Never Discovered Classics

How is it that a book Byron said affected him very much and that Sir Walter Scott read three times is almost unknown today? With so much dreck being published it puzzles me why these excellent books go out of print and are forgotten.

Today’s example is a book by John Galt called The Entail (1822.) It’s about a Glasgow merchant whose obsessive greed victimizes his family members one by one.

When he dies his widow emerges as a matriarch of “unflagging resource.” Although she too is focused on wealth and possessions, with her the obsession is “softened and humanized.” There are some unforgettable characters in this novel, and greed is a classic theme. It's been compared to Dostoesvsky; it’s well worth your while.