Project Gutenberg 2000-05-01 Public domain in the USA. 102 Cooper, Susan Fenimore 1813 1894 Penfeather, Amabel The Lumley Autograph Produced by Hugh C. MacDougall. HTML version by Al Haines. "The Lumley Autograph" by Susan Fenimore Cooper is a satirical novella published in the mid-19th century. This work addresses the autograph collecting craze of the time, exploring themes of ambition, poverty, and the sometimes absurd nature of literary fame. The author, who was the daughter of the famous writer James Fenimore Cooper, conveys her commentary on the literary world through a narrative set against the backdrop of London during a bleak November. The story follows the journey of a letter written by a starving poet, which ultimately becomes an object of great desire among collectors. Beginning with the poet in distress, the letter captures his plea for help and hints at the irony that often accompanies the life of artists—great talent does not always equate to success or recognition, instead it can lead to dire situations. As the letter passes through various hands, including that of a nobleman and a trunk-maker, the narrative satirizes the superficiality of those who covet the poet's insignia without understanding the depth of his struggle. Ultimately, the letter’s fateful loss amid a collecting party underscores the transient nature of fame and the eccentric obsessions of collectors, leaving readers to reflect on the value of artistic works beyond mere signatures. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 56.4 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Satire Autographs -- Collectors and collecting -- Fiction PS Text Category: Humour Category: Novels Category: British Literature 96354 2025-07-01T12:04:10.527092 text/html 92193 2020-12-31T15:35:56 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 35301 2020-12-31T15:35:56 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 108271 2025-07-01T12:04:15.128131 application/epub+zip 107546 2025-07-01T12:04:12.852152 application/epub+zip 101950 2025-07-01T12:04:11.854067 application/epub+zip 210462 2025-07-01T12:04:16.821037 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 206444 2025-07-01T12:04:14.554044 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 180472 2022-09-01T14:05:38.094719 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 87123 2025-07-01T12:04:10.244051 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 86957 2020-12-31T15:35:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 34251 2020-12-31T15:35:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18861 2025-07-01T12:04:16.945091 application/rdf+xml 13079 2025-07-01T12:04:12.337059 image/jpeg 3429 2025-07-01T12:04:12.095091 image/jpeg 106303 2025-07-01T12:04:10.536093 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia