Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[imchongjun]

Hi, teachers.

Will you tell me what "Ridpath" means in the following passage?
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It was the scaffolding of his book, which he had been compiling for at least ten years, and to which he had tentatively assigned such different titles as "Notes on Literature," "The Muse on Crutches," "Books and I," and "What a Young Bookseller Ought to Know." It had begun long ago, in the days of his odyssey as a rural book huckster, under the title of "Literature Among the Farmers," but it had branched out until it began to appear that (in bulk at least) Ridpath would have to look to his linoleum laurels. The manuscript in its present state had neither beginning nor end, but it was growing strenuously in the middle, and hundreds of pages were covered with Roger's minute script.
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Am I right to understand that "Ridpath" refers to "Ridpath Hotel"? (Maybe it was famous for its thick, luxurious linoleum floor when this novel was written in 1919...?) I appreciate any comments from you.

[Philo Kevetch]

Hello Im Chong-jun

It is more likely a reference to John Clark Ridpath and an 'homage' to his epic 25 volume "Library of Universal Literature" published in 1898.

Interesting use of 'linoleum laurels', don't you think?.....Philo :)