Читать книгу The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard - Arthur Conan Doyle - Страница 4

The text of this volume in the main is that originally passed by Arthur Conan Doyle for publication in the Strand where these stories appeared in the order assigned here: the first in the issue for December 1894, the next six in those for April to September 1895 inclusive, the last in that for December 1895. The reader thus can conveniently judge how Conan Doyle initially conceived his Brigadier, and how he developed the creation and his world with increasing sophistication and historical craft. Gerard evidently narrates the events of the first story during Napoleon’s lifetime, probably before his abdication in April 1814 or possibly between his return and Waterloo, whereas the other stories are supposedly delivered at a much later date (the 1840s for the rest of the Exploits, the 1850s and perhaps later for the Adventures), The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard was originally published in book form by George Newnes, publisher of the Strand, on 15 February 1896, with its stories reordered in historical sequence, thus necessitating a few deletions, notably the first sentence on p. 26, and the first five sentences on p. 74 (the loss of the latter eliminating a comic gem). I have retained some minor revisions in the book-text.

I have added head-notes to each of the stories, to supply the chronology of the Exploits and add an additional whiff of historical context.

O.D.E.