Van Reid

It is very tough to describe the Moosepath League novels of Van Reid. They are unusual, wonderfully written and great fun to read. Set in Maine a century ago, the books chronicle the formation and subsequent adventures of the Moosepath League. The Moosepath League was organized (or should I say “disorganized”?) by three young men: Mr. Matthew Ephram, Mr. Christopher Eagleton, and Mr. Joseph Thump. These charter members are so clueless … and most of their adventures come about because of their total misunderstanding of events and people. Fortunately, they are led by their “glorious chairman,” Mr. Tobias Walton, who is assisted by his aide-de-camp Mr. Sundry Moss. Van Reid has been compared to Charles Dickens, but I can’t recall ever laughing out loud while reading Dickens. A visit to Van Reid’s website (www.moosepath.com) yields a wonderful return for readers … and a free subscription to The Moosepathian newsletter is a treasure. Van Reid has a loyal following and I count myself one of them. Photo is from the author's website. Used with permission.

Books

Moosepath League Books

Non-series Novel

(2002) Peter Loon

Author Profile

Van Reid’s website contains scant information about him … I managed to find a copy of an article from Down East magazine’s December 2004 edition, which sheds some light on the author.

[Van] Reid … never attended college and rarely travels out of state, yet [he] is extraordinarily well-educated and well-informed; a man who collects comic books and reads the likes of Charles Dickens, Henry Fielding, and Laurence Sterne; a man who writes Victorian-flavored prose while blasting the music of The Who. “He is a true renaissance man,” says David Morse, who was publisher of the Damariscotta-based Lincoln County Weekly when it took the bold step of serializing Cordelia Underwood in 1995. “He has an incredible breadth of knowledge of literature and of Maine and the world.” Adds Walpole nonfiction writer Michael Uhl, “Van  is someone who can invent the universe without ever leaving his own backyard.”

Author Website: www.moosepath.com

Moose Photo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Mike Lockhart (WO-3251).