The Pines of Lory

The Pines of Lory

Almost two decades after founding Life Magazine, in 1901, John Ames Mitchell, a Harvard University educated architect, artist, and author, published The Pines of Lory with Life Publishing Company. The novel follows the unfolding of the unlikely adventure and romance of Patrick Boyd, or “Pats,” a “youthfully cheerful” soldier with a tumultuous past, and Elinor Marshall, an impossibly enchanting “woman with a conscience” bound for a convent, on the Maid of the North, a ship setting sail up the Saint Lawrence River. The pair, accompanied by Pats’ dog, become separated from the crew and find a recently abandoned house in the woods. With no sign of other human life or indication anyone from the ship may be searching for them, Elinor and Pats seek refuge in the house and discover not only a substantial supply of food, but more breathtaking tapestries, paintings, and furniture than they could have ever imagined. Despite some initial tension between the two, a passionate romance quickly unfolds, and though the hope of being rescued looks increasingly hopeless with the passage of time, their love grows stronger. Mitchell’s novel is full of surprises and unexpected turns, and sustains the reader’s interest by using the majesty and unpredictability of nature to forge a more compelling narrative. In addition to the countless other ways J.A. Mitchell supported the arts, his own creation of poems, plays, and fictional tales like The Pines of Lory demonstrate the seriousness of his commitment to literature.

This first edition copy of The Pines of Lory has a green cover, and a brown spine, with the author name and title embossed in gold lettering, and the front cover containing an image of trees embossed in black. The physical condition of the book suggests that the text survived a number of years of what would appear to be pretty active use, especially given the visible damage on the spine and cracks in the binding. The pages are hand cut, and a few of them are dogeared or torn, probably from being frequently read. There are a number of pages with visible stains, some from age, and some from water damage. Finally, there are stickers, stamps, and notes, on the cover and inside the text that have happened during the book’s life as part of The Fales Collection at Manhattan College. Given his commitment to widening access to literature and experiences in nature, it seems likely that Mitchell would have encouraged copies of his works to be shared amongst friends and to join the ranks of stories lining library shelves. Not only are these practices that would reduce the environmental impact of printing and buying books, but they would have lent themselves to the causes of alleviating the socio-economic challenges that prohibit access to literacy and literature. Bearing details of Mitchell’s own life and work in mind, the life we can imagine that this specific copy of The Pines of Lory has led since it was first published in 1901 is as valuable a part of its story as the words and pictures on the pages.

J.A. Mitchell

Manhattan College, Fales Collection

LIFE Publishing Company

1901

Decorations by Albert D. Blashfield

Life Publishing Company

Octavo, 229 pages

English

novel