The Prince of India, or Why Constantine Fell, by Lew Wallace (two HC volumes, 1893, weak spines, $4 for the set of two)
How many of you know the story of Ben Hur? Long Before Charles Heston played him, the novel was a smash,
but this book is not Ben Hur, just by the same author.
Wallace was a lawyer, a Union General, and the Governor of the New Mexico Territory. Ben Hur, published in 1873, was his second novel. I was amazed to find out that it was Wallace, while governor, that supposedly offered Billy the Kid a pardon in exchange for his services as an informant against leaders of the Lincoln County War. Wallace's superiors, it is rumoured, nixed the plan, and Billy went back to his outlaw ways.
Ben Hur has always fascinated me. The 1950s movie was directed by William Wyler. Amazingly he had been one of 30 assistant directors of the 1925 film, and the one to direct its chariot race. The story goes that he only wanted to direct the new chariot scene, but was told he could only do that if he would direct the whole film. This might be true, but I am sure the $350,000 (the highest salary for a director at that time) and 8% of the film's gross had something to do with his acceptance.
What does ANY of this have to do with The Prince of India? Not a thing. I have actually read the first volume and it stinks. But feel free to check it out for yourself. Look for these volumes in the fiction section. (I refuse to shelve it with the classics, even if Ben Hur probably should be.)
