Author: D. J. Benson

1Queen Lucia

By E. F. Benson

E. F. Benson was born at Wellington College in Berkshire, where his father, who later went on to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, was the first Headmaster. He wrote 105 books in all.<br /><br />Queen Lucia (first published in 1920) was the first of Benson’s ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels of which there were six. This first book is a comedy of manners based in the provincial village of Riseholme, where Emmeline Lucas (the Queen Lucia of the title) presides over the social and artistic universe of the gullible residents. Her aide-de-camp in these matters is the somewhat effete Georgie Pillson and the chief competitor for her ‘crown’ is Daisy Quantock. The scandal of the Guru, the psychical goings on with Princess Popoffski and the arrival into the sleepy village of a famous Prima Donna all conspire to threaten her supremacy… </br>(summary by Martin Clifton)

2Miss Mapp

By E. F. Benson

E. F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series, consists of six novels and three short stories. The novels are: Queen Lucia, Lucia in London, Miss Mapp (including the short story The Male Impersonator), Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress (published as The Worshipful Lucia in the U.S.) and Trouble for Lucia. <br/><br/>The novels feature humorous incidents in the lives of (mainly) upper-middle-class British people in the 1920s and 1930s, vying for social prestige and "one-upmanship" in an atmosphere of extreme cultural snobbery. Most of these works are set in the fictional village of "Tilling", which is based on the village of Rye, Sussex, England. "Mallards", the house with the garden room inhabited by Miss Mapp, and later by Lucia, is based on Lamb House, Benson's own home in Rye. Earlier, the house was the Sussex home of writer Henry James. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Karen Merline.)

3Life in a Mediaeval City, Illustrated by York in the XVth Century

By Edwin Benson

A short and gentle overview of mediaeval life in a large city. It lightly covers the class structure of society, local government, guilds, pageantry and punishment. The author has an easy, rhythmic style which leaves the reader wanting to find out more. (Summary by Peter Yearsley)

4Lord of the World

By Robert Hugh Benson

“Mr. Benson sees the world, four or five generations hence, free at last from all minor quarrels, and ranged against itself in two camps, Humanitarianism for those who believe in no divinity but that of man, Catholicism for those who believe in no divinity but that of God.” <BR><BR>This apocalyptic novel from the early 1900's is sometimes deemed one of the first modern dystopias. (Summary from an original London Times review and Wikipedia)

Come Rack! Come Rope! is a historical novel by the English priest and writer Robert Hugh Benson, a convert to Catholicism from Anglicanism. Set in Derbyshire at the time of the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics, when being or harboring a priest was considered treason and was punishable with death, it tells the story of two young lovers who give up their chance of happiness together, choosing instead to face imprisonment and martyrdom, so that "God's will" may be done. <br><br>The book was written nearly nine years after Benson's reception into the Catholic Church. The inspiration for the story comes from Dom Bede Camm's account of the recusant Fitzherbert family in Forgotten Shrines (1910), and from Benson's own visit in 1911 to Padley, home of the Fitzherberts, and scene of part of the novel, in order to preach at the annual pilgrimage there. The title of the book is taken from a letter of Saint Edmund Campion in which, after torture, he assured Catholics that he had revealed "no things of secret, nor would he, come rack, come rope." Most of the characters in the book are historical people; only the hero and heroine, their parents, and some minor characters are fictional. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)

Robert Hugh Benson was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife Mary. Benson was was a prolific and popular writer during his time, and in 1903 he became a prominent convert to the Roman Catholic Church from Anglicanism . In 1904 he was ordained a Catholic priest.<br><br>This book is his personal story of his journey to the Catholic faith, containing comparisons between Catholicism and the Anglican religion. (Summary by Maria Therese)

Robert Hugh Benson, who was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, was ordained an Anglican priest in 1895 by his father, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Eight years later, after weighty consideration, Robert Benson converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1904 he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest and took up residence in Cambridge, where he ministered to Roman Catholic students as their unofficial chaplain. In 1911, he was made a monsignor. Despite the brevity of his earthly life, Benson was a prolific writer whose literary productions span the gamut from devotional works, such as The Friendship of Christ, to sacred drama, children's books, apologetic works, historical fiction, and even science fiction.<br><br>The Friendship of Christ, which bears an imprimatur, is based on sermons Benson preached in London and Rome in 1910 and 1911. In the first part of this book, he shows how one enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the purgative and illuminative ways. In the second part, he discusses several modes in which Christ offers us His friendship here and now, such as in the Eucharist, in the Church, in the priest, in the saint, in the sinner, in the average person, and in the sufferer. In Part III, Benson recalls how Jesus Christ proved the depth of His friendship with us by willingly accepting death on the cross for our sake, and how He raises His friends to everlasting life with Him. (Introduction by dave7)

8Living Alone

By Stella Benson

This is not a real book. It does not deal with real people, nor should it be read by real people. But there are in the world so many real books already written for the benefit of real people, and there are still so many to be written, that I cannot believe that a little alien book such as this, written for the magically-inclined minority, can be considered too assertive a trespasser. -- Stella Benson (author)<br /> <br />Published in 1919, and set in London during the First World War, <i>Living Alone</i> tells of the meeting of a recluse and a witch, then rambles through magic, morality and aerial dogfights on broomsticks. There isn't too much in the way of a plot, but with its curious blend of fantasy and practical detail of a country in war-time, it's a charmingly weird novel that I hope will entertain witches, wizards and muggles alike. -- Cori Samuel (narrator)

9Dodo Wonders

By E. F. Benson

"Dodo Wonders" is the third and last of the "Dodo" novels by E.F. Benson, author of the "Mapp and Lucia" series as well as numerous stand-alone novels and short stories. Dodo was rumored to be based on Lady Margot Asquith; when questioned about it, Lady Asquith reportedly replied that Benson had taken nothing from her for the character of Dodo "except her drawing-room." <br /><br /> "Dodo Wonders" takes Benson's characters, the glittering socialite Lady Dodo Chesterford, her husband, and friends into World War I-era England. The story follows Dodo and her peers through the build-up, outbreak, and catastrophic years of the war. Benson is clever as always in putting his characters in situations where they must either adapt or break and never loses his sense of humor while doing it. "Dodo Wonders" manages to be as cheerful and bubbly as the other novels in the series while retaining a basic sense of sobriety about its subject matter.<br /><br /> Dodo is a charming, vivid heroine with whom it becomes almost a pleasure to move through wartime.

10This Is the End

By Stella Benson

Some books have plots that drive relentlessly toward a conclusion. Others, like "This Is The End", just meander. It is the story of a Family halfheartedly searching for a missing relation who does not want to be found, while just off-stage, World War I is raging on the continent. It is a story about ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives in extraordinary times. The things they do are less important than the ways in which they do them: often comic, occasionally tragic, but always touching and true to life. It reminds us that Poetry and Romance can be found anywhere, hidden beneath the surface of the most commonplace things. (Summary by Peter Eastman)

11Dodo's Daughter

By E. F. Benson

The second in the "Dodo" sequence of novels. (Summary by Crowgirl)

12Dawn of All

By Robert Hugh Benson

In a former book, called "Lord of the World," I attempted to sketch the kind of developments a hundred years hence which, I thought, might reasonably be expected if the present lines of what is called "modern thought" were only prolonged far enough; and I was informed repeatedly that the effect of the book was exceedingly depressing and discouraging to optimistic Christians. In the present book I am attempting -- also in parable form -- not in the least to withdraw anything that I said in the former, but to follow up the other lines instead, and to sketch -- again in parable -- the kind of developments, about sixty years hence which, I think, may reasonably be expected should the opposite process begin, and ancient thought (which has stood the test of centuries, and is, in a very remarkable manner, being "rediscovered" by persons even more modern than modernists) be prolonged instead.<br><br>We are told occasionally by moralists that we live in very critical times, by which they mean that they are not sure whether their own side will win or not. In that sense no times can ever be critical to Catholics, since Catholics are never in any kind of doubt as to whether or no their side will win. But from another point of view every period is a critical period, since every period has within itself the conflict of two irreconcilable forces. It has been for the sake of tracing out the kind of effects that, it seemed to me, each side would experience in turn, should the other, at any rate for a while, become dominant, that I have written these two books. (From the preface of The Dawn of All)

13Swamp Island

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Late entry in the Penny Parker teen girl mystery series (1939-47) by one of the early ghostwriters (as Carolyn Keene) of Nancy Drew concerns an escaped embezzler, his revenge on the reporter whose articles helped convict him, and a long missing $50 grand. - Summary by BellonaTimes

14Clock Strikes Thirteen

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter who has an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." In "The Clock Strikes Thirteen," Penny is confronted by two mysteries that ultimately converge. First there is the odd extra chime from the Hubell Clock Tower at midnight and the inexplicable replacement of the dedicated old clock tower caretaker by a shiftless friend of a real estate developer. Then there is a series of terrorizing attacks of local farmers, including a barn burning. The attacks appear to be the work of a band of thugs known as the "Night Riders." With the help of her friend Louise, Penny works to solve the dual mystery before an another attack and to save an innocent man from jail. - Summary by Cheryl Adam

15Behind the Green Door

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is."<br><br> In BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR, the Parkers' long-planned trip to the Pine Top ski resort for the Christmas holiday is upset when the "Riverview Star" is sued for libel. Publisher Anthony Parker remains behind to deal with the crisis while Penny is sent to Pine Top. There, she encounters multiple mysteries, including an elderly recluse who keeps his granddaughter a prisoner in his remote cabin and the unexplained presence of a reporter from a rival newspaper. Worse, the man suing the "Star" also shows up in Pine Top. Penny's nose for news combined with her penchant for dare-devil skiing soon land her in the middle of a dangerous tangle she must unravel to save both the "Star" and the ski resort. - Summary by Cheryl Adam

16Clue of the Silken Ladder

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

In THE CLUE OF THE SILKEN LADDER, Penny investigates multiple mysteries. What is the purpose of the singular silken ladder made by the secretive and somewhat sinister old Japanese curio shop owner? How can the "Riverview Star" obtain evidence that a popular troupe of spiritualists really are heartless con artists? Last, who is perpetrating the gravity-defying burglaries that have rocked the town ? Meanwhile, the Parker housekeeper, Mrs. Weems, has come into an inheritance and plans to leave Riverview, much to the Parkers' dismay. Can Penny change her mind? PENNY PARKER is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." - Summary by Cheryl Adam

17Wishing Well

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

PENNY PARKER is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." In THE WISHING WELL, the once-grand, now abandoned Marborough Estate and its legendary stone wishing well have become the center of odd happenings. The reclusive owner unexpectedly returns, only to lock herself secretively away in the mansion. Soon after, an ancient stone is unearthed on the estate, upon which is carved a 400-year-old message. Or is it a hoax? Who are the two strangers who repeatedly visit the wishing well in the dead of night? Penny boldly investigates, certain that danger threatens her new friend Rhoda, a gifted, but poverty-stricken artist. - Summary by Cheryl Adam

18Secret Pact

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

PENNY PARKER is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." In THE SECRET PACT, Penny sees a man savagely pushed off a bridge into the river one foggy night. The man is rescued, but his stubborn denial of the attack, combined with the grotesque octopus tattoo he bears on his back, alerts Penny to the possibility of a deeper mystery. When her editor father, reporter friends, and even the highschool newspaper all reject her story about the incident, she takes matters into her own hands. With her friend Louise's help, Penny starts her own local paper, operating out of a formerly abandoned newspaper plant. As new clues emerge to the "Octopus tattoo" mystery, she enlists the help of anyone willing, even persuading Mrs. Weems to go "under cover." Nothing, not even threats and an unexpected tornado, can deter the determined Miss. Parker. - Summary by Cheryl Adam</p>

19Dodo: A Detail of the Day

By E. F. Benson

Fashionably controversial bestseller at the time of appearance (1893), portraying London "society" in the Fin de Siècle. Dodo is a young woman who enjoys belonging to the high society. At the start of the book, she is about to make an advantageous marriage, to a man with money and a title - just what she needs. This audiobook includes Volume 1 & 2 (the complete novel) - Summary by Anna Simon

20Hoofbeats on the Turnpike

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." In HOOFBEATS ON THE TURNPIKE, Penny is drawn to a remote hill community by a tantalizing tale of a headless horseman who ranges the countryside at night. While investigating the bizarre tale, Penny and her best friend Louise Siddell encounter a quirky array of hill folk, including a feisty "granny woman" who is at war with a wealthy landowner. The headless horseman seems to be targeting the landowner, who has ignored repeated warnings that the dam he owns is unsafe. The tale takes an unusually serious turn when the dam breaks, flooding the community. Trapped by the flood, Penny heroically does what she can to help the community and to get the story out to the world. - Summary by Cheryl Adam

21Flash Evans, Camera News Hawk

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Jimmy 'Flash' Evans, 17, ace photographer for The Brandale Ledger, tries his hand at the newsreel game in this upbeat, pre-war adventure. The listed author, Frank Bell, was actually the prolific Mildred Wirt Benson, most famous for writing the early Nancy Drew novels under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. - Summary by Matt Pierard

This 1898 book is the result of a survey of 107 hymn-books. The thirty-two hymns are ranked in order of popularity. The texts in this recording are said only, not sung, along with a few explanatory notes for each hymn (some footnotes, not all, here recorded). The texts are preceded by two essays concerning hymns and their standards. Benson (1855-1930) was an American Presbyterian minister who edited several hymnals. - Summary by David Wales

A collection of fourteen short stories, grouped under the headings of "Blackmailing Stories", "Spook Stories", "Cat Stories", "Crank Stories", and "General Stories". From the preface: "[S]uch readers as are in search merely of the lighter...aspects of life, will be able to avoid like poison so innocent-looking a title as "The Countess of Lowndes Square," for surely they would not find therein the fashionable descriptions of high life which they might reasonably anticipate, but would merely cast the book from them in disgust, when they discovered that one who had been the wife of an Earl, and ought therefore to have known ever so much better, belonged to the most contemptible of the criminal classes." - Summary by Devorah Allen

24By What Authority?

By Robert Hugh Benson

Two wealthy families are neighbors in Elizabethan England; one is staunchly Catholic and the other is devoutly Protestant. The attractive young scions of the families are drawn to each other in friendship and love, but are kept apart by their opposing religions. Life is very difficult for Catholics during those times. They are subject to fines, imprisonment, torture and ignominious death for practicing their faith. On the other hand, for various reasons some Catholics give up their inherited faith, and even betray and persecute their fellow-religionists. As the threads of plot are woven tighter, heroes emerge, sometimes most unexpectedly, as they grapple with theological doubts and conflicts, and undergo extreme suffering and loss. The many characters we meet ring true, whether they are brilliant or superstitious, stalwart or wavering, pious or violent; and it is a great privilege to spend time with such towering historical figures as St. Edmond Campion and Queen Elizabeth herself. Love, history, theology, suspense, and an array of colorful characters are sewn inexorably together in this large and compelling story. (Intro by Carol Pelster)

25Where No Fear Was: A Book About Fear

By Arthur Christopher Benson

Surely all of us know fear, and know the different types of fear we can experience. In this book, Arthur Christopher Benson walks us through these different types, going through a range of different topics, among others childhood fears many of us will remember, to the fears plaguing us in other periods of our lives, the origins of different fears, and essays on what a number of notable authors (of fiction) had to say about the subject. It should be noted that this book is not a scientific study, though written by an eminent scholar. Instead, all of Arthur Christopher Benson's remarkable talents as a story teller are shaping these chapters. - Summary by Carolin

26Missing Formula

By Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Orphan Anne Fairaday faces a life of poverty upon the death of her father. The only thing that can prevent it is finding his latest experiment. She enlisted her new found friend, Madge Sterling, an outdoors girl who has a knack for finding missing things. But they must race against time as there are also several people who will stop at nothing to get it first. (Summary by Mary Escano)

27Light Invisible

By Robert Hugh Benson

Fifteen short ghost stories by the Anglican then Roman Catholic priest, Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914). The form of the book is of an old English Roman Catholic priest telling stories to his young friend. Benson wrote prolifically in many genres. His horror and ghost fiction are collected in The Light Invisible (1903) and A Mirror of Shalott (1907) - David Wales

Fourteen stories of the strange by the Anglican then Roman Catholic priest, Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914). The form of the book is of stories told by a gathering of Roman Catholic clergy. Benson wrote prolifically in many genres. His horror and ghost fiction are collected in The Light Invisible (1903) and A Mirror of Shalott (1907) - Summary by David Wales

These stories have been written in the hopes of giving some pleasant qualms to their reader, if by chance, anyone be occupying in their perusal a leisure half-hour before he goes to bed when the night and the house are still, he may perchance cast an occasional glance into the corners and dark places of the room where he sits, to make sure that nothing unusual lurks in the shadow. For this is the avowed object of ghost stories and such tales as deal with the dim unseen forces which occasionally and perturbingly make themselves manifest. The author therefore fervently wishes his readers a few uncomfortable moments. Preface - by E.F. Benson

Twenty, Stella Benson’s first poetry collection, was first published in 1918. It deals with topics such as personal independence, the First World War and London’s landscape. (Summary by Newgatenovelist)