A Flat Iron for a Farthing Or Some Passages in the Life of an Only Son

📘 About This Book

A Flat Iron for a Farthing or Some Passages in the Life of an only Son by Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing When the children clamour for a story, my wife says to me, "Tell them how you bought a flat iron for a farthing." Which I very gladly do; for three reasons. In the first place, it is about myself, and so I take an interest in it. Secondly, it is about some one very dear to me, as will appear hereafter. Thirdly, it is the only original story in my somewhat limited collection, and I am naturally rather proud of the favour with which it is invariably received. I think it was the foolish fancy of my dear wife and children combined that this most veracious history should be committed to paper. It was either because-being so unused to authorship-I had no notion of composition, and was troubled by a tyro tendency to stray from my subject; or because the part played by the flat iron, though important, was small; or because I and my affairs were most chiefly interesting to myself as writer, and my family as readers; or from a combination of all these reasons together, that my tale outgrew its first title and we had to add a second, and call it "Some Passages in the Life of an only Son." We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

📖 Summary

A Flat Iron for a Farthing Or Some Passages in the Life of an Only Son by Juliana Horatia Ewing invites readers into a deeply personal narrative framed as a cherished family tale. The framing of the book begins when the author's wife suggests telling the children how he once bought a flat iron for a farthing. The narrator embraces this request gladly, citing three main reasons for doing so: the story is about himself, which naturally sparks his interest; it concerns someone very dear to him; and it stands as the only truly original story in his somewhat limited collection. Because of these factors, he takes a modest pride in the warm reception the tale invariably receives from his eager audience. As the narrative unfolds across its 198 pages, the book chronicles the formative experiences of an only son. The narrator reflects on his youth with a blend of humor, tenderness, and nostalgia, offering readers a window into the domestic life and emotional landscapes of the past. Although unused to the craft of authorship and initially troubled by the mechanics of literary composition, the narrator yields to the loving insistence of his family to commit this veracious history to paper. The resulting work captures the innocence and simple joys of childhood, emphasizing the deep bonds of affection that tie families together through generations. Through intimate storytelling, the book explores how small, seemingly insignificant childhood moments can carry profound emotional weight and shape a person's character for the rest of their life.

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