The Voyage of the HMS Beagle - Charles Darwin

      A couple of days ago we had lunch with our good friends, Robert and Mary Ann, and Robert presented me with a real treasure, a 1908 reprint of Darwin's famous round-the-world voyage on the HMS Beagle. When first published it became instantly popular and was the equivalent of a best seller today. It had many aspects of a grand adventure, rivalling popular fiction, and introduced its readers to far corners of the world still shrouded in mystery. 

     One must remember that 1908 was a mere twenty-six years after Darwin's death.

     Robert bought this book in a secondhand bookstore in the very early 1970s in Baie-Comeau, a small city about 400km northeast of Québec City, and researched the name of the original owner, who acquired the book in 1911, and was able to determine that she was probably a local resident. It is interesting to reflect that demand for Darwin's work had already reached these outposts of eastern Canada in the early years of the twentieth century, a reflection of the worldwide interest in the works of the great man.

     Alice felt the need to inscribe her name back and front; probably an indication of how much she valued the work.

     Women of this period were deeply involved in science, then popularly known as philosophy. I am curious about Alice, how old was she, what was her status in life, would she and I have enjoyed each other's company? I suspect we would.

     Perhaps there is an advantage in not knowing her - I am free to conjure up my own impressions. 

     This volume is part of the Everyman series, edited by the legendary Ernest Rhys. A publishing venture, designed to bring the classics and other works to the general public at an affordable price, it has been described as the greatest venture in popular publishing that Great Britain has ever known. As we see, its tentacles reached around the world, especially throughout the colonial empire of the time, on which the sun famously never set.

      The book is bound in canvass and was of a size easily carried in a man's jacket pocket or a lady's handbag.

    Embossed into the front cover is the emblem of the publisher J.M. Dent & Co.

     The spine is exquisitely embellished with a design based on the art of William Morris, whose patterns are still found in  wallpaper and fabric stores to this day.

     

     The following quotation from the medieval play Everyman appeared on the title page of all volumes of Everyman's Library.

     Books such as this, widely disseminated to  increasingly literate and curious societies, were type set by hand, an arduous and lengthy task. The results are impressive.

     Not an inch of space was wasted!

     I am not quite sure whether the following statement was included by Darwin or the publisher, but without doubt it applies to most of us.

    A close English translation is, "I know that I know nothing," a sentiment that is often on my mind!

     I cherish this book deeply and I am very grateful to Robert for giving it to me. If you love books as I do, it goes far beyond the printed page. It encapsulates history, and cries out for a connection to the past. The book is not in pristine condition as you will note from the pictures, but in reality that matters little. It is evidence  that the book was well loved and well used, and no finer endorsement could be made.  One hundred and fifteen years have passed since Alice wrote her name in the book, but her presence is alive today and will live on forever as long as this book survives. 

     I intend to make sure it does. 

Additional Information

     Alice Grace Axelson was born in 1893 in Moline, Illinois, USA. In 1915, in Illinois, she married George James "Jim," Lane (1890-1977).

     Therefore, Alice could not have acquired the book in Baie-Comeau since she was still a resident of Illinois at that time. She must have cherished it, however, since she took it with her when she accompanied her husband to Baie-Comeau in 1937, where he was the chief executive of a major pulp and paper company, Québec North Shore Paper. After Jim's retirement they moved to the Niagara region of southern Ontario. Alice and her husband are buried at St. Mark's Cemetery, Niagara-on-the-Lake.

     Alice was responsible for founding the first library in Baie-Comeau which bears her name to this day.

"Cette bibliothèque se trouve au 6, avenue Radisson, à Baie-Comeau. Son nom rappelle le souvenir d'Alice Lane, née Axelson (1893-1980), femme de George James Lane. Elle a contribué au développement social de Baie-Comeau, notamment par l'implantation de la première bibliothèque. Née en Illinois, elle est arrivée à Baie-Comeau en 1937. Elle y a résidé jusqu'en 1965. Son mari a été gérant de la compagnie Quebec North Shore Paper."

Translation: This library is located at 6 Radisson Avenue, Baie-Comeau. It is named in memory of Alice Lane, née Axelson (1893-1980), wife of George James Lane. She contributed to the social enrichment of Baie-Comeau, notably by the founding of the first library. Born in Illinois, she arrived in Baie-Comeau in 1937. She lived there until 1965. Her husband was head of the company Québec North Shore Paper.

      The 18th Prime Minister of Canada, Martin Brian Mulroney, the son of Irish Canadian parents, was born in Baie-Comeau and spent his early life there. It is fascinating to conjecture that he may have formulated his early political ambitions while using the library.

     This book has really taken me on a voyage of discovery! 

     Thank you again, Robert. Merçi encore, Robert.