The Idler, Vol. 6 (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from The Idler, Vol. 6T was far indeed from being my first book, for I am not a novelist alone. But I am well aware that my paymaster, the Great Public, regards what else I have written with indifference, if not aversion, if it call upon me at all, it calls on me in the familiar and indelible character, and when I am asked to talk of my first book, no question in the world but what is meant is my first novel. Sooner or later, somehow, anyhow, I was bound to write a novel. It seems vain to ask why. Men are born with various manias: from my earliest childhood, it 'was mine to make a plaything of imaginary series of events, anid'as soon as I was able to write, I became a good friend to the pa er-makers. Reams upon reams must have gone to the making' of Rathillet, The Pentland Rising, The King's Pardon (otherwisey'ark Whitehead), Edward Driven, A Country Dance, and A Vendetta in the W'est, and it is consolatory to remember that these reams are now all ashes, and have been received again into the soil. I have named but a few of my ill-fated efi'orts, only such indeed as came to a fair bulk ere they were desisted f'om, and even so they cover a long vista of years. Rathillet was attempted before fifteen, The Vendetta at twenty-nine, and the succession of defeats lasted unbroken till I was thirty-one. By that time, I had written little books and little essays and short stories, and had got patted on the back and paid for them - though not enough to live upon. I had quite a reputation, I was the successful man, I passed my days in toil, the futility of which would sometimes make my cheek to burn that I should spend a man's energy upon this business, and yet could not earn a livelihood: and still there shone ahead of me an unattained ideal although I had attempted the thing with vigour.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.