Village Squire, 1980-11, Page 11More than
used books
A collector of G.A. Henty
BY ELAINE TOWNSHEND
"To me, books are a perfect thing to
collect because you've got the books to
read besides the pleasure of collecting,"
explains Ivan McClymont as he browses
through his collection of G.A. Henty
novels in the den of his Varna area home.
Henty was a turn of the century British
adventure writer.
tvan's father had 20 Henty titles and
the Varna library had 15 or 20 more,
when Ivan was growing up. An interest in
history started him reading the books
when he was nine or ten; soon he knew
them by heart.
The one he most enjoyed was Roman
Commission - a naval story of the revolt of
slaves in Haiti against the French.
Because it was a first edition with a
pictorial cover that was almost a work of
art, the book was highly collectible. It
probably influenced Ivan's later interest
in collecting.
By the fifties, he had 25 Henty titles.
He didn't begin collecting seriously until
four years ago when he realized some
titles were becoming scarce. Now he has
112 Henty titles and 15 short stories.
He joined the Henty Society, which was
formed in England and now has members
in the United States and Canada.
Through the Society, he has obtained
magazine articles on the English author
and has contacted other people interested
in Henty's writing.
George Alfred Henty, (1832-1902), was
a British Imperialist, Conservative and
Protestant: "that's the way he thought
and the way he wrote," concedes Ivan.
His first book was published in 1870.
Prior to that he held a variety of jobs
including editor of several magazines and
foreign correspondent for London news-
papers. He covered numerous wars - the
Crimean , Italian/Austrian, African wars
and others. He was involved in mining
and spent some time in the United States
and Australia.
Some of his experiences were reflected
in his books. For example, he wrote about
mining in the Rockies and ranching in the
early days of Texas. He described the
American revolution from a British Point
of view in True To The Old Flag. His
books covered most of the wars England
was involved in and many wars of
European countries.
His novels were fiction based on
Ivan and Marg McClymont of Varna belong to that breed known as book collectors.
Mr. McClymont is a fan of the books of turn-ofthe-century adventure writer G.A.
Henry, and this shelf holds some of that collection. (Photo by Townshend]
historical fact. Most were aimed at a
boys' readership and had a young man as
the hero. His adult books didn't sell until
the boys' books became well-known.
Some of the adult books are now highly
collectible because they are scarce; first
editions are almost impossible to find.
Henty was an extremely popular writer in
his day; his books were widely read in the
early 1900s, and it's thought he greatly
influenced the World War I generation.
Ivan McClymont's collection of Henty
titles not only gives insight into the writer
and his times but also chronicles changes
in publishing over the years.
The early Henty titles, released by
British publishers, featured handsome
pictorial covers in rich colours with gold
lettering and illustrations. From 1905 to
World War I, minor changes were noted.
After the war, books became thinner; the
number of illustrations was cut, but a
colour illustration was inserted inside the
front cover.
By the 1930s, a pictorial spine was used
with a plain cover. To produce a pictorial
cover now would cost $30. to $40. Some
people predict hardcovers will become
obsolete in the next 10 to 15 years.
Until 1890, British writers had no
coypright law to prevent American
publishers from reprinting their books
without paying royalties. The results
were so-called "pirate" books. Often one
book would be published under different
titles and with different covers. Even
before the copyright law came into effect,
however, an American publisher,
Scribner, made arrangements with a
British publisher, Blackie, to print Henty
titles.
Collectors are interested in different
titles, publishers and dates of pub-
lications. Gathering all the titles and
editions of one author is almost im-
possible, because of numerous variations,
Ivan estimates that his collection lacks 25
Henty titles and several short stories.
The best Henty books are showcased in
a glass cabinet downstairs and upstairs
the hall walls are lined with Henty
reprints and works of other authors that
Ivan and his wife, Marg, enjoy reading.
Ivan has approximately 70 titles by Zane
Grey and several by Alistair McLean and
Jack London. Many of his favourites are
by out -of -print authors.
Marg McClymont began picking up a
few books when she was shopping with
her husband. She chooses the book for
its story and author rather than its cover.
She prefers romantic stories with a moral.
Favourite authors include Grace
Livingston Hill, Faith Baldwin, Agnes
Turnbull and Thomas Costain.
Ivan and Marg have discovered several
excellent stores selling new and used
books in Southwestern Ontario. On a trip
West last summer they "checked out
every book store from here to Seattle."
"Sometimes it's hard to draw the line
between a collector and a saver," Ivan
admits. Then he continues, "It's hard to
value a book collection, because after all,
a used book is a used book . . . most
would sell for 25c to 50c. . . its real value
is to the collector."
VILLAGE SQUIRE/NOVEMBER 1980 PG. 9