Hey, gang,
Did you ever wonder what Barnabas did to pass the time of night on those occasions when he
wasn't "quenching" his "thirst"?
Well, since we all know that Barnabas eschewed all of the "modern conveniences" in the Old House, maybe he spent a considerable amount of time by curling up in a chair in the Old House drawing room, and reading a good book by candlelight (just like he probably did during those cold winter nights in Maine during the late 18th century)?
Now, Barnabas did have a selection of books, albeit a rather small selection, in that bookcase in front of the secret room in the Old House. So, perhaps he borrowed any number of books from Mrs. Stoddard's voluminous library in the great house of Collinwood? Then again, perhaps he also sent Willie Loomis into town regularly, so that Willie could request the latest book releases at the Collinsport library or to purchase both books and magazines at Collinsport's local book store? (Maybe Barnabas even became a regular subscriber to such respected magazines as National Geographic, Time and, possibly, National Lampoon?)
Of course, after being locked up in that coffin for so many years, Barnabas had a heck of a lot of catching up to do. I'd have to think that Barnabas would want to read a cross section of works, encompassing history, fiction and world travel.
Here are a few titles I think that Mr. B. would enjoy reading at about three in the morning in the Old House:
1. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy - coming in at 1388 pages long.
2. "Shogun: The Epic Novel of Japan" by James Clavell - coming in at 998 pages long.
3. "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - with four novels and 56 short stories coming in at over 1000 pages. (Note: The Strand Magazine began publishing Sir Arthur's stories about the world's most famous consulting detective in the late 19th century, so Barnabas
might have read some of these works after he I-Chinged back to Collinwood in 1897, and Judith or Edward just happened to have the Strand Magazine lying about in the drawing room at Collinwood.)
4. "Truman" by David G. McCullough - coming in at 1117 pages long. Being an astute student of history, both American and European, perhaps Barnabas would enjoy reading Mr. McCullough's superb biography of "Give "Em Hell" Harry Truman. (I venture to say that we could also use a truly great leader like Harry Truman today, but I digress.)
5. "Noble House" also by James Clavell - coming in at 1370 pages. Mr. Clavell's novel dealing with contemporary Hong Kong would probably keenly interest a former sea captain like Barnabas, who had traveled much of the known world in the 18th century.
Can you think of any other books, preferably long ones, which might interest Barnabas and help him "make it through the night," so to speak?
Bob