Quick! Hide Bartholomew!

[anteros_lmc]

I started reading The Commodore on the way to work this morning and came across this shocking detail.

In his bedroom Hornblower took the red ribbon of the Bath and the Star from the drawer in his wardrobe, and Brown found for him the dogskin gloves which he tugged on as he walked down the stairs.

Dogskin gloves??! Does Mr Kennedy know about Lord H's barbaric dressing habits?! Should someone warn Bartholomew?!

Comments

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Panic ye not. This is yet another example of Mr Forester, as H's self-appointed biographer, changing the facts (like he does about the details of H's private life).

Those gloves weren't dogskin. Hogskin. He didn't want to offend Jewish readers.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

*shakes fist at Mr Forester* Who does he think he is anyway?!

[sarlania.livejournal.com]

I wonder what they did with the meat. As far as I know, eating dog is only common in China.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

*gasp* I suspect only Mrs Ambercrombie knows the answer to that question...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_likimeya/]

I guess Bartholomew stole one lamp chop too many from the kitchen table. XD

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't want to be in Lord Hornblower's shoes, or gloves for that matter, when Mr K finds out! esmerelda_t assures me he is still a very good shot!

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

Gasp! I fear everything archie's mama ever said was true! The brute!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Has Mr K filed for divorce and custody of Bartholomew yet?

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

Of course not! He has made Lord H give his gloves a proper burial!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Awwww Mr K is such a forgiving soul! I think Lord H has had (yet another) lucky escape.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Sometimes i think that Forrester really didn't like Horatio very much.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

No! What ever makes you think that?! ;)

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Having today just finished reading Commodore Hornblower (US title), I remember the scene well. I wonder if CSF really meant gloves made from the hide of a loyal and trusting canine, or if the expression refers to some other material. (One can hope)
Dave

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

I thought of that too. And something else: I have noticed that you really can't write someone, without loving them a little--even really ugly characters. Yet Forrester makes Horatio so hard to like... Movie Horatio is so much more believable and appealing.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yet Forrester makes Horatio so hard to like...
He does doesn't he? He almost seems to go out of his way to make him as unappealing as possible. But many readers clearly adore book Hornblower so it's a clever trick for an author to pull off. I tend to want to laugh at book Hornblower as he's often such a preposterous character. Movie Hornblower is a different kettle of fish altogether :)

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

Same with whatshischeese (Charlie Alnutt?) in The African Queen.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Sadly I believe CSF really did mean gloves made from man's best friend. Although imitation dogskin was also made from sheepskin. This from british-history.ac.uk

Dog leather
[dogs lether; doggs leather; dogges lether]

An exceptionally soft and supple type of LEATHER made from DOG SKIN used mainly to make GLOVES.

OED earliest date of use: 1593
Found used to make GLOVES
Found in units of DOZEN

See also DOG SKIN.
Sources: Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period).

Dog skin
[dog-skin; dogskin; dogs skin; dogge skinnes; dogg skins; doges skynne; doges skyn; doage skyne]

The term may have been used occasionally for DOGFISH SKIN. The skin of a DOG, or the LEATHER made from it; The term was also applied to a kind of leather made from SHEEPSKIN with similar characteristics. Dog skin is both strong and flexible, and it was in demand for making GLOVES [Collins (1877)]. For this reason, most of the skins are found among the stock of glovers, and the occasional gloves made of it; hence 'dogge skinnes xvjd' [Inventories (1603)], and 'dogges Lether gloves' [Inventories (1575)], in both instances the inventories of glovers.

OED earliest date of use: 1676

Found described as DRESSED, for fletchers, UNDRESSED Found used to make GLOVES
Found imported by SKIN Found rated by the DOZEN, PIECE, SKIN
See also DOGFISH SKIN.
Sources: Houghton, Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period), Inventories (late), Rates.
References: Collins (1877).

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Its funny. i find this appalling on a gut level. But i know that many dogs are put down because people don't spay them, and there is a dog surplus in this country.

The practical thing would be to then use them for something. But the idea is really unbearable. Presumably Horatio was a tougher creature than I am. I know (despite Barty,) that Archie was.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. It's not really logical to object to using some types of animal skins but not others. We do though, and there's no getting away from it. Partner is vegan and goes to considerable lengths to avoid all leather, even for belts and shoes. I'm afraid I have no such scruples. Though I do remember being distraught as a student when I was told that the Vikings wore catskin hats!