"The Pilgrims' Progress: A Tale of the Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository" by John Connolly (from Connolly's collection Night & Day, 2024)
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository came into a being as a short story that was published in book form by Mysterious Press in 2003; the story went on to win the Edgar and Anthony Awards for Best Short Story in 2014; it was included in the author's collection Night Music: Nocturne Volume Two, 2015. Since then the author has added two additional stories to the series: "Unquiet Slumbers" (in the anthology Goldsboro Books First Edition 21, 2020; also included in Night & Day) and "The Pilgrims' Progress" (in Night & Day).
The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository is a unique, otherworldly building/institute where the living breathing characters of literary fiction reside, along with a pristine first edition of the book in which they appeared. As new literary characters appear n its doorstep, the library expands, Tardis-like, to accommodate them. with their fictional world coming into existence just outside their window. The library has been existence since the 15th century under the watchful eyes of a changing group of directors, each of whom appear to have been selected by the library itself. Exactly why the library came about or how it was created is unknown. as is how it has been maintained over the centuries. When a work of fiction becomes extremely popular, a package containing a first edition of the work appears mysteriously at the library's door, to be followed by the most popular character of the book, sometimes confused, sometimes self-assured. Almost always, only one character per book is allowed, although apparently both Holmes and Watson showed up. There is no hard and fast rule: a book by Samuel Beckett that was to appear has not. and the character from that book has yet to make an appearance.
"The Pilgrim's Progress" takes us back to the founding of the Library, back in 1477, following the first printing of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, where printer William Caxton woke up to find five oddly dressed individuals in his front yard arguing about how they got to be there. They happened to be the Knight, the Miller, the Wife of Bath, the Summoner, and the Nun's Priest. A few days later they were joined by another Pilgrim. Also soon to arrive was a copy of the book, one without the irregularities caused by printing of that time. It was soon obvious who these people were, and Caxton and his assistant -- the aptly named Wynkyn de Worde, were an a quandary and very much afraid that they would be accused of sorcery -- something no one in 15th century England wants to have happen.
William and Wynkyn turn to William's trusted relative Richard Caxton, who was one of the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey, for advice. As they try to parse out what has happened, they wonder if more fictional characters might appear from other books, perhaps appearing in the future from books yet to be written. They decide on an experiment. Convincing the abbot of Westminster of the beneficial effects to the Abbey if other literary characters night appear, the Abbot agrees to published two religious tracts, one extolling Thomas Aquinas, and the other, a very (very, very, very ) minor religious figure, Cominatus, to see if either might suddenly appear. Neither did, although the tract about Cominatus -- which offered no information about the man or his deeds -- proved to be very popular and Cominatus was now being revered greatly.
To find out how William, Wynkyn, and Richard were able to establish the Library and keep its literary residents safely hidden from worldly eyes, I'm afraid you would have to read the story. It's a good one.
Irish author John Connolly is the best-selling writer of the Charlie Parker mystery series (the fist of which , the Samuel Johnson stories for young adults, the science fiction trilogy Chronicles of the Invaders, and the duology about the Book of Lost Things. With Declan Burke, he produced the award-winning Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels. More recently, he edited the massive Shadow Voices: 100 Years of Irish Genre Fiction, a History in Stories. Over his career, Connolly has been nominated for sixteen awards, winning five of them, including A Shamus, a Barry, an Anthony, an Agatha, and an Edgar.
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