelphia had been published. On the strength of this first successful story, Bennett was able to obtain a commission to write a serialized story for the Western Literary Journal. Many more publications of Bennett's work followed. Bennett also edited several periodical publications during his career. In 1847 Bennett married Eliza G. Daly. In 1850, he returned to Philadelphia, where he eventually retired. He spent the last few years of his life as a resident of the Masonic Home in that city, until his death in 1905 at the age of 82
Anna of the Five Towns is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1902 and one of his best-known works. Plot summary The plot centres on Anna Tellwright, daughter of a wealthy but miserly and dictatorial father, living in the Potteries area of Staffordshire, England. Her activities are strictly controlled by the Methodist church. The novel tells of Anna's struggle for freedom and independence against her father's restraints, and her inward battle between wanting to please her father and wanting to help Willie Price whose father, Titus Price, commits suicide after falling into bankruptcy and debt. During the novel, Anna is courted by the town's most eligible bachelor Henry Mynors, and agrees to be his wife, much to her young sister Agnes' pleasure. She discovers in the end, however, that she loves Willie Price, but does not follow her heart, as he is leaving for Australia, and she is already promised to Mynors. Willie then also commits suicide. "The Five Towns" Stoke-on-Trent has become known as "The Five Towns", because of the name given to it by local novelist Arnold Bennett. In his novels, Bennett used mostly recognisable aliases for five of the six towns (although he called Stoke "Knype"). However, Bennett said that he believed "Five Towns" was more euphonious than "Six Towns", so he omitted Fenton (sometimes referred to as "the forgotten town"). In order from northwest to southeast, the towns are Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton.... Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 - 27 March 1931) was an English writer. He is best known as a novelist, but he also worked in other fields such as journalism, propaganda and film. Early life--Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which were joined together at the beginning of the 20th century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the family moved to a larger house between Hanley and Burslem.Bennett was educated locally in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Bennett was employed by his father but the working relationship failed. Bennett found himself doing jobs such as rent-collecting which were uncongenial. He also resented the low pay; it is no accident that the theme of parental miserliness is important in his novels. In his spare time he was able to do a little journalism, but his breakthrough as a writer came after he had moved from the Potteries. At the age of 21, he left his father's practice and went to London as a solicitor's clerk....
Emerson Bennett (March 16, 1822 - May 11, 1905) was a popular American author primarily known for his lively romantic adventure tales depicting American frontier life. He was the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. At one time, Bennett was one of the most popular authors in America. Several of his books reportedly sold over 100,000 copies. Bennett's work frequently appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Ledger and other periodicals. Some of his writings were translated into other languages. Bennett also wrote poetry and edited several periodicals. However these other literary endeavors never met with the commercial success of his prose fiction. Bennett wrote light, sensational and heroic adventure tales which many readers found engaging. His work sometimes first appeared in serialized form in newspapers and periodicals, which were subsequently reissued in book form. Despite selling well at times, Bennett's fiction is generally regarded as substantially lacking in literary merit. He is more remembered as one of the leading novelists of the "yaller kivers" period of mid-nineteenth century American fiction, (so called for the "yellow covers" on the cheap sensational novels sold in railway stations and by newsboys during that era.) His books have also been called "dime novels". Bennett's popularity declined significantly during his later life. Bennett was born in Monson, Massachusetts in May 16, 1822 and attended local schools and Monson Academy. At 17, he left home with the intention of becoming a writer. Little is known about this period of Bennett's life. It is known that after leaving home he moved initially to New York City, and then later to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, eventually relocating to Cincinnati in 1844. During this period he lived frugally and supported himself in several sales jobs. Unable to gain steady employment as a writer, he took work going on the road throughout Ohio selling subscriptions for the Western Literary Journal. Returning from one of these sales trips, Bennett learned that a story he had written while in Philadelphia had been published. On the strength of this first successful story, Bennett was able to obtain a commission to write a serialized story for the Western Literary Journal. Many more publications of Bennett's work followed. Bennett also edited several periodical publications during his career. In 1847 Bennett married Eliza G. Daly. In 1850, he returned to Philadelphia, where he eventually retired. He spent the last few years of his life as a resident of the Masonic Home in that city, until his death in 1905 at the age of 82.
The Old Wives' Tale is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, into old age. It covers a period of about 70 years from roughly 1840 to 1905, and is set in Burslem and Paris. It is generally regarded as one of Bennett's finest works.The book is broken up into four parts. The first section, "Mrs Baines" details the adolescence of both Sophia and Constance, and their life in their father's shop and house (a combined property). 2] The father is ill and bedridden, and the main adult in their life is Mrs Baines, their mother. By the end of the first book, Sophia (whose name reflects her sophistication, as opposed to the constant Constance) has eloped with a travelling salesman. Constance meanwhile marries Mr Povey, who works in the shop. The second part, "Constance", details the life of Constance from that point forward up until the time she is reunited with her sister in old age. Her life, although outwardly prosaic, is nevertheless filled with personal incident, including the death of her husband, Mr Povey, and her concerns about the character and behaviour of her so The third part, "Sophia", carries forward the story of what happened to Sophia after her elopement. Abandoned by her husband in Paris, Sophia eventually becomes the owner of a successful pensione. The final part, "What Life Is", details how the two sisters are eventually reunited. Sophia returns to England and the house of her childhood, where Constance still lives.. Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 - 27 March 1931) was an English writer. He is nowadays best known as a novelist, but he also worked in other fields such as the theatre, journalism, propaganda and film. Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which were joined together at the beginning of the 20th century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the family moved to a larger house between Hanley and Burslem. 1] Bennett was educated locally in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Bennett was employed by his father but the working relationship failed. He found himself doing jobs such as rent-collecting which were uncongenial. Bennett also resented the low pay; it is no accident that the theme of parental miserliness is important in his novels. In his spare time he was able to do a little journalism, but his breakthrough as a writer came after he had moved from the Potteries. At the age of 21, he left his father's practice and went to London as a solicitor's clerk.......
Literary Taste: How to Form it is a long essay by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1909, with a revised edition by his friend Frank Swinnerton appearing in 1937. Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 - 27 March 1931) was an English writer. He is nowadays best known as a novelist, but he also worked in other fields such as the theatre, journalism, propaganda and film. Early life: Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which were joined together at the beginning of the 20th century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the family moved to a larger house between Hanley and Burslem.Bennett was educated locally in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Bennett was employed by his father but the working relationship failed. He found himself doing jobs such as rent-collecting which were uncongenial. Bennett also resented the low pay; it is no accident that the theme of parental miserliness is important in his novels. In his spare time he was able to do a little journalism, but his breakthrough as a writer came after he had moved from the Potteries. At the age of 21, he left his father's practice and went to London as a solicitor's clerk. Career: Journalism and nonfiction: Bennett won a literary competition hosted by Tit-Bits magazine in 1889 and was encouraged to take up journalism full-time. In 1894, he became assistant editor of the periodical Woman. He noticed that the material offered by a syndicate to the magazine was not very good, so he wrote a serial which was bought by the syndicate for 75 (equivalent to 10,000 in 2015).He then wrote another. This became The Grand Babylon Hotel. Just over four years later, his first novel, A Man from the North, was published to critical acclaim and he became editor of the magazine. From 1900 he devoted himself full-time to writing, giving up the editorship. He continued to write journalism despite the success of his career as a novelist. In 1926, at the suggestion of Lord Beaverbrook, he began writing an influential weekly article on books for the Evening Standard newspaper. As well as the novels, much of Bennett's non-fiction work has stood the test of time. One of his most popular non-fiction works, which is still read to this day, is the self-help book How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. His diaries have yet to be published in full, but extracts from them are often quoted in the British press.
Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 - 27 March 1931) was an English writer. He is nowadays best known as a novelist, but he also worked in other fields such as the theatre, journalism, propaganda and film. Early life: Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which were joined together at the beginning of the 20th century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the family moved to a larger house between Hanley and Burslem.Bennett was educated locally in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Bennett was employed by his father but the working relationship failed. He found himself doing jobs such as rent-collecting which were uncongenial. Bennett also resented the low pay; it is no accident that the theme of parental miserliness is important in his novels. In his spare time he was able to do a little journalism, but his breakthrough as a writer came after he had moved from the Potteries. At the age of 21, he left his father's practice and went to London as a solicitor's clerk. Career: Journalism and nonfiction: Bennett won a literary competition hosted by Tit-Bits magazine in 1889 and was encouraged to take up journalism full-time. In 1894, he became assistant editor of the periodical Woman. He noticed that the material offered by a syndicate to the magazine was not very good, so he wrote a serial which was bought by the syndicate for 75 (equivalent to 10,000 in 2015).He then wrote another. This became The Grand Babylon Hotel. Just over four years later, his first novel, A Man from the North, was published to critical acclaim and he became editor of the magazine. From 1900 he devoted himself full-time to writing, giving up the editorship. He continued to write journalism despite the success of his career as a novelist. In 1926, at the suggestion of Lord Beaverbrook, he began writing an influential weekly article on books for the Evening Standard newspaper. As well as the novels, much of Bennett's non-fiction work has stood the test of time. One of his most popular non-fiction works, which is still read to this day, is the self-help book How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. His diaries have yet to be published in full, but extracts from them are often quoted in the British press.
