Parnassus on Wheels

by Christopher Morley

Overview

Parnassus on Wheels is a 1917 novel written by Christopher Morley. The title refers to the Mount Parnassus of Greek mythology; it was the home of the Muses.

Parnassus on Wheels is Morley's first novel, about a fictional traveling book-selling business. The original owner of the business, Roger Mifflin, sells it to 39-year-old Helen McGill, who is tired of taking care of her older brother, Andrew. Andrew is a former businessman turned farmer, turned author. As an author, he begins using the farm as his Muse rather than a livelihood. When Mifflin shows up with his traveling bookstore, Helen buys it-partly to prevent Andrew from buying it-and partly to treat herself to a long-overdue adventure of her own. The first of two novels to be written from a woman's perspective, as well as the prequel to a later novel (The Haunted Bookshop), Parnassus on Wheels was inspired by David Grayson's novel, The Friendly Road, and starts with an open letter to Grayson, taking him to task for not concerning himself (except in passing) with his sister's opinion of and reaction to his adventure. (wikipedia.org)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798889421818
Publisher:	Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Christopher Morley (1890-1957) was a New York newspaper columnist who wrote over one hundred books, including the bestselling novels The Haunted Bookshop and Kitty Foyle, which sold over a million copies and was made into a hit Hollywood movie.

Editorial Reviews

[A] most unforcedly charming whimsy.”

Life

Nadia May brings a delightful sense of adventure to this light turn-of-the-century tale.”

AudioFile

To read Parnassus on Wheels is to be glad there are books in the world. It is graceful in style, light in substance, merry in its attitude toward life, and entertaining in every aspect of its plot and insight into character.”

Boston Evening Transcript

"Don’t let its small size deceive you..the story of a traveling bookseller and the unexpected love he finds when selling his bookmobile packs a big heart."
—Martha Stewart Weddings, 10 Classic Love Stories to Add to Your Reading List

Praise for The Art of the Novella
"I wanted them all, even those I'd already read."
—Ron Rosenbaum, The New York Observer

"Small wonders."
—Time Out London

"[F]irst-rate…astutely selected and attractively packaged…indisputably great works."
—Adam Begley, The New York Observer

"I’ve always been haunted by Bartleby, the proto-slacker. But it’s the handsomely minimalist cover of the Melville House edition that gets me here, one of many in the small publisher’s fine 'Art of the Novella' series."
—The New Yorker

"The Art of the Novella series is sort of an anti-Kindle. What these singular, distinctive titles celebrate is book-ness. They're slim enough to be portable but showy enough to be conspicuously consumed—tiny little objects that demand to be loved for the commodities they are."
—KQED (NPR San Francisco)

"Some like it short, and if you're one of them, Melville House, an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, has a line of books for you... elegant-looking paperback editions ...a good read in a small package."
—The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher