Sarban and his strange books

Sarban was the pen name of John William Wall (1910-1989), a senior British diplomat, who held several posts in the Foreign Office, most notably in the Middle East. As a writer he was an admirer of the subtle strange stories of Arthur Machen and Walter de la Mare and this is reflected in his three most significant books, published in 1951, 1953 and 1955 respectively. 

‘Ringstones and Other Tales’ contains 5 stories, the title story being the longest and most significant. Its protagonist, Daphne is hired as a teacher to 3 boys at Ringstones Hall in Northumberland. The hall is named after a stone circle on the moors nearby. It is here that Daphne experiences strange survivals of ancient races, of which one of the children, in particular, seems to have some knowledge. She is rescued from what would have been an ominous end. Steeped in atmosphere it is a disconcerting story and deserves to be better known.

‘The sound of his Horn’ is a standalone short novel, in which an injured British soldier dreams of a dystopian future in which Germany have won the Second World War and are engaging in bizarre hunting involving genetically modified captives. The title refers to the old song ‘Do You Ken John Peel’, which uses the phrase “the sound of his horn”. In Sarban’s story this motif carries definitely unnerving connotations and in some ways this story anticipates the recent ‘Hunger Games’ novels.‘The Doll Maker’ is the longest story in Sarban’s third collection of three stories and is an excellent weird story in which the 18 year old Claire Lydgate falls under the spell of Niall Sterne (the doll maker) who introduces her to his fantastic miniature landscapes peopled with small figures. She realises that he is extracting blood from humans and essentially recreating them as miniature dolls. She escapes this fate and destroys the doll worlds. It sounds too bizarre to be credible, but Sarban’s genius is to lure the reader in to the weird world he has created, resulting in a thrilling climax to the novel.

A recent revival of interest in Sarban is due in no small measure to Yorkshire based Tartarus Press, who have republished all the contents of the three books published in his lifetime, plus additional stories, here first published, including a fourth volume ‘The Sacrifice and Other Stories’. ;

We are also indebted to Mark Valentinewho has published a richly illustrated biography of Sarban ‘Time, A Falconer: a Study of Sarban’ (2010) which sheds much new light on this author.

Dublin and Its Bookshops

We have been spending time in the many bookshops of Dublin over many visits since the 1980s. It is a city singularly blessed with excellent new, second hand and antiquarian shops, most of which are located in the area bounded on the north by Parnell Street and on the south by St Stephen’s Green. For reasons of sentiment our first visit is normally to the magnificent Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street, though it has occupied many other locations since its founding in 1768 (making it one of the world’s oldest bookshops). In Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ Stephen Dedalus muses “The virgin at Hodges Figgis’ window on Monday looking in for one of the alphabet books you were going to write. Keen glance you gave her.” 

Spread over four floors Hodges Figgis is strong in all categories with a very impressive selection of the works of Irish writers and display cases for fine books and is surely one of the finest bookshops in the British Isles. 

 

Just around the corner from Hodges Figgis is ‘Ulysses Rare Books’ (formerly Cathach Books) on Duke Street. Here you will find fabulous editions of Irish authors and other literary works that would form the basis of a serious collection. It is a very friendly shop and it is wonderful to be able to get close to some of the most sought after books of the 20th century and earlier. Several of our favourite books by Joyce, Le Fanu and Yeats have moved from Ulysses Rare Books to our shelves.

The Winding Stair bookshop sits on the north bank of the Liffey at the end of the Ha’Penny Bridge. It once covered several floors with small rooms off the staircase packed with second hand books. Now it is a relatively small new bookshop all on the ground level but worth a visit.

Chapters Bookshop on Parnell Street is a large new and second hand shop, with a cafe upstairs and a fabulous stock of books in all categories. It takes time to cover it all but worth the effort.

Books Upstairs is a bookshop on D’Olier Street, with a large stock of mainly new but some secondhand, it has a vibrant atmosphere and comprises two joined buildings with rooms upstairs. 

Finally, back to the antiquarian, and mention must be made of Stokes Books in the South Great George Street arcade. Crammed into a small rare book room is an excellent stock with a lot of Irish interest. I have been coming to this book spot for many years and the knowledgeable owner is always happy to talk.