The Earlier India Novels Part A: Dew and Mildew & Father Grego...

“The Earlier India Novels Part A” contains the revised versions of the first two published novels by P. C. Wren. “Dew and Mildew”, as is usual with a first novel, contains a large amount of autobiographical information. Major themes include education (especially “moral” education), volunteer corps, politics, children, and psychic experiences. The connecting theme throughout the entire book is that of Sudden-Death Lodge, which is a cursed and haunted house, wherein whoever lives there eventually dies. Of course everybody eventually dies, but those who live in or have lived in Sudden-Death Lodge die sooner than expected and usually in unpleasant ways. In Appendix B, is the first book publication of a little known story of Sudden-Death Lodge, that has only been previously published in an obscure magazine, “Indian Ink”, which was published in Calcutta in the early days of World War I. “Father Gregory” is the story of a gentlemen’s club in India. The two main characters are John Durham, the owner of the club, and Father Gregory, a mysterious, but beloved priest. The Chotapettah Club, itself, is a “. . . home for lost, strayed, stolen, and starving dogs of good pedigree. . . .” There are appendices in this volume that provide details on the significant differences between the first editions published by Longmans, Green, and the reprint editions published by John Murray after the success of “Beau Geste” in 1924.

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