I finished three books during this week, as well as one 100-year-old magazine issue.

Books

1. Saints of the Christianization Age of Central Europe (Tenth-Eleventh Centuries), ed. by Gábor Klaniczay — a collection of five hagiographical works especially on missionaries and martyrs (often the one condition leading to the other): the Passion of Saint Wenceslas, by Gumpold of Mantua, recounting the murder of the ruler of Bohemia by his brother; the Life of Saint Adalbert Bishop of Prague and Martyr, a man who found the episcopacy unappealing and met his demise while proselytizing; the Life of the Five Brethren, monks (and their servant) murdered by robbers, the account written by Bruno of Querfurt, who himself was martyred while engaging in missionary work; the Lives of the Holy Hermits Zoerard the Confessor and Benedict the Martyr, by Blessed Maurus, Bishop of Pécs; and The Deeds of Blessed Gaudentius, Bishop of Osor (Croatia). The volume contains the Latin texts with facing-page translations; recommended for those with an interest in the region or the era.
2. Do Butlers Burgle Banks?, by P. G. Wodehouse — a fairly late comic novel from the master of farce, as a young man who has recently inherited a bank faces its ruin while hoping for a way out, even as crooks take aim at the bank as well; mildly recommended.
3. In the Fog, by Richard Harding Davis — a delightful little novel in which three men in a club relate related tales of crime and espionage, with some pleasing twists; recommended.

Continuing Reads

1. A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, by humorist Irvin S. Cobb — a collection of 366 amusing anecdotes published in 1923 (100 years ago!), which I’ll be reading at the rate of one per day.
2. More Heart Throbs — the sequel to the similar Heart Throbs, an anthology of prose and verse selections, often sentimental in nature, submitted by the general public and famous people, published in 1911; I’ll be reading one or more pages (as needed for the selections) per day throughout the year.
3. The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, translated by Sir Richard F. Burton in the late 19th century — I hope to read all ten volumes as well as the six supplemental volumes this year.
4. Orlando Innamorato, by Matteo Boiardo, translated by Charles Stanley Ross — I hope to finish this Renaissance Italian epic this year.

Magazine

1. Western Story Magazine, January 27, 1923
   Contents:
   • “Under His Shirt,” by Max Brand — a rather far-fetched novelette describing how a gunslinger loses his nerve and what happens thereafter; mildly recommended.
   • “A Horse Who Didn’t Forget,” by Harrison Conrard — a short story in which a horse identifies the slayer of its dam; mildly recommended.
   • “Holdup Men Have Families, Too,” by Hugh F. Grinstead — a sentimental tale with a suitable ending, but somewhat rushed; not really recommended.
   • “The Cold Deck Sweepstakes,” by Frank Richardson Pierce — a northern short story in which an unethical pair hope to win a dog race by hewing to the letter of the rules; recommended.
   • “Three Sons from Bar O X” [Part 2 of 7], by George Gilbert — a serial, which I skipped as I do not have the issues with the other parts.
   • “Mispickel,” by Reginald C. Barker — a short story in which a sharpster trading on ignorance meets up with someone sharper and more knowledgeable; recommended.
   • “Top Hand or Nothing,” by Harley P. Lathrop — another rather sentimental short story, one in which a boy sets out to become a cowboy and proves his importance to the outfit and its men; recommended.
   • “Hill-Bred Barton’s Code” [Part 3 of 5], by Charles Wesley Sanders— a serial, which I skipped as I do not have the issues with the other parts.
   • “Romanced to Freedom,” by Murray Leinster — a slight story involving two brothers, one a lawman, the other his quarry; mildly recommended at best.
   • “Indian Blankets,” by E. Clark Richards — a short, informative article on the title subject.
   • “The Call of the Trail,” by Reginald C. Barker — an OK little poem.
   • Assorted columns on various topics, including photography, which were of modest interest.