the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 

 
 
 

Record Number: 22313


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Here I am, here. And very well too. And I read your hymn, which is a very good hymn. And I was delighted with how you patted Pater on the back and promised him some cake if he kept a good little boy till the holidays.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Jun 1876

Country:

unknown

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

13 Nov 1850

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

Uncommitted

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

unknown

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Sidney Colvin

Title:

�A Greek Hymn�.

Genre:

Classics, Essays / Criticism, Poetry, Translation and commentary on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

Form of Text:

Print: Serial / periodical

Publication Details

In the June 1876 issue of the "Cornhill Magazine".

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

22313

Source:

Print

Author:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Editor:

Bradford A. Booth

Title:

The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879

Place of Publication:

New Haven and London

Date of Publication:

1994

Vol:

2

Page:

174

Additional Comments:

Letter 435, To Sidney Colvin, [Early June 1876], Swanston. Co-editor Ernest Mehew. The foregoing material in square brackets has been added by the editors

Citation:

Robert Louis Stevenson, Bradford A. Booth (ed.), The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879, (New Haven and London, 1994), 2, p. 174, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=22313, accessed: 03 February 2026


Additional Comments:

On p. 174, the Editors� Note 2 to Letter 435 reads: �In the June "Cornhill", under the title �A Greek Hymn�, Colvin published a translation of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. In his commentary he praised the �accustomed charm of thought and style� of Pater�s article �The Myth of Demeter and Persephone� in the January and February issues of the "Fortnightly".