Guest contributor Bill Atkinson shares a tale penned by an Edwardian lady about a little dog. It suggests that 100 years ago they had rather different ideas about what was deemed suitable for children's entertainment... Sandy was the favorite pet of Edith Monro Armstrong (b. 1874, d 1960), an Edwardian lady, Doctor's wife, chatelaine, accomplished ... Read More...
Month: September 2014
We four were driving to the swimming pool in the afternoon sunshine of the last Sunday in August, descending the long slope of Air Balloon Road, when I noticed a Seat at the bottom of the hill give the kerb a whack. ‘That driver’s a bit rubbish’, I said to ... Read More...
As summer ends, Stephen selects two seasonal poems... The sudden shifts in mood and imagery in Ivor Gurney's poetry (both between poems and within a poem) can sometimes be disconcerting and puzzling. It is tempting to ascribe these shifts to Gurney's struggles with mental illness. But one should be wary of ... Read More...
A tale of skullduggery from the usually sedate world of classical music today, culled from the weirder side of Wikipedia by the Wikiworm... Joyce Hatto (1928 – 2006) was an English concert pianist and piano teacher who became famous very late in life when unauthorised copies of commercial recordings made by other pianists were released under her name, ... Read More...
Frank considers that eternal question: how should one arrange one's books?... The other day I decided to rearrange my bookshelves. Their current state is, to put it mildly, chaotic. I seem to recall there being a system of sorts, some years ago, but latterly the apposite word to describe the disposition ... Read More...
Nige remembers one half of "the unfunniest double act ever to have been described as 'comedy'"... This coming Saturday is truly a red-letter day in the annals of showbiz, for it was on 6 September in 1932 that Bernie Winters (Weinstein) was born. Bernie joined his brother Mike in what was ... Read More...
The Lost Leonardo, which appears in the short story collection The Terminal Beach (available to buy for 1p) is Seamus Sweeney's favourite J G Ballard story, despite (or perhaps because of) its being the most unBallardian. Here he explains why... Clive James did not care much for Jean Paul Sartre, although ... Read More...
Ian Buxton, occasional drinks correspondent for The Dabbler and author of the superb 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die, has another new book out, this time featuring the rarest and weirdest whiskies in the world. 101 Legendary Whiskies You're Dying to Try But (Possibly) Never Will is available ... Read More...
In advance of his appearance on BBC Radio4 this evening, Daniel Kalder takes us for a trip around a dictator's digital archive. make sure you tune in this evening to find out more... Stalin, like all murderous totalitarian tyrants, was big on secrecy. It’s therefore probably a safe bet to assume ... Read More...
