This week marked Reading Week, with World Book Day falling on the Thursday. Durham School has had more than its fair share of literary alumni, and the archive library is full of the novels, biographies, and poetry collections that they have produced over the years. The above photograph shows a selection of these works, ranging from early seventeenth century prose to contemporary YA fantasy. 

The first book predates the novel form, being more accurately described as a jest book or jest biography, a genre popular in Renaissance fiction. These were collections of amusing anecdotes typically centred around a mischievous anti-hero protagonist; examples include Richard Edwards' Comic Stories (1570), Richard Johnson's The Pleasant Conceits of Old Hobson (1607), and the anonymous The Pinder of Wakefield (1632). The anonymously written Dobsons Drie Bobbes (1607) follows the exploits and adventures of George Dobson, a Chorister and Durham School pupil from 1557 to 1568. We see him enter the guardianship of his uncle, Canon Thomas Pentley; advance as a Chorister and Durham School student; enter Christ's College, Cambridge; be expelled; work for a time as an ostler; and eventually become a canon of Durham Cathedral. It represents a hybrid of the jest biography and the novella, and an argument could be made that it is a long-overlooked 'Missing Link' in the history of the English novel. 

Several school alumni have become successful poets. The eighteenth-century Christopher Smart (1722-1771) wrote several famous poems, including the satirical epic The Hilliad (1753), the religious piece A Song to David (1763) and his magnum opus Jubilate Agno (1759-1763, pub. 1939) which features the famous and frequently anthologised ode to his cat, Geoffrey. These latter works were written when Smart was in St. Luke's mental asylum from 1757 to 1763. Durham School's two war poets, Nowell Oxland and William Noel Hodgson, are represented in the above photo with their respective anthologies Poems & Stories (1916) and Verse and Prose in Peace and War (1917). Both close friends at school, their poetry was published posthumously; Hodgson was killed in July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, while Oxland was killed a year prior in August 1915. The edition of Hodgson's poetry seen here has been rebound to be awarded at Durham School for the W.N. Hodgson Prize for English; this particular copy was given to H.C. Ferens in July 1917. 

In between the volumes of poetry is a Victorian novel by Robert Smith Surtees, who attended Durham School from 1818-1819 before being withdrawn by his parents to become a solicitor in Newcastle. The above book, Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour (1853), is regarded as his best work, and centres around unscrupulous Victorian horse-seller 'Soapey' Sponge. Sponge's comedic exploits and his encounters with various outlandish characters- the Earl of Scamperdale, Mr Jawleyford, Jogglebury Crowdey, Sir Harry Scattercrash- make up much of the novel. Perhaps more immediately famous was Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities (1838), a series of short stories revolving around cockney grocer Jorrocks and his experiences fox-hunting. His works were illustrated by noted caricaturist John Leech, who also illustrated the works of Charles Dickens. A statue of Jorrocks can be found in Croydon. 

Moving into the twentieth century, we are fortunate enough to have a copy of Ian Hay's Pip (1907), specifically a second impression signed by the author. Ian Hay was the pen-name of John Hay Beith (1876-1952), who was Assistant Master at Durham School from 1902 to 1906. Much of his books were inspired by his time as a teacher. Pip, his successful debut novel, centres around a schoolboy while Marbledown School in Housemaster (1936) is partially based on Durham. His later life would see him collaborate with such literary titans as P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, and even publish an overview of The Battle of Flanders in 1940 for the War Office. 

This copy of Pip is a particular notable one, as it carries the following handwritten inscription in the inside cover: 

'Miss Helen Speirs, with the Author's best wishes. 

JHB, 5. IX. 08' 

 And, on the following page, a limerick written in the same pen: '

Hastings, Sept. 1908 

To the garden Miss Speirs took a trip, 

The juice of an apple to sip,

I was sent as explorer, 

To steal the fruit for her; 

And I gave her both apple and "Pip"!' 

It may edify the reader to learn that John Beith married Miss Helen Speirs in 1915. 

Beith taught the young Hugh Walpole (1884-1941), who attended Durham School between 1898 and 1903 before becoming a popular novelist in his own right. Walpole led a fascinating life, and his time at Durham- although not wholly enjoyable- helped contribute towards books such as Mr Perrin and Mr Traill (1911), the Jeremy trilogy (1919-1927), and The Cathedral (1922). The above book, Vanessa (1933), is the third book in the popular Herries Chronicles series that began with Rogue Herries in 1930. This series was his most successful, and is a family saga inspired equally by his childhood love of creating family trees and the wonderful countryside of Cumbria. 

Moving into the modern day, Janet MacLeod Trotter's The Suffragette (1996) is next. While not technically an Old Dunelmian, Janet MacLeod Trotter was the daughter of Norman MacLeod, the Caffinites Housemaster from 1953 to 1968, and spent much of her childhood in Number 2 Pimlico. She was even present during the opening of MacLeod House in 2005. Inspired by Emily Davison, The Suffragette (1996) centres around the Edwardian Maggie Beaton as she joins the suffragettes and fights for freedom. The book is one of her many historical novels centred around Tyneside; other family sagas include The Raj Hotel series, set in 1920s-1940s India, and the Durham Trilogy, beginning in the 1920s and culminating in the 1984 Miner's Strike. 

The final book on our literary tour is Alexander Armstrong's Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, published as recently as 2024; this copy has been signed by the author. The book follows the 12-year-old Sam as he uncovers a secret society called 'the Order of the Evening'. The average Old Dunelmian will notice, however, that the book is steeped in local references. Prebends Bridge, Potters Bank, Albert Street, Baths Bridge and St. Brandon's Church in Brancepeth all make appearances. Sam lives at Langley Terrace, a fictional suburb of Durham, while the society he is investigating is located at the mysterious palace of 'Bellasis'. It is impossible to say for sure, but I cannot help but wonder if Alexander Armstrong had Bishop Thomas Langley (Durham School's founder) and Bellasis Farm (the land on which Durham School lies) in mind when he created these names.