The Early Work of Norman Douglas

THE EARLY WORK OF NORMAN DOUGLAS By Edward D. McDonald HE literary career of Norman Douglas is fewer than six hundred were sold in England Ta most curious one. Since 1917 this and the United States. The publishers' writer has become widely known as the records show that close to nine hundred sets author of "South Wind". But in spite of of sheets were pulped, and that the author's the unremitting popularity of this brilliant total royalties out of this edition amounted to and diverting novel Mr. Douglas, after ten less than sixty dollars. "Siren Land" was years, is still very largely a one-book man. published at six shillings. Today dealers in Relatively few have read his "Old Calabria" rare books quite casually ask fifty dollars for or "Alone". Even fewer are acquainted a copy of the first edition. These little with "Fountains in the Sand" or "Siren ironies of authorship! In any case, such was Land", which is surely one of the most re the material success of Norman Douglas' markable "first books" in modern English first book. literature. It was published in 1911, at "Siren Land" had, however, a distinct which time Norman Douglas was forty-three succ&s d'estime. That is to say, the reviewers years old. He was, therefore, forty-nine were immensely pleased with it. Uniformly when he brought out "South Wind"—by these gentlemen approved the book, finding it no means the work of a sophisticated young novel and fresh, yet withal, solid. They man, which,so many readers of this novel, spoke of its terse, vigorous, but pure style — with naive but excusable ignorance, persist in, altogether quite within the best traditions of believing it to be. English prose. They caught the rare flavor The quality of "Siren Land" was recog of its incidental comment, so familiar to every nized by Joseph Conrad and Edward Garnett, reader of Norman Douglas. They praised both of whom were instrumental in finding a the learning disclosed in the book because publisher for the book — but only after a this learning, though surprisingly diverse, long search, in which, as Mr. Douglas has was at once exact and humane. In "Siren recently said, the manuscript "was hawked Land" the critics recognized — as indeed about for more than a year without success". they should have done — the wit, the irony, Actually, this is putting the matter very and the urbanity of a realistic and disciphned moderately; for it is evident from certain .of mind. To many of the reviewers the name Conrad's letters to Mr. Douglas that Norman Douglas meant next to nothing — "Siren Land", at least in a first form, was in at most, a few articles in The English Review. manuscript and in Conrad's hands as early as They wondered what in the way of a writing 1905, exactly six years before its publication. career lay behind his brilliant first book. A few months after "Siren Land" had at All of which makes an interesting story, a long last become a book Conrad wrote to story that has never been told with satis Mr. Douglas concerning it, this time to say factory completeness even to this day. that Cunninghame Graham, full of admira Norman Douglas' first appearance in print tion for the book, had exacted from him a occurred in February, 1886. He was then promise to read it; Conrad added: "I said I eighteen. D. H. Lawrence, in whose "dis would, at once, for the (about) fourteenth covery" Mr. Douglas was later to have a time". part, was at that time less than a year old. The first edition of "Siren Land", which Aldous Huxley, whose literary labors are more than sufiiced the English-reading pub sometimes inexplicably linked with those of lic for twelve years, was not large: fifteen the author of "South Wind", was born in hundred copies. Of this number certainly 1894, in which year Norman Douglas, at the 42 PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED THE EARLY WORK OF NORMAN DOUGLAS 43 age of twenty-six, was serving Queen Vic extract therefrom a volume of solid zoological toria as Third Secretary at Her Majesty's memories in preference to these travel-pages embassy at St. Petersburg. that register nothing but the cross-currents As has been said, Norman Douglas first of a mind which tries to see things as they appeared in print in February, 1886. In are". that month and year The Zoologist, A For two and a half years, that is between Monthly Journal of Natural Science, printed December, 1886, and July, 1889, Mr. Doug a note on the "Variation of Plumage in the las published nothing, even though his inter Corvidae". The writer reported that he est in zoological matters did not slacken, as had lately observed two carrion crows with we learn from certain specific references to unusual coloring: the first bird having had these years in his later writings. In July, "a white tip to each wing", while in the case 1889, there appeared in Der Zoologische of the second "only one wing was tipped Garten, as by G. H. Douglass, an article in with white". The note concluded with a German entitled "Der Moorfrosch, Rana general statement regarding the coloring of arvaUs, bei Karlsruhe". This contribution crows to this effect: "So far as I can ascer was in reahty by G. N. Douglass, the second tain, albinous or particoloured specimens of initial being a misprint. Again a period of this bird are of less frequent occurrence than silence. However, in January, 1891, was those of the jackdaw or rook". This short pubUshed the first section of Mr. Douglas' contribution was by one G. N. Douglass, the most ambitious zoological treatise. It was manner (together with G. Norman Douglass) entitled "On the Herpetology of the Grand in which Norman Douglas for ten years was Duchy of Baden", and ran through nine accustomed to sign his work. About 1895 issues of The Zoologist, appearing at various the initial G and the final s, by a process of times between January, 1891, and June, simplification, went into the discard. Such 1892. Printed later as a separate pamphlet, was the first contribution of the author of in which shape it is now rarely seen, this "South Wind" to literature. study occupied sixty-four closely printed "Variation of Plumage in the Corvidae" pages. "Herpetology" was followed on was followed, late in 1886, by two more December 12,1892, by the pubUcation in the Douglas contributions to The Zoologist. In Zoologischer Anzeiger of Mr. Douglas' second November came a note on the "Variation of monograph in German under the title "Zur Colour in the European Squirrels", and in Fauna Santorins ". Finally, after an interim December appeared a somewhat extended of more than three years, came the last of discussion of the "Present Distribution of Mr. Douglas' strictly zoological writings. the Beaver in Europe", the latter being, In February, 1895, he published, again in doubtless, one of the results of that absorb The Zoologist, a translation out of the Nor ing and persistent interest in beavers which is wegian called "The Beaver in Norway". so amusingly recorded in "Alone", in the And in November and December of the same chapter devoted to Soriano, where, also, is to year Mr. Douglas contributed to Natural be found an account of Mr. Douglas' youth Science the most intrinsically interesting of ful enthusiasm for natural science in every his scientific monographs under the general form — an enthusiasm which he is, ap heading "On the Darwinian Hypothesis of parently, periodically tempted to recapture. Sexual Selection". In "Alone", for example, contemplating the With a single exception, the above com World War and its horrors, he feels "disposed pletes the story of Norman Douglas' first ten to forget mankind and take rambles as of years of writing for publication. But for yore; minded to shoulder a gun and chmb reasons other than those of mere complete trees and collect birds, and begin, of course, a ness mention must be made of a curious tract new series of field notes. Those old jottings in the form of a Government document were conscientiously done and registered known as a "Report on the Pumice Stone sundry things of import to the naturalist; Industry of the Lipari Islands", and which were they accessible, I should be tempted to was "presented to both Houses of Parliament PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED 44 THE BOOKMAN by Command of Her Majesty, Augiist, thereby be induced to study more fully its 1895". This detailed expos6 of a British bird-life. "Herpetology" was written for a owned and operated foreign industry was the similar purpose: to stimulate an interest in work of Norman Douglas, his name appear the reptilian life of the same state. In the ing in it only in the letter of transmittal last of his zoological monographs, "On the which called the report, with its catalogue of Darwinian Hypothesis of Sexual Selection", facts and abuses, to the attention of the Mr. Douglas tackled what he called "this Marquis of Sahsbury. much-vexed question" with an assurance How Norman Douglas got into this gallery that was lacking in the earlier treatises. He is not precisely known, but the following was evidently beginning to find his way account can in part be substantiated. Re about in scientific speculation. Nevertheless, lieved for a time from his diplomatic duties taken as a whole, these youthful writings in Russia, he chances, as has ever been his bespeak the enthusiastic neophyte rather custom, just chances to be sojourning in the than the regularly ordained priest of Lipari Islands, a volcanic group north of science.

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