The Moosepath League
The Moosepath League Saga is a series of books by Van Reid.[1] The books are a loosely connected series of humorous adventures set in Maine in the late nineteenth century. The first book in the series was picked as a NY Times notable book of 1998.[2]
The founding members of the league are:
- Mr. Tobias Walton — league chairman;
- Mr Sundry Moss — assistant to Mr Walton;
- Mr. Matthew Ephram;
- Mr. Christopher Eagleton;
- Mr. Joseph Thump.
Mr. Walton is a genial Pickwickian character. Sundry Moss is nominally his valet but functions as general assistant and "fixer." Ephram, Eagleton and Thump are a trio of bumbling but thoroughly well-intentioned gentleman bachelors who inject comic farce into the proceedings.
The characters are a homage to Charles Dickens' Mr. Pickwick and company. In chapter four of Cordelia Underwood, Cordelia finds a copy of The Pickwick Papers in her uncle's trunk.
Author Van Reid says that the names of the characters Ephram, Eagleton and Thump were chosen to evoke the sound of a heavy object falling downstairs.
List of Books
| series order | title | publication date | publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cordelia Underwood, or the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League | 1998 | Viking | 0670880973 |
| 2 | Moss Farm, or the Mysterious Missives of the Moosepath League | 2012 | Moosepath Press | 9781467503822 |
| 3 | Mollie Peer, or the Underground Adventure of the Moosepath League | 1999 | Viking | 0670886335 |
| 4 | Daniel Plainway, or the Holiday Haunting of the Moosepath League | 2001 | Viking | 0670891711 |
| 5 | Mrs. Roberto, or the Widowy Worries of the Moosepath League | 2003 | Viking | 0670032255 |
| 6 | Fiddler's Green, or a Wedding, a Ball, and the Singular Adventures of Sundry Moss | 2004 | Viking | 0670033200 |
The adventures of The Moosepath League were first published in serial form in the Lincoln County Weekly, Damariscotta, Maine. They are now published by Van Reid's own publishing house The Moosepath Press
References
- ↑ "Innocents Adrift". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ↑ "Notable Books of 1998". New York Times. 1998-12-06. Retrieved 2008-06-26.