Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a British writer who published under the pen name of Q. He is best known for the Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900, but was also a prolific novelist.
Quiller-Couch’s novel Poison Island is the story of Harry who meets a mysterious Captain Coffin. Coffin is planning a voyage to the Honduras, where he expects to find treasure, while avoiding the poison of the title.
Arthur Linfoot read Poison Island while on holiday in St. Andrews on 5 July 1915.
Finished reading She1. Went to the Baptist chapel in the morning with Ernie. Walked along the golf links in the afternoon. Aggie Froxon and Alec Anderson to tea. Ernie said we were going to Hope Street church2, but we went on to the sea front. Grand night.
See She and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Hope Street church: no church by this name now exists, but there is a Hope Park and Martyrs church in St Andrew’s, at the intersection of St. Mary’s Place and Hope Street. See also St Andrews map. ↩
Went to bathe at 6 o’clock. Walked along Kinkel<l> Braes1 and read “She”2. Went down to the sea front in the afternoon and read. Went out with Hilda at night and met Ernie. Grand weather.
“She”: novel by Rider Haggard, of “King Solomon’s Mines” fame. See also She and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
She is a novel by H. Rider Haggard (1856–1925), first serialised in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887.
The story is a first-person narrative that follows the journey of Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey to a lost kingdom in the African interior where they encounter Ayesha, the eponymous “She”.
She remains one of Rider Haggard’s most popular books and has never been out of print.
Arthur Linfoot started to read She while on holiday in St. Andrews on 3 July 1915 and finished it the next day.
Resting so didn’t get a bathe. Up about 9 o’clock. British torpedo destroyer “Lightning”1 damaged by mine or submarine. Walked round by Mount Melville 2 in the afternoon. Had walk with Ernie at night.
HMS Lightning was a Janus class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, later designated an A-class destroyer, built by Palmers (itself the principal target of the Zeppelin raid recorded on 15 June) and launched in 1895. She was sunk by a mine laid by submarine UC-1 on 30 June. ↩
Mount Melville Estate, now Craigtoun Country Park. See also St Andrews map. ↩
Got up shortly after 6 o‘clock and went down for a bathe. Walked round town in the morning and down to the sea side. Read some of Omar1 and a bit from “Everyman.”2 Ernie off in the afternoon. * took some photos and developed them. Smashed a lamp and had some trouble and fuss. Walked out last thing with Ernie.
Omar Khayyám; see note on 29 June, Omar Khayyám and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Everyman: see Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩