The Mystery Of Cabin Island (1929) (Spoilers)

[tomswift2002]

Yeah.  Although New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are not mentioned specifically by name.  However, if you start with Christmas on December 25, you can figure out where in the calendar you are.  Some days like December 28 & 29 are just mentioned in passing, with only a paragraph or two dedicated to them, but then other days, like December 30, have about 5 chapters dedicated to the character's activities on those days.  So for, example, Chapter 14 is Christmas day, while Chapters 15 and 16 take place on Boxing Day, December 26.  And then Chapters 17 to 20 are mostly December 30, with December 27-29 mentioned.

[tomswift2002]

Actually, Cabin Island doesn't have any New Year's Day scenes, as the book ends in the afternoon of New Year's Eve.  Of course, as McFarlane had originally planned it, the book would've finished on the afternoon of December 30.

[CalvinKnox]

The original text is certainly one of my all time favorite HB books.  I would read it again now, but the weather is way too cold to be reading about snow.  The radio that "we are the coldest capital city in the world".  (of course that might just be independent nation-states, and not places like Greenland).

[tomswift2002]

I started reading the 1929 version of The Mystery Of Cabin Island while I was at the hairdresser today. 

Looking back on this thread, I see that back in 2008, I was mentioning that Applewood Book's 1999 reprint of the 1929 version was still available, however, we didn't know how long it would be before the book went out of print, because Applewood had lost the rights due to the 2006 Viacom/CBS split. 

However, now in 2024, it's interesting how this is the 95th Christmas that the 1929 version has been out (it's been 58 years since the revised version came out).  That means that we are in the last few days of the 1929 version being under US copyright.  So next year the 1929 version will be coming back into print in the US, because in a few days it will be public domain (1929 version only.  The 1966 version will be under US copyright until January 1, 2062.), and many public domain publishers will be publishing this book in 2025.

[tomswift2002]

"What's the matter?" asked Frank as they made their hurried entry.  "Somebody chasing you?"

"Hunger is chasing us!" declared Chet.

"Dinner is ready.  Wash up and hop to it." 

(Pg. 115, 1929 The Mystery of Cabin Island)

One of Chet's all time great lines, as Joe, Biff and Chet run in for Christmas dinner.

[tomswift2002]

I just noticed a little continuity error with Chapter 15 "Chicken Thieves" that I can understand Leslie McFarlane forgetting about, since Chapter 15 was written weeks after the rest of the book.  On page 107 in Chapter 13, everyone agrees that at least one person should stay on Cabin Island at all times (so that Hanleigh can't steal their supplies again), which occurs in Chapter 14 "Christmas Day" when Joe, Chet and Biff go ice fishing and Frank cooks the Christmas dinner.  However in Chapter 15, everyone gets into the ice boats on Boxing Day and go to Amos Grice's shop and no one mentions that they need to figure who stays!  I think after "Chicken Thieves", in the original Chapter 15 ("The Chimney") the characters remember to leave one person on the island, because those chapters were written at the same time as the earlier 14 chapters.

[tomswift2002]

I was just looking up some monetary prices mentioned in the 1929 book.  In Chapter 20, Hanleigh mentions that he's paying Nash and Carson $10 each, and they are asking for more.  In 2024, that $10 is equivalent to about $180.  Then Hanleigh offers $20 or about $360 today.  Then Nash and Carson demand $100 each, which Hanleigh calls outrageous.  In 2024 that's about $1,800 dollars each! 

And earlier in the book Hanleigh offers Jefferson both $5,000 and $8,000 dollars which would be about $90,000 to $150,000 in 2024.