One-Hundred Years Later at the Mercer County Library

With a new year upon us, many will be thinking about the future - planning on how to accomplish their new year’s resolutions and how to fulfill their goals for a “new year, new me,” getting ready to file their taxes, or maybe just looking forward to a year of new releases, be they literary or film. But why put the cart before the horse? Why get our hopes up with anticipation?

Instead, let’s look to the past. How about one-hundred years ago? One-hundred is a nice round number and, after doing a little digging, it seems that 1925 was not only a great year for books, but for movies as well.

Let’s take a look at some of these books and movies that you can pick up at your local Mercer County Library System branch and enjoy some one-hundred-year-old gems.

Books

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Shares the story of the wealthy, quixotic Jay Gatsby and his obsessive love for debutante Daisy Buchanan. It is also a cautionary tale of the American Dream in all its exuberance, decadence, hedonism, and passion.

The Trial by Franz Kafka

Josef K., thirty, lives in a large town in an unspecified country when he is summoned to answer a charge and appear in the courtroom for his trial. Franz Kafka evokes all the realities of trial without any of the specifics in a society that seems to have degraded into chaos: a squalid environment, rats, and yellow liquid shooting out of a hole in the wall.

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

Murder and conspiracy go up in smoke... The combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Surete can do no better than go in circles -- until the final murder at Chimneys, the great country estate that yields up an amazing secret.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

On a sunny day in June, Clarissa Dalloway, elegant and vivacious, is getting ready for a party and exulting in the vibrant swell of London. As Clarissa's preparations take her from the golden morning to the glittering evening, she muses on the choices she made as a young woman, the romances that have enriched her life, and the passage of time. In another part of London, war hero Septimus Smith is suffering from shell shock - what we would now term PTSD - and is haunted by the death of his friend.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady by Anita Loos

This delirious 1925 Jazz Age classic introduced readers to Lorelei Lee, the small-town girl from Little Rock, who has become one of the most timeless characters in American fiction. Masquerading as her diaries, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes follows Lorelei as she entertains suitors across Europe before returning home to marry a millionaire.

Big Two-Hearted River by Ernest Hemmingway

Emotionally wounded and disillusioned by World War I, Nick Adams returns to his home and leaves for the north Michigan woods on a camping trip. He leaves by himself, hoping that the routine of selecting a good place to camp, setting up a tent, fixing meals, and preparing for fishing will restore peace and a sense of balance to his traumatized soul.

Movies

Battleship Potemkin starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, and Grigoriy Aleksandrov

Odessa - 1905. Enraged with the deplorable conditions on board the armored cruiser Potemkin, the ship's loyal crew contemplates the unthinkable - mutiny. Seizing control of the Potemkin and raising the red flag of revolution, the sailors' revolt becomes the rallying point for a Russian populace ground under the boot heels of the Czar's Cossacks.

Ben-Hur starring Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, and May McAvoy

A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.

The Freshman starring Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, and Brooks Benedict

Though he dreams of being a big man on campus, the freshman's careful plans inevitably go hilariously awry, be it on the football field or at the Fall Frolic. But he gets a climactic chance to prove his mettle, and impress the sweet girl he loves, in one of the most famous sports sequences ever filmed. This crowd-pleaser is a gleeful showcase for Lloyd's slapstick brilliance and incandescent charm.

The Gold Rush starring Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, and Tom Murray

A prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.

Master of the House starring Johannes Meyer, Astrid Holm, and Karin Nellemose

When a man becomes tyrannical towards his family, the women of the house decide to teach him a lesson in gratitude.

As you can see, although there is plenty to look forward to in 2025, there is also a lot we can look back at and hopefully enjoy. And while I decided to look at one hundred years ago, there’s no reason to stop there. Try a book or movie from ninety-nine years ago, or seventy-five, or twenty-five. We have plenty of them here for you at the Mercer County Library! Happy New Year!

Chris, Ewing Branch