First published in 1880, Lew Wallace'sBen-Huris one of the best-selling novels of all time. Employing analytical strategies from the fields of literature, fan studies, reception history, and media research, Barbara Ryan tracesBen-Hur's popularity from 1880 to 1924. She analyzes fan mail as well as a wide range of manuscript and print sources, using as her starting place two letters in which admirers declared that they would rather be the author ofBen-Hurthan to be President of the United States. Ryan's discussion of the novel in terms of its contemporary fandom makes it possible for her to dispel misconceptions about the novel'sãaudience which include assumptions about its popularity with all Christians. She makes fascinating connections betweenBen-Hur, slavery discourse, and the changing nature of U. S. politics to challenge critics who assume that Wallace consciously used a sure-fire formula. By shedding light on attempts to squash the novel's popularity, Ryan examines dramatizations ofBen-Hurby amateurs and on Broadway. ãHer in-depth reception history ofBen-Hur's incarnations in print and on stage establishes the novel's importance for understanding nineteenth-century U. S. literature, politics, and culture. | Chronicling Ben-Hur's Climb 1880-1924 by Barbara Ryan, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters