The Fair God: or, the Last of the 'Tzins, 1873
Wallace began writing his first novel in the late 1840s. At that time he was employed in a
clerk's office, copying records. In order to free himself from the monotony of his profession he retreated in the evenings to study and write. A book that consumed his
attention was William Prescott's Conquest of Mexico. Wallace believed Prescott's history had all of the ingredients of a great novel: adventure, combat, heroism and "civilization and religion in mortal issue."
Wallace developed and refined a novel concerning the conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spanish over the next twenty-five years. His service in the Mexican War, and again in Mexico after the American Civil War, afforded him many opportunities to study the people and geography, as well as to learn Spanish. His drew on these life experiences to better depict his characters and settings.
Wallace's venture into literature was not without detractors. He submitted a copy of the
manuscript to Wabash College president Charles White, who discouraged him from his literary pursuits. Nevertheless, James Osgood (Boston) published The Fair God in 1873. The title of the novel came from the light complexion of the conquistadors whom the Aztecs believed represented their returning god, Quetzalcoatl.
Sales of the novel were moderate. The greatest criticism of the novel was the
unpronounceable names of the Aztec heroes such as Guatamozin and Hualpa. However, Wallace managed to gain a reputation (at least in Indiana) as an author and was encouraged to continue in his literary pursuits.
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, 1880
Ben-Hur was Lew Wallace's crowning achievement. The best-selling novel of the 19th century, Ben-Hur was translated into at least 20 different languages, including Arabic, Portuguese, Thai, and Hebrew. It has never been out of print. To read more about this tale of love, betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness, click here.
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The Life of Ben Harrison, 1888
Wallace and Benjamin Harrison were good friends. When Harrison was nominated for president at the Republican National Convention in 1888, he turned to Wallace to produce his campaign biography. Wallace was hesitant at first because he had only a month in which to work, but he was eventually persuaded.
In an age before radio or television, biographies were a good way for voters to familiarize themselves with political candidates. Although we will never know the precise impact the biography had, Harrison was elected the twenty-third president of the United States. The Life of Ben Harrison remained the standard Harrison biography for over seventy years.
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The Boyhood of Christ, 1888
This slender volume is often the subject of questions from many of our visitors. The Boyhood of Christ was initially published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine for Christmas 1886. Two years later it was reissued in its own volume.
The story takes place one Christmas Eve when young people gather to hear stories from the quasi-autobiographical character, Uncle Midas. (A description of Uncle Midas' study is strikingly similar to Wallace's Study, built several years later.)
The youths are curious as to what Christ's boyhood was like. In reply Uncle Midas recounts some stories from pseudepigraphous literature (non-canonical Christian writings of a later than first century origin), such as the story of the young Jesus Christ making doves out of clay and then bringing them to life. In the end Uncle Midas concludes that the stories are just speculation and all that he can know for sure is what is in the gospel accounts.
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The Prince of India, 1893
When President James Garfield appointed Lew Wallace U.S. Minister to Turkey, he requested that Wallace research and write another novel during his Turkish tenure. Harper and Brothers were also anxious for another novel from the best-selling author of Ben-Hur and gave Wallace a $500,000 advance. The resulting novel was The Prince of India: or Why Constantinople Fell.
The novel's main title is misleading, since the book has nothing to do with India. The
subtitle is more telling of the book's content. The novel is set in the years leading up to
the sack of Constantinople in 1453 by the Turks. The title character, the Prince of India,
is neither a prince nor Indian, but is the legendary Wandering Jew in disguise. The
Wandering Jew was a popular character in nineteenth century fiction, perhaps best known
through Eugene Sue's The Wandering Jew. According to legend the Wandering Jew lived in first century Palestine and either struck or insulted Jesus as he was carrying the cross to Golgotha. As punishment for this act of insolence Jesus turned to him and said, "Tarry thou until I come." Translated, the Wandering Jew is cursed with immortality, living innumerable lifetimes and witnessing the deaths of his loved ones throughout the centuries. So, the legend goes.
In The Prince of India, the Wandering Jew is a vengeful character. He arrives in
Constantinople in order to present his idea of a one-world religion to the emperor. When
spurned by the emperor he then lends his services to Mohammed II who then plots to capture the city. The city is captured and the Wandering Jew is killed in the process, but instead of dying he transforms to a younger version of himself and goes off to new adventures, unrecognized by those who recently knew him.
Wallace considered this novel to be his best work at the time of its publication. The public
and most critics disagreed. One fan was so bold as to write Wallace and told him that he
should have stopped after Ben-Hur. Nevertheless, The Prince of India does have its merits. The descriptions of the setting are packed with details gleaned by Wallace by living in Constantinople. The plots and sub-plots are far more complicated than those of Ben-Hur. Additionally, Wallace invested much care in constructing many other characters not mentioned in the synopsis above, such as the Princes Irene (E-ra-nay) and the Russian Orthodox monk Sergius.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is its extensive concern with religion. The diverse ecumenical coverage of religion prompted many nineteenth century readers to speculate on exactly what religious persuasion Wallace was; to which he simply answered that he was Christian. Like Ben-Hur, The Prince of India was adapted into stage play in 1907; however it was a short-lived in comparison.
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The Wooing of Malkatoon / Commodus, 1897
Did you like Ridley Scott's movie Gladiator? Then you might enjoy reading Wallace's play about Commodus. It was always Wallace's dream to write a successful play, but that dream never became a reality. Commodus was never produced, but Wallace shared the manuscript with various actors and producers without receiving serious interest.
The Wooing of Malkatoon is a poem based on a Turkish legend of Prince Othman, founder of the Ottoman Empire, and how he won his bride, Malkatoon.
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Lew Wallace: An Autobiography, 1906
Lew Wallace's autobiography was to be a tour de force, the crowning achievement for one of the favorite authors of the late nineteenth century. Wallace's own life made the adventures of Ben-Hur pale in comparison. Indeed, one visitor to the Museum remarked that Wallace was like Forrest Gump, involved in nearly every major event and meeting every major figure during his lifetime. For instance, Wallace recounted getting his first glimpse of a tall, ungainly fellow swapping two stories for everyone else's one story in front of a fireplace in Danville, Illinois. The storyteller would later become the country's sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln.
The author, soldier, diplomat, lawyer, politician, inventor, musician, and artist, had a
great story to tell. Unfortunately, at the time of his death, he had only completed his
autobiography up to the Battle of Monocacy, leaving forty years of his life unrecorded.
Wallace's widow, Susan, with the assistance of friend and author Mary Hannah Krout,
completed the autobiography using correspondence and articles written by Lew Wallace. This section is denoted as Part II, and it does not have the narrative flow of Wallace�s own Part I. Nevertheless, Lew Wallace: An Autobiography is an interesting and entertaining read. As former museum director Joann Spragg often says, "If you want to know Lew Wallace, then read his story in his words."
Several of these books are available through the Museum's gift shop.
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