| And Five Were Foolish | |
| Author: | Dornford Yates |
| Genre: | Novel |
| Publisher: | Ward Lock & Co[1] |
| Release Date: | 1924 |
| Media Type: | |
| Pages: | 311 |
And Five Were Foolish is a 1924 collection of short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), first published in The Windsor Magazine. The title is a reference to the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
The book consists of ten short stories, several inspired by incidents and places known to Mercer and all named after a significant female character.
The stories were written for The Windsor Magazine, which boasted its readers had been "clamouring for more".
| Chapter | Book title | Windsor title | Date | Volume | Issue | Pages | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Sarah | False Pretences | November 1922 | LVI | 335 | 591-684 | Henry Coller |
| II | Madeleine | Fine Linen | October 1922 | LVI | 334 | 463-473 | E G Oakdale |
| III | Katharine | Three's Company | October 1923 | LVIII | 346 | 493-506 | Norah Schlegel |
| IV | Spring | Groom Of The Chambers | November 1923 | LVIII | 347 | 587-600 | Norah Schlegel |
| V | Elizabeth | A Drink Divine | December 1923 | LIX | 348 | 3-14 | Norah Schlegel |
| VI | Jo | Private Papers | January 1924 | LIX | 349 | 115-127 | Norah Schlegel |
| VII | Athalia | A Fool's Errand | February 1924 | LIX | 350 | 233-246 | Norah Schlegel |
| VIII | Ann | Mesalliance | April 1924 | LIX | 352 | 505-523 | Norah Schlegel |
| IX | Eleanor | A Private Scandal | March 1924 | LIX | 351 | 347-359 | Norah Schlegel |
| X | Susan | Noblesse Oblige | May 1924 | LIX | 353 | 573-578 | Norah Schlegel |
The collected volume was a significant success, reprinted seven times before World War II. The original dust jacket carried a Daily Telegraph quote: