593jones Posted 2 October , 2019 Share Posted 2 October , 2019 1 hour ago, David Filsell said: . One pre pre Great War, the famous 29 Steps, Is that the abridged version? Link to post Share on other sites
daggers Posted 2 October , 2019 Share Posted 2 October , 2019 David your enthusiasm for JB’s work led me back to ‘Castle Gay’ [in the old sense but immaterial ] where to my surprise the Scotland XV beat the Australian tourists, off stage so to speak. Good description, too. d Link to post Share on other sites
Maureene Posted 2 October , 2019 Share Posted 2 October , 2019 Spy thrillers by John Buchan featuring lead character Richard Hannay, set immediately prior, or during WW1. The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. First published 1915. Archive.org. Librivox Audio Archive.org. Wikipedia details of the book Greenmantle by John Buchan 1916 Archive.org. Librivox Audio, catalogued Version 2. (Other files are available). Archive.org. Wikipedia Mr. Standfast 1919 Archive.org. Librivox Audio Archive.org. Wikipedia. Cheers Maureen Link to post Share on other sites
Martin Bennitt Posted 3 October , 2019 Share Posted 3 October , 2019 Just finished "The Escape Artists", a recently-published book on the Holzminden prison camp break of 1918, by Neal Bascomb, an American ex-journalist. It focuses more on the human angle of the escapers who made it to freedom, with much input from private memoirs and letters. Well-written and suspenseful, it is a good complement to Neil Hanson's "Escape from Germany", which gives more about prison camp life under the notorious commandant Karl Niemeyer. Cheers Martin B Link to post Share on other sites
stiletto_33853 Posted 3 October , 2019 Share Posted 3 October , 2019 Just started "The Other side of the Wire" Volume 3, by member Ralph Whitehead. Having read Volume 2 I was quite aghast at the level of detail and research. Quite outstanding but not light reading. Andy Link to post Share on other sites
David Filsell Posted 4 October , 2019 Share Posted 4 October , 2019 Mr 593 Not aware that an abridged version of 39 Steps had been published. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites
pierssc Posted 4 October , 2019 Share Posted 4 October , 2019 I think Mr 593 was commenting on your slip of the finger Link to post Share on other sites
David Filsell Posted 4 October , 2019 Share Posted 4 October , 2019 Mr P As you may be aware, I rarely do or even understand subtle. Clever catches me out too. The point was sadly lost on me. As revenge for this dastardly sabotage I have un-pred the original offending pre regards David Link to post Share on other sites
593jones Posted 4 October , 2019 Share Posted 4 October , 2019 47 minutes ago, David Filsell said: Mr P As you may be aware, I rarely do or even understand subtle. Clever catches me out too. The point was sadly lost on me. As revenge for this dastardly sabotage I have un-pred the original offending pre regards David But still only 29 Steps? I have seldom been called subtle, and even less clever, so I do feel obliged to take that as a compliment. My fat fingers often hit the wrong keys too. Link to post Share on other sites
Resurgam13 Posted 5 October , 2019 Share Posted 5 October , 2019 I started reading “Jihad : The Ottomans and the Allies 1914-1922” but got no further than Chapter 2, in which the author misspells the names of the German Ambassador to Turkey, the British Military Attaché, and the Major-General commanding 6th (Poona) Division, while the “Sublime Porte” is referred to as the “Divine Porte”. The details of the “Black Sea Raid” in October 1914 are incorrect but the final straw was reading that SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau were chased across the Mediterranean in August 1914 by the British Squadron commanded by the “timid Admiral De Robeck” (who was then in command of the Ninth Cruiser Squadron attached to the Channel Fleet). Link to post Share on other sites
seaJane Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 I am reading something called 'WAAC: The woman's story of the War' published in London in 1930. The seller from whom I obtained it listed it as actually being by a man. The narrator, a parson's daughter, begins as a VAD and joins the WAAC. It's an odd mix, veering from description and thoughts about the war to scenes obviously intended to titillate. Link to post Share on other sites
The Scorer Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 I'm currently reading "Beyond the Thirty Nine Steps" by Ursula Buchan, which is a new biography of John Buchan by his Granddaughter. I'm up to the early 1920s so far, and there's already been a lot to think about - if anyone could be described as having a full life, it's John Buchan!! Well recommended! Link to post Share on other sites
David Filsell Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 Mr S I am awaiting a copy of Buchan's autobiography - Memory Hold the Door. Be interested in your view on the new biography when you have completed reading. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites
seaJane Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 Thanks from me too, Mr S - hadn't spotted that one. David, have you come across Anna Buchan's biography of her brother, 'Unforgettable, unforgotten'? sJ Link to post Share on other sites
IlluminatiRex Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 Currently in the middle of Paris 1919 by Macmillan, The First World War Volume 1: To Arms! by Hew Strachan (I'll finish it one day), and Feeding Tommy by Andrew Robertshaw. Link to post Share on other sites
Black Maria Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, seaJane said: I am reading something called 'WAAC: The woman's story of the War' published in London in 1930. The seller from whom I obtained it listed it as actually being by a man. The narrator, a parson's daughter, begins as a VAD and joins the WAAC. It's an odd mix, veering from description and thoughts about the war to scenes obviously intended to titillate. Tom Donovan says it was written by a young male journalist that the publishers hired and although it's fiction it has often been quoted as being factual by later historians . Edited 6 October , 2019 by Black Maria Link to post Share on other sites
David Filsell Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 (edited) SJ, No, new to me. I'll take his biography on board when it arrives before moving on any further. Regards David Edited 6 October , 2019 by David Filsell Link to post Share on other sites
seaJane Posted 6 October , 2019 Share Posted 6 October , 2019 5 hours ago, Black Maria said: Tom Donovan says it was written by a young male journalist that the publishers hired and although it's fiction it has often been quoted as being factual by later historians . Thanks for that confirmation BM. There is certainly an air of newspaper hackery about it. sJ Link to post Share on other sites
Marilyne Posted 7 October , 2019 Share Posted 7 October , 2019 17 hours ago, seaJane said: I am reading something called 'WAAC: The woman's story of the War' published in London in 1930. The seller from whom I obtained it listed it as actually being by a man. Sounds interesting!!! Tell us more about it!! For my part started Christine Hallett's "Nurses of Passchendaele" this WE and left the bound to be very interesting "Gender and the Great War" edited by Susan Greyzel and Tammy Proctor also out of the moving-boxes as a follow-up. i'll see how far I can get… MM. Link to post Share on other sites
Black Maria Posted 10 October , 2019 Share Posted 10 October , 2019 Just finished 'We're Going Right There' by Captain George Gregory DCM, MM . It's an interesting memoir of a sergeant and later C.S.M of the 1/ Herts who later became an officer in the 1/4 London regt , a little spoilt by quite a few typos . Link to post Share on other sites
The Scorer Posted 10 October , 2019 Share Posted 10 October , 2019 (edited) On 06/10/2019 at 15:27, David Filsell said: Mr S I am awaiting a copy of Buchan's autobiography - Memory Hold the Door. Be interested in your view on the new biography when you have completed reading. Regards David Well, it's a very good book, well written and very easy to read. Although it's written by his Granddaughter (who never met him), it's not full of unstinting praise, as Ursula Buchan doesn't hold back when criticising some of his writing and other activities. Whilst reading it, I was struck by the amount of things I didn't know about JB (which is what everyone always called him). I knew about the Richard Hannay books, having read all of them over the years, but I didn't know that he also wrote poetry, biographies and quite a few novels, as well as his "Book of Memories", which is what he preferred to call "Memory-Hold-The-Door" (the title is a quote and is hyphenated). This, indeed, sounds as if it'll be a good read. I knew about some of his First World War work, but not much - it was far more detailed than I thought, and he was very influential in what he did - that is, when he was able to and not obstructed by various people. Finally, I also knew that he'd been Governor General of Canada, but not much about what he actually did. It's obvious from the book that he threw himself totally into the post, and travelled around the country meeting people from all walks of life and trying to help them in a very difficult period. I didn't know about his constant health problems, which would have prevented a person with less drive from carrying out a lot of his duties, both official and otherwise. He also had to cope with several family tragedies, and it's a credit to him that he managed it. All in all, then, it's a very good book, and well recommended to everyone. Edited 10 October , 2019 by The Scorer Link to post Share on other sites
David Filsell Posted 10 October , 2019 Share Posted 10 October , 2019 Mr S Now read Buchan's biography, which outlines much in his biography about which you commented, but the research for the new book will no doubt reveal more. It is a joy of a fine minded manuscript by a sharp and penetrating mind with an elegant text. His authorship is very sound- in caseses elargaic and his sharp analysis of TE Lawrence, with whom he became friends, seems to me penetratingly accurate (and in close accord with my own views of much troubled and flawed man who "backed into the limelight) which I have never seen reproduced before. It runs about three pages - to much to type up and list here - but spot on. Regards david Link to post Share on other sites
hazelclark Posted 12 October , 2019 Share Posted 12 October , 2019 On 05/10/2019 at 01:08, Resurgam13 said: I started reading “Jihad : The Ottomans and the Allies 1914-1922” but got no further than Chapter 2, in which the author misspells the names of the German Ambassador to Turkey, the British Military Attaché, and the Major-General commanding 6th (Poona) Division, while the “Sublime Porte” is referred to as the “Divine Porte”. The details of the “Black Sea Raid” in October 1914 are incorrect but the final straw was reading that SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau were chased across the Mediterranean in August 1914 by the British Squadron commanded by the “timid Admiral De Robeck” (who was then in command of the Ninth Cruiser Squadron attached to the Channel Fleet). Nothing turns me off faster I think. H. C. Link to post Share on other sites
The Scorer Posted 13 October , 2019 Share Posted 13 October , 2019 (edited) Did anyone know that the Japanese have a word for people who buy books but never quite get around to reading them? It's apparently "tsundoku", which is in itself made up of three words in combination - "tsunde", meaning to stack things; "oku", meaning to leave for a while; and "doku", which means to read. It's not considered an insult in Japan as people who engage in tsundoku, do actually intend to read the books thty buy sometime …. one day … as opposed to the bibliomaniac who just buys books for the sake of having them. So, tsundokus of the world unite … you are a member of an honourable body of people!! Edited 13 October , 2019 by The Scorer Link to post Share on other sites
Black Maria Posted 13 October , 2019 Share Posted 13 October , 2019 24 minutes ago, The Scorer said: Did anyone know that the Japanese have a word for people who buy books but never quite get around to reading them? It's apparently "tsundoku" Judging by this thread where out of 29,000 + members only 14 of them have told us what books they are reading over the last three months i would say there are quite a few tsundokus among us . Link to post Share on other sites
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