Nostalgia & History > Lucius Beebe Book

Recently heard that a new book about (not by) Lucius Beebe will be coming out for Christmas sales season. Any evidence?

Thanks.

I look forward to a Beebe biography. Some of my first railroad books were written by him and he was a great author.

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> I look forward to a Beebe biography. Some of my
> first railroad books were written by him and he
> was a great author.

You mean you could actually READ his prose? Just kidding.

JBWX

eg is multilingual. He has at least language bases to work from and build upon.

That ought to be a very interesting book....

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Mr. Beebe's prose should be recognized and appreciated for the time and social environment during which it was written. Flowery, yes. Florid at times, undoubtedly. A good deal of it is amusing by today's norm. Don't forget, however, that the consumer of the printed word in the 1950s and 60s was a good deal less worldly than less-traveled than the consumer of today.

If it weren't for him and his books, not to mention his syndicated newspaper columns, his first-class travels and passenger train experiences would not have enthralled generations of railfans and the public alike. One doesn't scoff at Shakespeare because it sounds goofy today.

-John

Nothing like cutting your teeth on Beebe and Morgan. If you were real lucky you got some Joe Frye on the side.

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

jcaestecker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mr. Beebe's prose should be recognized and
> appreciated for the time and social environment
> during which it was written. Flowery, yes.
> Florid at times, undoubtedly. A good deal of it
> is amusing by today's norm. Don't forget,
> however, that the consumer of the printed word in
> the 1950s and 60s was a good deal less worldly
> than less-traveled than the consumer of today.

See the discussion on TO: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3328422

A friend of Beebe, Wolcott Gibbs, had this to say about Lucius:

"Ingrained in his character there is a profound nostalgia for dead elegance, and his prose is consequently heavy with Gothic ornament. Almost anything on wheels becomes a 'herdic'; a serving dish is a 'firkin'...It is impossible for him to write 'hat' or 'street' or policeman.' They are transmuted into 'chapeau,' 'faubourg,' and 'gendarme'..."

(I believe that faubourg means "suburb" rather than street.)

When I was 10 and 11 years old, I bought High Iron, Highliners and Trains
in Transition at Fowler Bros on W 6th St. LA. They were $5.00 each.

I still have them and about 500 RR books,

Bob Drenk

Yes, the book is about Lucius AND Chuck Clegg, it is to be 230 plus pages, 8 x 11 and published by Kalmbach for Christmas. I was interviewed by the author in the Spring when he was touring the country collecting photos and stories from their friends. The author has a number of railroad books to his credit and is very serious about this project. In my view, it is impossible to over state their importance in the early years of our hobby. Frank Rapp



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/17 14:09 by alamedafrank.

DPM and Beebe came from an era where several years of Latin would be expected. And a familiarity with Greek legends, the King James Bible, Civics, and composition writing.

Not some of the nonsense which passes for education today.

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Mixed Train Daily is another delightful Beebe volume. I used to read a few pages aloud each night just to enjoy the word flow.

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After I retired I pulled down a couple of my Beebe books and a dictionary and reread the prose, looking up all the strange words. Quite an education.

John Bromley

"If anything is worth doing it is worth doing in style, and on your own terms, and nobody's Goddamned else's!"

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahchamberlain/11-lucius-beebe-quotes-that-will-restore-your-fait?utm_term=.ek87nbLKY#.sqQqenEyM

In one book there's a description of Beebe and Clegg setting out from the Strater Hotel in Durango for an eastward trip on the narrow gauge.

The booze, picnic lunch, dinner, and provisions required another wagon for the three block trip to the depot.

Mr Perlman saw to it their regular steward and cook had been assigned.

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