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| Artist: Karl Briullov |
Most interesting and surprising discoveries are made by pure chance. The discovery may something as small as the remote control under a newspaper, as a house key in the laundry basket.
There was a discovery
of monument size here, or so we thought.
One of my grandmother’s book given to me (in 1972) turned out to more
interesting than originally thought: The
Last Days of Pompeii by Sir Edward George
Earle Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.
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| Source: in his later life |
My husband was
delighted upon seeing that the book, published in 1884, was in mint condition. We had just seen “Pompeii” at the theater---predictable
plot, predictable ending. To
ease his excitement over the book’s possible value, Wikipedia®
was accessed and Sir Bulwer-Lytton was there!!
Value of the 1884
edition mass printed book: about $5.00,
despite its age.
What discovery, you
may ask. Well, I’ll tell you.
Sir Edward B-L was an
intelligent man who achieved many honorary titles and wrote many
very popular books in the mid-1800s.
This made him wealthy and respected.
Considering some unwise
romantic choices, his personal life was always in an uproar. Even so, The Right Honorable Lord Lytton, PC
is responsible for some amazing phrases that follow/haunt all writers who wish
to avoid clichés.
Recognize these:
“…the great unwashed…”
“The
pen is mightier than the sword…”
“…pursuit of the almighty dollar….”
And,
of course,
“…It was a dark and stormy
night…”
In honor of such a
writer, there is a contest: The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, in which
participants create the most terrible opening
sentences for imaginary novels.
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in
torrents---except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent
gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene
lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of
the lamps that struggled against the darkness." Bulwer-Lytton
While my copy of The
Last Days of Pompeii is not a great discovery, the man Bulwer-Lytton surely
is.
