Reprinting rare and out-of-print books

Apr 11, 2010 Features / Columnists, Guyanese Literature

– By Petamber Persaud

On Thursday April 8, 2010, when the Guyana Heritage Society launched ‘The Twelve Views in the Interior of Guiana’ by Robert Schomburgk, it was executing one of its objectives, which is to preserve the literary heritage of this country. This book first surfaced in 1841.
The launch of Schomburgk’s book comes within two years of the society’s reprinting of Webber’s ‘A Centenary History and Handbook of British Guiana, 1831-1931’, first published in 1931. In 1997, the society reprinted Rodway’s ‘Story of Georgetown’, first published in 1920.
The Guyana Heritage Society also reprinted Arno’s ‘A History of Victoria Village’.
The reprinting of ‘The Twelve Views in the Interior of Guyana’ by Robert Schomburgk is an important gesture, an indicator as to the premium placed on literature and the preservation of the literary heritage of a country. This gesture is one in an impressive list of reprinting of rare and out-of-print books on Guyana by local organisations and foreign bodies.
Not too long ago, February 2010, the Government of Guyana through the establishment of The Caribbean Press released the first eleven reprints of a projected thirty-six titles labelled The Guyana Classics Library.
The idea of The Caribbean Press surfaced during Guyana’s hosting of the highly successful Carifesta X in 2008. The idea was later fleshed out by President Bharrat Jagdeo and Professor David Dabydeen.
A few of the recently released titles in The Guyana Classics Library include ‘The Discovery of Guiana’ by Sir Walter Ralegh first published in 1595, ‘The Coolie, His Right and Wrongs’ by John Edward Jenkins, ‘Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana by Charles Barrington Brown, ‘The Chinese in British Guiana’ by Sir Cecil Clementi, ‘The Asylum Journal’ by Robert Grieve and ‘Guianese Poetry: covering the hundred years’ period, 1831-1931’ by N. E. Cameron.
Another local organisation to come in for praise is the Indian Commemoration Trust that republished Ruhoman’s ‘Centenary History of East Indians in British Guiana 1838-1938’, first surfaced in 1947. The Trust’s reprint came out in 1988 to mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians from India to Guyana. In 1998, the Indian Commemoration Trust published ‘They Came in Ships: An Anthology of Indo-Guyanese Prose and Poetry’ compiled by Laxhmie Kallicharan, Joel Benjamin, Lloyd Searwar and Ian McDonald.
Macmillan Caribbean based in the UK republished in 2003, ‘Lutchmee and Dillo’ by Edward Jenkins, first published in 1877. ‘Lutchmee and Dillo’ is the fictionalised version of Jenkins’ ‘The Coolie, His Rights and Wrongs’.
Hansib Publication, UK. In 2008, Macmillan Caribbean republished ‘Themes in African-Guyanese History’ by McGowan Granger & Rose.
An ongoing new venture for Peepal Tree Press, UK, is the reprinting of Caribbean classics including Jan Carew’s ‘The Wild Coast’, Wilson Harris’ ‘Heartland’, Edgar Mittelholzer’s ‘Corentyne Thunder’, Denis Williams’ ‘Other Leopards’ and ‘The Third Temptation’.
The Derek Walcott Press, UK, republished Egbert Martin’s poetry in ‘Selected Poems of Egbert Martin’, poems taken from ‘Leo’s Poetical Works’ (1883) and ‘Leo’s Local Lyrics’ (1886).
Reprinting is not new to Guyana. Such an idea goes back to the ‘Guiana Editions’ of the early twentieth century with the efforts of Vincent Roth and other custodians of the literature of Guyana. The Guiana Editions was made of some seventeen titles published within fifteen years, a venture intended to bring back into circulation ‘forgotten and unavailable books on Guyana’s past’. Some titles include ‘Experiences of a Demerara Magistrate’ by G. W. Des Voex , ‘Letters from Guiana’ by G. Pinckard, ‘A Soldier’s Sojourn’ by T. S. Saint Clair, and ‘Twenty-five Years in British Guiana’ by H. Kirke.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive history of reprinting of our literary heritage; suggestions, additions, modification welcomed.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com
What’s Happening
· Look out for the National Library’s celebration of World Book and Copyright Day.
· Look out for the staging of the next ‘The Journey’ – an ongoing literature event hosted by the National Art Gallery, Castellani House.