Book Scavenger (32 page)

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Although this story is entirely fictional, there are many factual bits woven throughout. Here is some background.

RUFUS GRISWOLD

Rufus Wilmot Griswold is indeed a historical figure and contemporary of Edgar Allan Poe. Outside of his relationship with Poe, Griswold is best known for publishing the anthology
The Poets and Poetry of America
in 1842. The animosity between Poe and Griswold might have begun in earnest when Poe wrote a review of this anthology in which he criticized the selection of poets (even though Poe's own poems appeared in it). To further complicate the situation, it was actually Griswold himself who'd paid Poe to write this review, presumably expecting Poe to say only favorable things. Things went downhill from there between the two men until Poe died unexpectedly (and mysteriously) in 1849. Griswold published the infamous obituary Emily and James quoted from: “Edgar Allan Poe is dead. He died in Baltimore the day before yesterday. This announcement will startle many, but few will be grieved by it.” Griswold signed “Ludwig” to the obituary instead of his own name, perhaps afraid of public reaction, but his identity was soon revealed.

It seems unbelievable that someone who would write an obituary with this much malice toward Poe could also be named the literary executor for Poe's works, but that is in fact what happened. Some sources say Poe named him as his literary executor before he died, but others suggest Griswold manipulated himself into the position after Poe's death through arrangements made with Poe's mother-in-law. Griswold went on to publish a posthumous collection that included a slanderous and partially fabricated biography of Poe. Griswold embellished Poe's letters and writing to portray him as an egotistical, mentally unstable alcoholic and drug addict prone to bitter jealousy. Although the biography was contested by Poe's friends and supporters, it remained the primary resource about Poe for twenty-five years. Today, Griswold's characterization of Poe often endures, even though biographers—such as Arthur Hobson Quinn in his 1941
Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography
—have documented the fabrications that Griswold made.

At the time of his death, Poe left behind an unfinished story about a lighthouse keeper, but as far as I know, there is no unpublished novel-length manuscript. Finding an unpublished novel would be especially rare, as Poe is known primarily for his short stories and poems and published only one novel. If such an item were discovered today, it would be worth a considerable amount of money. A first edition of Poe's first published work, “Tamerlane and Other Poems”—widely considered as the rarest book in American literature, with only twelve known copies—recently sold for over $600,000.

“THE GOLD-BUG”

What Raven says about “The Gold-Bug” is true: It's a short story published in 1843 that was popular in its day and brought attention to cryptograms and secret writing. It's not one of Poe's better known works today, perhaps because it doesn't fit the Gothic, horror style people often associate him with. In “The Gold-Bug,” the protagonist discovers and attempts to solve a cryptogram, which he hopes will lead him to buried treasure.

Poe is credited with originating the detective-mystery genre with his character Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, who appeared in three short stories: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Purloined Letter.” Some classify “The Gold-Bug” as one of Poe's detective stories because the narrator and protagonist work like detectives to unravel the mystery of the gold-bug and decipher the encrypted message. But a true detective story is supposed to present all the clues for the readers so they can attempt to solve the mystery alongside the detective, and “The Gold-Bug” withholds information until the end.

CIPHER CHALLENGE

Poe was a fan of ciphers and cryptography. He not only incorporated a cipher into “The Gold-Bug,” but he also wrote essays about the subject. While writing for
Alexander's Weekly Messenger
, he issued a challenge to readers to submit cryptograms for him to crack. He received numerous submissions, which he claimed to have solved himself. It was this that inspired Mr. Quisling's cipher challenge in
Book Scavenger
.

MASQUERADE

Masquerade
is a picture book written and illustrated by Kit Williams, an English artist, who collaborated with his publisher to launch a treasure hunt in which the clues were hidden within the book's illustrations, ultimately leading to buried treasure.
Masquerade
was published in 1979 and launched a phenomenon that had millions of people searching for the treasure—a golden hare medallion on a chain that Williams had crafted himself—until it was found in 1982.
Masquerade
initiated a literary genre called “armchair treasure hunts.”
Quest for the Golden Hare
by Bamber Gascoigne is an excellent recounting of what happened both before and after
Masquerade
was published.

BOOK SCAVENGER THE GAME

The book-hunting game is a product of my imagination, but the idea came about as many do: by merging several sources of inspiration. The first is a website called Book Crossing (
bookcrossing.com
). Book Crossing offers a wonderful way for readers to share their used books by “releasing” them into the wild. The books can be labeled and tracked online, so you can follow the journey of where your book goes. I love the idea of setting a beloved book free to have new adventures and connect with new readers. I first learned about Book Crossing in 2003, around the same time I heard about two other popular pastimes: geocaching and letterboxing. Geocaching is an outdoor worldwide treasure-hunting activity in which people use a GPS device to find small containers. Each container typically holds a logbook and small trinkets. Letterboxing is similar to geocaching, but the hidden boxes each contain a unique rubber stamp. Participants carry a sketchbook, an ink pad, and their own rubber stamp. When a letterbox is found, the participant swaps stamps, marking his or her sketchbook with the one from the letterbox and marking the letterbox logbook with his or her individual stamp.

*   *   *

Book Scavenger
began with a vision of kids finding a book in a BART station, leading them into a mystery. What book do they find? What is the mystery? I imagined a story in the spirit of some of my favorite movies and books when I was young:
Goonies
;
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
;
The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin;
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg; and
The Egypt Game
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

I love puzzles and ciphers, so I decided there must be one hidden in this mysterious, found book. To help me brainstorm what the secret message might be or mean, I turned to books, most notably
Mysterious Messages
by Gary Blackwood,
Codebreaker
by Stephen Pincock, and
The Book of Codes
:
Understanding the World of Hidden Messages
, edited by Paul Lunde. (You may recognize these titles from James's research for the cipher challenge.) Through reading more about the history of ciphers, I learned that Edgar Allan Poe was an avid fan. Those were the beginning seeds for this story.

In addition to the historical references, the majority of the San Francisco locations and figures and their historical significance are not made up. The Ferry Building, Pier 39, City Lights bookstore, the original Black Cat, Lombard Street, the music concourse at Golden Gate Park, Dashiell Hammett's residence, the Fillmore, Portsmouth Square—those are all places that exist. The first Black Cat that Emily and James go to was based on an actual restaurant, but that restaurant closed over the course of my writing this book. Even the secret park that Emily and James go to is based on a real place I used to walk past on my way to and from work, although I have since tried to find this park after moving away from San Francisco with no luck. Maybe that's the magic of the city in play: It will only reveal its secrets to you when you're an insider.

There are more small details that are allusions to something outside the story. I had fun peppering these in, and you might enjoy spotting them and deducing their significance.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Book Scavenger
is the realization of a dream I've held onto since childhood, and I'm filled with gratitude to so many people. In particular, this book would not exist without the following people.

My agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette: Thank you for your insight, your unflagging enthusiasm, and your friendship.

Christy Ottaviano, I am overjoyed to call you my editor. Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on my work. You are brilliant at what you do.

Everyone at Henry Holt, thank you for ushering my book into the world with such care and enthusiasm. A special thank-you to the production editor, Christine Ma, and to Sarah Watts for her fabulous illustrations.

To the following writers who read and critiqued
Book Scavenger
through the good, the bad, and all the stages in between, I am so appreciative for your feedback: Vanessa Appleby, Michelle Begley, Ann Braden, Maryanne Fantalis, Mike Hassell, Megan Kelly, Audrey Laferlita, Shari Maser, Jeannie Mobley, Laura Perdew, Rachel Rodriguez, Katherine Rothschild, Jennifer Simms, Kiersten Stevenson, and Elaine Vickers.

Thank you to Cheryl Klein: Without your early encouragement, I would have given up on this story a long time ago.

My gratitude goes to the following teachers and administrators who shared their time and expertise with me: David Green-Leibovitz, April Holland, and Emily Peek. Thank you, also, to Gabrielle Dean, curator of literary rare books and manuscripts at Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries, who kindly answered my questions about Poe and rare manuscripts. And to Kimberly Ng, Rachel Rodriguez, Katherine Rothschild, and Laura Young-Cennamo, thank you for letting me pick your brain about San Francisco living when I couldn't be there in person.

I am also grateful to the following friends and family who were readers of early drafts: Justin Bertman, Cade Chambliss, Dianne Chambliss, Jeff Chambliss, Kayla Chambliss, Laura Chambliss, and Sammie Peng. Your encouragement and enthusiasm for the story helped keep me pushing on.

I would be remiss not to mention the following teachers whose words and actions absolutely shaped the person and writer I have become: Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Buckley, and Mrs. Adams—my first-, second-, and third-/fourth-grade teachers—who helped foster my love of reading and writing; Andrew Althschul, who taught my first creative writing class at UC Irvine: Through taking your class I was reminded of how much I enjoy writing and creating stories; Michelle Latiolais, from whom I could have taken every class at UC Irvine if it were possible: You helped me believe I wasn't ridiculous for imagining my name on the cover of a book, or a byline of a story; Lou Berney and John Fleming, my mentors at Saint Mary's: Thank you for looking past my shy exterior in the kindest ways possible and helping me uncork the quirky writer inside.

My writing has also benefited greatly from the conferences, classes, and resources offered by the following organizations: Book Passage Children's Writers and Illustrators Conference, SCBWI, Better Books Marin Workshop, and the Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.

Writing is a solitary, sometimes lonely act, and writing and rewriting a novel over a decade would have made me mad without forging a connection to the children's literature community. Thank you to SCBWI, Verla Kay and the members of the Blueboards, Erin Murphy and the community she has nurtured through her agency, the Fearless Fifteeners, and EMU's Debuts for providing outlets for writers to come together and support and encourage and commiserate and heal and grow.

Also falling in the “thank you for keeping me sane” category are my friends who have been there for me through the highs and lows, especially Michelle Comstock, Lisa Evans, Valerie Kovacovich, Michelle Mason, Sammie Peng, Jennifer Quong, Katherine Rothschild, and Laura Young-Cennamo.

Finally, and infinitely, I am so grateful for my family. My parents, Tom and Dianne Chambliss, who are my friends, my role models, my cheerleaders: Thank you for all the ways you've supported and encouraged me over the years. Jeff and Laura, you are the best brother and sister-in-law a person could hope for. Your support and encouragement have always come across loud and clear. Cade and Kayla, it's an honor and joy to be your aunt. You are part of the inspiration behind these characters, and I hope this book makes you proud. To my father-in-law and mother-in-law, Roger and Julie Bertman, your generosity and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated. To my son, Nils, you are a daily inspiration to do better and be better. The world is a happier place because of you. And, finally, to my husband and best friend, Justin. You have supported my dreams in countless ways. This wouldn't be as meaningful without you by my side. I love you all.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
was a book-loving, game-playing, puzzle-solving daydreamer of a kid who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of her favorite jobs was being a recreation leader because she got to plan games and adventures for children. When she was eighteen, she interned for a magazine in Manhattan, and she has worked in publishing ever since. She holds an MFA in creative writing and now lives in Colorado with her family.
Book Scavenger
is her first novel.
jenniferchamblissbertman.com
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