Record Number: 33960

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Many thanks for your new book: I see that there are many things that I have read before, and shall be glad to read again in book form. Last evening I read your poignant incident—revolution in the "Nation"—those poor devils!’

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1909 and 7 Jun 1910

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
specific address: 40 St Luke's Road, West London

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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

William Henry Hudson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

4 Aug 1841

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Field naturalist, author

Religion:

Protestant (Anglican) in childhood only

Country of Origin:

Argentina

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

John Galsworthy

Title:

A Motley

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book, Serial / periodical

Publication Details

London: Heinemann, 1910

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

33960

Source:

Print

Author:

William Henry Hudson

Editor:

Denis Shrubsall

Title:

The Unpublished Letters of W. H. Hudson, the First Literary Environmentalist, 1841-1922

Place of Publication:

Lewiston, N.Y.

Date of Publication:

2006

Vol:

2

Page:

437

Additional Comments:

Letter from Hudson to John Galsworthy, 20 June 1910, 40 St Luke's Road, West London.

Citation:

William Henry Hudson, Denis Shrubsall (ed.), The Unpublished Letters of W. H. Hudson, the First Literary Environmentalist, 1841-1922, (Lewiston, N.Y., 2006), 2, p. 437, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=33960, accessed: 09 May 2025

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Additional Comments:

The source editor regards the book being referred to here as Galsworthy's "Fraternity" (p.437, fn.632), which is a novel. This was not new, having appeared in 1909. I consider that in fact Hudson was referring to "A Motley", a very recently published collection of short stories previously serialised. The date range is wide since Hudson may have read some of the stories the previous year.