“ The day was bright and fair; land was nowhere to be seen; only a stretch of blue-green water through which the Miséricorde spanked with a light breeze at her stern. The white sails shone out in the sunlight, and the happy gulls called to one another above our heads. As I faced round and drank in mouthful after mouthful of the fresh salt air, my life seemed to revive within me, and I felt the strength rush back into my thews. But the greatest joy of all was that the maiden, seeing me stand there, came up and bade me a joyous welcome to the upper air once more. ”
Talbot Baines Reed
Biographical details
Talbot Baines Reed (1852–1893) was an English author and typefounder who pioneered the school story genre through works like The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's, blending vivid characterisation with straightforward narratives of youth and friendship. Unlike contemporaries who moralised openly, Reed prioritised authenticity, capturing the nuances of school life with empathy and wit.
His prolific contributions to The Boy’s Own Paper solidified his influence on boys’ fiction, while his authoritative History of the Old English Letter Foundries established him as a leading expert in typography. A polymath whose legacy endures in both literature and printing history, Reed’s dual expertise reflects his unique ability to connect art and craftsmanship.
Quotes by Talbot Baines Reed
Talbot Baines Reed,
Reginald Cruden
“ That afternoon Reginald paced the streets more like a hunted beast than a human being. All the bad side of his nature—his pride, his conceit, his selfishness—was stirred within him under a bitter sense of shame and indignity. He forgot how much his own intractable temper and stupid self-importance had contributed to his fall, and could think of nothing but Durfy’s triumph and the evil fate which at the very moment, when he was able to snap his fingers in the tyrant’s face, had driven him forth in disgrace with the tyrant’s fingers snapped in his face. ”
Talbot Baines Reed,
Roger Ingleton, Minor
“ Which way shall a man turn who would escape from himself?For two long hours he wandered on caring not which way he took, and feeling himself step by step closer beset by his dismal forebodings. Presently he found himself beyond the park boundaries on the open downs which stretched to the edge of the cliff. The touch of the salt sea-breeze on his fevered brow startled him and made him shiver. The last gleam of daylight was fading in the west, and when presently it flickered out and left him in the dark, he felt that the last ray of his own hope had vanished too. ”
