Maiden Stakes
![]() 1944 dustjacket | |
Author | Dornford Yates |
---|---|
Genre | Novel |
Publisher | Ward Lock & Co[1] |
Publication date | 1928[2] |
Media type | |
Pages | 319[1] |
Maiden Stakes is a 1928 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), first published in The Windsor Magazine.
Plot[]
The book consists of mostly stand-alone short stories, plus one ("Letters Patent") which features the author's 'Berry' characters and references Yates' book Perishable Goods.
Background[]
The stories were written for The Windsor Magazine. Most appeared individually before publication in book form, but the last four, including the "Letters Patent" story, appeared later.[3]
Chapters[]
Chapter | Title | Windsor Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | Childish Things | July 1925 | LXII | 366 | 121-133 | Albert Bailey |
II | St. Jeames | August 1927 | LXVI | 392 | 265-277 | Lindsay Cable |
III | Aesop's Fable | October 1927 | LXVII | 394 | 513-524 | Lindsay Cable |
IV | Vanity Of Vanities | January 1928 | LXVIII | 397 | 170-180 | Norah Schlegel |
V | Force Majeure | March 1928 | LXVIII | 399 | 386-398 | Henry Coller |
VI | Bricks Without Straw | December 1927 | LXVIII | 396 | 21-31 | Lindsay Cable |
VII | 'Service' | April 1929 | LXIX | 412 | 593-608 | P B Hickling |
VIII | In Evidence | February 1929 | LXIX | 410 | 289-302 | J Dewar Mills |
IX | Maiden Stakes | March 1929 | LXIX | 411 | 451-465 | R Allen Shuffrey |
X | Letters Patent | January 1929 | LXIX | 409 | 157-169 | Lindsay Cable |
"Childish Things" and "Aesop's Fable" appeared in The Saturday Evening Post editions of 27/06/1925 and 10/09/1927 respectively. "St Jeames" appeared in Ladies' Home Journal in August 1927.
Critical reception[]
The book was written at a difficult time for Mercer, when relations between him and his wife Bettine were getting steadily worse.[4] Nevertheless, the original dedication read "To the American girl who did me the lasting honour to become my wife."
References[]
- ^ a b "British Library Item details". primocat.bl.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ Smithers 1982, p. 231.
- ^ Smithers 1982, p. 144.
- ^ Smithers 1982, p. 145.
Bibliography[]
- Smithers, AJ (1982). Dornford Yates. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0 340 27547 2.
- 1928 short story collections
- Ward, Lock & Co. books
- Short story collections by Dornford Yates