1890s to 1940s favourite books

[drspouse]

I'm going to try a decades challenge for 2024 where I read one book from each decade (roughly) and the 1950s to 2010s will be from the Jubilee Big Read.
What are your favourite books published in each of the preceding decades? Could be fiction or non-fiction but not too heavy: Agatha Christie yes, Tolstoy no!

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (published 1925)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (published 1938)

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson (published 1938).

The Fortnight In September by R C Sherriff (published 1931)

Anything by John Steinbeck!

The first four Poldark novels - Winston Graham

PG Wodehouse The Code of the Woosters 1938 ( or any of the Jeeves books tbh, they are all a delight).

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, published in 1925, a wonderful read!

Riceyman Steps by Arnold Bennett (1923)
A Room With a View by EM Forster (1908)
A Pin to See the Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse (1934)

The Diary of a Nobody George and Weedon Grossmith. Published 1892. Humorous and not at all heavy going.

Another vote for A Room with a View (Forster, 1908)

Arnold Bennett ~ Anna of the Five Towns (1902) or The Card (1911) a wonderful writer, sadly not seen often enough these days.

I've already mentioned Riceyman Steps but really anything by him is worth a read...Clayhanger, The Old Wives' Tale, etc

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932) still funny, sharp and clever after all these years.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (1938)

What a lovely set of suggestions! Thanks!

Three Men in a Boat,

There's lots to choose from from the Persephone Books website. https://persephonebooks.co.uk/pages/book-list

I particularly like R C Sherriff's novels and D E Stevenson.

Persephone Books are brill.

Queen Lucia
Miss Mapp
Lucia in London
Mapp & Lucia by E.F.Benson (1920 - 31)

The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton (1940s)

The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki (1912). A collection of hilarious short stories.

The plague and I, Betty macdonald, 1948

Mary Webb, Gone to Earth and Precious Bane, beautiful and evocative stories on nature and dramatic romantic relationships. I'm doing a PhD in literature and really enjoyed them, beautifully written.

Cold Comfort Farm was an excellent lampoon of the Mary Webb 'loam and Lovechild,' genre. I think Webb's work demands reassessment as it stands on its own- and did also have a sly sense of humour.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Nancy Mitford here-

love all of her books-my go to comfort reads-

Think Love in a Cold Climate my favourite!

In an effort to champion working class literature- I'm reading Love on the Dole at the moment which is also a classic.

Frost in May by Antonia White (1933)

Monica Dickens:
One Pair of Hands
One Pair of Feet
My Turn to Make the Tea

Paul Gallico: The Snow Goose

Just William

My favourites in that period - Mrs Dalloway 1925, Howards End 1910, Gaudy Night 1935 (or any Dorothy L Sayers), The Franchise Affair 1948.

I also love Persephone Books, I’ve just read The New House by Lettice Cooper, (1938) which I really enjoyed, it’s a bit like Mrs Dalloway in that the action takes place over the course of a day but more domestic.

Lud-in-the-mist by Hope Mirrelees. Highly recommended by Neil Gaiman and an early high fantasy novel. I found it difficult to get into (but hadn't read anything for a long time) but once in really enjoyed the story. 1926.

Anne Mcaffrey?

Nancy Springer? Not sure when she started but her book of isles trilogy is lovely. Also chains of gold.

Currently I'm reading back to back Patricia Wentworth who is a contemporary of Agatha Christie. But so is Ngiao Marsh and her books are great too.