R. M. Ballantyne and J. M. Barrie

August 03, 2011

J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie wrote dozens of books and plays, but he's best known for his creation of Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up. There is some controversy about Barrie and his works, but I'm not an expert on either, as I've only recently become interested in the Scotsman. I'm not necessarily recommending Barrie's books, but there's no question that he has had an influence on modern culture.

The character of Peter Pan, through literature, dramatizations, movies, and even videogames, has produced hundreds of millions of dollars and has been internalized by tens of thousands of people. Disney, in 1953, and Steven Spielberg, in 1991, found the cocky little fellow and his peculiar friends very successful in convincing movie-goers to part with their sweat-earned cash. Picture books, costumes, room decorations - an entire franchise has been built around Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys. Who was it that aided to inspire these? R. M. Ballantyne.

Ballantyne's Influence on Barrie

Peter Pan plays the pipes

The Coral Island did not contain boys in tights, obnoxious fairies, or ticking crocodiles, but it did take place on an island. In his preface to a 1913 edition of The Coral Island, J. M. Barrie wrote: "To be born is to be wrecked on an island."^[1] The creator of Never Never Land seemed to like islands; "Many writers of romances have had romantic notions, but you can't do better than wreck your hero on an island. To this day I could not pass a book by in which there was a desert island."^[2]

I've written before about The Coral Island's influence on Stevenson's Treasure Island and Golding's dark Lord of the Flies, but there is no doubt that it also inspired Barrie and the fantasy of Peter Pan.^[3] Barrie placed the adventure of Ralph, Peterkin, and Jack, above even that in The Swiss Family Robinson,^[4] declaring that it was his favorite book as a boy.^[5]

Barrie claimed inspiration from some very familiar authors: Robert Louis Stevenson, James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Dickens, and W. H. G. Kingston, to name a few, but of these Ballantyne ranks near the summit. He once wrote, in an article about boys' books, that "I used to think that [Ascott] Hope (or else Ballantyne or Marryat) ought to be made King of England."^[6] Considering England's list of unsavory kings, I don't think he was far wrong.

Captain Hook in Walt Disney's version

So there you have it, without R. M. Ballantyne, there quite possibly might be no Peter Pan. Would that have been a bad thing? Perhaps not, but since the little fellow was created, we can further trace RMB's influence on the world of boys' books. And remember, the boy is father of the man. We must all grow up some day.

Tueri a Vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 10:15 PM | Permalink

Latest Ballantyne Acquistions

July 26, 2011

The bookshops of Edinburgh are a place of wonder and bliss. I found these three Ballantyne's nestled among many other classics from Henty, Stevenson, and other of my favorite authors. The Coral Island, of course, is a familiar face, but The Red Eric and The World of Ice were new to me. Below are some pictures of my new friends.

Tueri a vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 09:22 AM | Permalink

Tomorrow. . .

April 23, 2011

Tomorrow we celebrate Ballantyne's Day! 186 years ago, on April 24, 1825, R. M. Ballantyne was born.

"...in all my writings I have always tried -- how far successfully I know not -- to advance the cause of Truth and Right and to induce my readers to put their trust in the love of God our Saviour, for this life as well as the life to come." --R.M. Ballantyne, from Personal Reminiscences in Book-Making

Tueri a vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 03:50 PM | Permalink

Jules Verne

February 08, 2011

Born On This Day 183 Years Ago:
Jules Verne; The father of Science Fiction

Hurrah for Jules Verne! One of my all time favorite authors. Since today is Verne's birthday, I thought I would give a short review of my top 5 favorite of his books.

~ Michael Strogoff
I've always enjoyed Michael Strogoff for Verne's ability to paint verbal pictures that give such clear and accurate description of the times. I also really loved Strogoff's extremely good plot. (Weeell I must admit, the N.C. Wyeth illustrations and my part-Russian background may have had an influence as well.)

~ Around the World in Eighty Days
About 7 or 8 years ago, Dad read Around the World in Eighty Days out loud to the family. So it has been a family favorite for a long time. Verne really did a great job of portraying a humorous, and sometimes serious, journey of Phileas Fogg, the unique nobleman bachelor of London, and his newly valet, Passepartout, as the try to go around the world in 80 days.

~ The Mysterious Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Mysterious Islands/20,000 Leagues Under the Sea/Capt. Grant's Children Trilogy is definitely one of the greatest adventure trilogies ever. No wonder so many stories, books, shows, films and games have been based off them. (Heh, and you wonder where we got our film title from...)

Many people wish there was more information about the life of Captain Nemo in the series. However, it appears that Verne was trying to illustrate a larger character map throughout the trilogy. There is also a lot of speculation about whether or not Verne was creating a larger "puzzle" story through all of his books... Who knows, either way, he was still brilliant.

~ Paris in the 20th Century
As for Paris in The Twentieth Century, both the history of the book itself and Verne's foresight while writing it are incredible! He really had an amazing ability to look to the future throughout all his works. There's a reason he made it to Google today.

Speaking of Google, today the website posted a really neat Happy Birthday to Verne blogpost on the Google Blog. I really enjoyed Ms. Hom's post so I've included part of it here and you can go here to read the rest.

Happy birthday from 20,000 leagues under the sea

It wasn't very difficult for something to spark my imagination when I was a child--whether it was a pile of leaves or a couch of stackable cushions, just about anything could jump-start my creativity. My first encounter with Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, however, sent my imagination into hyper drive.

I first found the novel while browsing through a random aisle in my local library. The cover was dark, murky and a little worn--but it was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen. A pair of old-fashioned divers drag their feet over the ocean floor, watching a school of fish drift by. They don't seem to notice the twisting silhouette of a monster inching toward them.

The cover alone pulled me in, but I didn't want to spoil all of the possible story lines by actually reading the book. Looking back, I realize that what fascinated me most was the unknown: a creative spark and the imaginative exploration that followed. Since then, I've become more familiar with his work and still believe that exploration is the essence of Verne's novels. His stories pull the readers into a world filled with infinite potential--be it in the clouds, on land or under the sea...

Posted by Joshua Phillips at 01:18 PM | Permalink

The Long Walk

October 13, 2010

The bright weather of April 1864 found R. M. Ballantyne in the midst of an unusual project - traveling from London to Edinburgh on foot. He had long hoped to make the strenuous journey, and when he found himself with a bit of time after completing The Lifeboat, he grabbed a walking stick, packed his knapsack with eleven pounds of clothes, paper, and writing material, and set out from central London. He hoped to use the experience for a book entitled A Walk from London to Edinburgh in 1864, for which purpose he faithfully filled several pages of his journal each night.

The expedition provided a personal look both at the beautiful terrain and unique inhabitants of England and Scotland, and Ballantyne enjoyed the trip vastly. The trip took twenty-seven days, placing the energetic author in the Scottish capitol with a tired body and a full journal. Unfortunately, "the best laid plans of mice and men" do not always work out. Ballantyne was unaware when starting on his journey that a similar book was about to be published - an account of an American gentleman's walk from London to John o' Groats, which is a village on the extreme northern tip of Scotland, and a much farther trek. Ballantyne approached publishers with his manuscript, but they understandably rejected him on the grounds of such a similar narrative's recent printing.

The manuscript was never published, and it probably sits on some collector's dusty shelf at this moment - but hurrah for the books that still live on today, and their vigorous author!

Tueri a vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 05:56 PM | Permalink

Anne Randall Ballantyne

May 10, 2010

In honor of Mother's Day, celebrated by those of us in the U. S. yesterday, I decided to write a little bit about R. M. Ballantyne's mother. A mother can and does influence the life of her child, for good or for evil, depending on the type of woman she is. This was true in Ballantyne's life, and his mother was instrumental in developing his literary skill.

Anne Randall Scott Grant, described in Eric Quayle's Ballantyne The Brave as a 'lass wi' a lang pedigree,' first met her husband while he was playing the violin at one of her family's "musical evenings." Although a full decade younger than her husband, Randall and Sandy Ballantyne had a happy and affectionate marriage. Throughout her life, she went by her second name, Randall, instead of her first, Anne. In a humorous twist, one of her grandsons was named after her, with one of the l's subtracted, making him Randal Ballantyne.

As the second youngest child, Robert, or "Bob" Ballantyne received much pampering both from his sisters and his mother. Although he left home for the wilds of North America at the early age of sixteen, RMB continued a long-distance correspondence with Randall, and kept a copious journal to share with her upon his return to England. His proud mother treasured these letters from her distant son, and would share their contents with her close friends. It was from this habit that an elderly lady and long time friend of the family became impressed both by Robert's writing style and adventures, and recommended that they be published in book form. These, along with the journal, formed the basis for his first book, Hudson's Bay.

After the death of Robert's father, RMB became the main supporter for his mother and sisters. He became their backstay and counselor, developing a close relationship with them. Because of his financial support, they were enabled to live in sufficient comfort, although not luxury.

Randall Ballantyne's sudden death after many years of excellent health came as a great grief to the young man. As RMB was still a bachelor at the time, Mrs. Ballantyne had no rival in the affections of her son. The shock sobered him for a time, but he accepted it as God's will, and continued on with his life. It was with great fondness, however, that he remembered her, as the womanly encourager of his early years.

I give thanks to all mothers, and mine in particular, for their love, support, and training in this world of constant turmoil. You do make a difference in your sons' lives!

Tueri a vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 07:15 AM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Mr. Ballantyne!

April 24, 2010

'Twas on April 24, 1825, that R. M. Ballantyne came into this world. That's 185 years ago, today! Hurrah!

To see some interesting events that occurred in 1825, take a look at this article from last December.

Tueri a vulnere,

John

Posted by John Horn at 08:50 AM | Permalink

Latest Acquisition

March 01, 2010

We've mentioned Eric Quayle before, as the biographer of R. M. Ballantyne. Quayle was a bibliophile, who possessed a huge library of first editions from all sorts of authors. Although he did not write from a Christian perspective, his biography of Ballantyne is extremely helpful, being one of our main resources. Last week I was very excited to obtain another book by Quayle, called "R. M. Ballantyne: A Bibliography of First Editions." This is an out-of-print, somewhat rare resource, which catalogs all of RMB's first editions, including detailed descriptions of the actual book's appearance, with additional notes on content and history.

Hurrah for Ballantyne!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

Posted by John Horn at 11:47 AM | Permalink

Ballantyne: Origin of the Surname

November 18, 2009

Ballantyne is not a very common surname. Throughout life one can meet many a Smith, Jones, or Davis. However, the odds are that you will meet either very few or no Ballantynes.

So, what is the meaning of this relatively uncommon surname? Most etymological dictionaries that I perused did not cover the name "Ballantyne." By the way, etymological simply means the root, or origin of a word.

At last I found a record of the surname "Ballantyne" in an old book entitled An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names by a man named William Arthur. Apparently, "Ballantyne" is derived from an ancient geographical location in Scotland! The official definition is as follows:

Ballantyne: Local. A place of ancient pagan worship among the Celts, whose principal deity was Belen or Baal, the sun. To the honor of this deity, the Celts lighted fires on the 1st of May and Midsummer day.

Thankfully though, the story does not end here. God granted mercy and grace to these wicked pagans, bringing reformation, mercy and grace to these wicked pagans, bringing reformation to the family name.

Celts

In case you don't know much about the Celts, I'd like to give a little background on their origins and practices.

The Celts, which, by the way, is pronounced kelts, are a very ancient people group who spread across Europe. One group from Northern Italy actually defeated Roman legions, laid siege to Rome itself, and gained a heavy tribute in return for a cessation of hostilities against their Roman enemies.

Scotland and Ireland were inhabited by these extremely pagan barbarians, and, as mentioned in the definition, worshipped Baal, the sun. Christianity was brought to them from Ireland by the famous St. Columba, who settled on the island of Iona and preached the gospel.

Scottish Covenanters

In the 1600's, the Scottish Covenanters, descendants of those converted by the influence of Columba, were persecuted in a horrible era called the "Killing Times." These men and women were strong in the faith, and not at all like their pagan ancestors. They were unwilling to obey the unbiblical mandates of the King of England, and for this they were hunted, tortured, and executed.

Hunted and Harried

R. M. Ballantyne was directly descended from the Covenanters, and wrote Hunted and Harried which is a tale of these courageous ancestors. The book details the horrors to which the faithful Scots were exposed, and their firmness and resolution in the face of persecution. One of the few historical novels which Ballantyne wrote, he obviously thought it necessary to honor the heritage and bless the memory of these now-departed heroes.

RMB's first and middle names also have an interesting meaning. Robert, his first name, means "bright fame." I doubt that his parents could have guessed just how famous their son would become. His middle name, Michael, is taken from the Bible and means "Who is like the Lord?" A fitting name indeed for a famous Christian.

In my opinion, Robert Michael Ballantyne helped to redeem the connotation of his last name. The surname "Ballantyne" is no longer associated with pagan sacrifices. Instead, it is associated with a man who was a firm believer in the one true God, a man who earnestly desired to bring others to the knowledge of his God, and a man who spared no effort through his books in praising and proclaiming the true rule of our God.

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

Posted by John Horn at 09:18 PM | Permalink

Ballantyne's Life: An Introduction

September 14, 2009

Although Robert Michael Ballantyne's life has been summarized, and many facets extensively discussed on this blog, I want to begin a series of posts which thoroughly cover his life. By now, I hope, you are familiar with some of the main occurrences in our hero's adventurous existence, but I wish to cement a chronological view of his career, broken into seven segments, as follows:

1. Boyhood

2. Hudson's Bay

3. Early Literary Endeavors

4. Seasoned Author

5. Marriage and Family

6. Later Years

7. Death and Memorial

To each of these time periods I will devote a post, the length of which will depend upon the notable occurences in these years. Most likely, these posts will appear occassionally throughout the next several months, but at the same time I will continue to write about other aspects of Ballantyne's career.

Tutela ex Vulnero!

John

Posted by John Horn at 08:38 AM | Permalink

R.M.B: Man of Generosity

August 13, 2009

Generosity, according to Webster's 1828 Dictionary, is defined as liberality in principle; a disposition to give liberally or to bestow favors; a quality of the heart or mind opposed to meanness or parsimony. Was this one of Ballantyne's character qualities? Yes.

When Ballantyne returned from the Arctic wasteland of present-day Canada, fulfilling his five year contract with the Hudson's Bay Company, he learned of his father's recent death. At the age of twenty-two, Ballantyne was now the only man at home, responsible for the care of his widowed mother and five unmarried sisters. Robert's brothers, James and John, were both married and had their own families to provide for. James lived in India teaching foreign languages, and John was setting up in London as a promising artist. They helped as much as they were able, but it was "Bob" (as his sisters affectionately called him), who cheerfully bore the brunt of the Ballantyne family's financial responsibilities.

During this time, Ballantyne worked as a clerk with the North British Railway Company, earning an adequate but limited salary. His mother and sisters soon established a small school for young ladies in the training of art, languages, literature, and drawing, which helped contribute to the family income. While many young men would have left needy families to provide for themselves, Ballantyne illustrated his Christian upbringing and dutiful nature by his sacrificial generosity.

Most of Robert's unmarried years were spent in the house of his brother and sister-in-law, John and "Teenie" Ballantyne. John was a talented artist, but without many connections in London, he struggled to obtain work. During these hard times Robert would help support the young couple, generously assisting them monetarily. The relationship was dear to the young man, and it was a pleasure to financially help his struggling brother.

As a member and elder of the Free Church of Scotland, (more upon this subject later), Ballantyne also contributed to the many causes supported by his church. While researching online, I discovered the recorded giving to the Free Church for one month, in 1858, between February 15th and March 15th. Broken into separate funds, in this one month Ballantyne gave a total of eight pounds to the church, which was the equivallent of $38.88 at the time. If you were alive and had wished to spend this same amount of money in Boston, at roughly the same time, you could have purchased 116 pounds of the finest Java coffee! (I certainly hope you wouldn't need that much.) If, perhaps, you didn't require or desire so much coffee, you could instead have bought 505 pounds of flour with the same amount of money that Mr. Ballantyne gave away in one month. That would make quite a bit of bread!

R.M.B, in that single month, gave one pound for the Home Mission, two for the Sustentation Fund, one for the Highlands, another for Foreign Missions, two for the Jewish Fund and one more to the College.

Ballantyne obviously believed in these causes, or else he would not have given so sacrificially. As stewards of what the Lord has given us, it is right and proper to use these resources for the benefit of those around. Robert Michael Ballantyne is an illustration of this principle. I hope that every one who reads this post will feel encouraged, as I have, to consider again how they use their God-given resources. May we use every cent and dollar, or, as in Ballantyne's case, every shilling and pound, to the glory of God.

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

Some information in this blog post is taken from "The Home and foreign record of the Free Church of Scotland, Vol. 2, August 1857 - July 1858". Published in Edinburgh by James Nisbet and Co.

Posted by John Horn at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Ready for Action!

August 11, 2009

Howdy to all the Ballantyne the Brave readers! My name is John, and I will be doing a lot of writing here on the blog. Thank you, Josh, for all the kind things you said about me in your previous post. I'm really looking forward to working on this site, and hopefully keeping the blog updated. In the coming months I hope to post a lot of interesting information on Ballantyne and his books.

But enough of me, now for Ballantyne! As I'm sure you know by now, R.M.B. was a man of great character. In the months to follow, I will be writing a series of articles on different aspects of Ballantyne's nature (as well as many other subjects). Future titles in the Man of Character series may include:

Man of Generosity

Man of Adventure

Man of Family

Man of Technology

Man of Research

Man of Faith

Do you have some particular areas you would like to see addressed? If so, please send them to me, and if I like the idea, I might use it.

Watch for Man of Generosity, coming soon!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

~John

Posted by John Horn at 09:29 AM | Permalink