Film maker Ken Loach invites us to consider Micheline Mason and Alan Sprung’s new book, published by YouCaxton, Healing the Hurts of Capitalism. This carefully argued book makes use of concepts more generally applied in psychology in order to arrive at an understanding of why our present system of finance and social relationships remains entrenched. His introduction is on the back cover.
All posts by Bob Fowke
Wolverhampton Historical Society
Button Gwinnett
We are currently working on a biography of Button Gwinnett by his descendant, Colin Gwinnett Sharp. Gwinnett was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence and his signature is now the most sought after in the United States.
Colin will be speaking to the Wolverhampton Historical Society, at the Old School, 73 Dudley Road, on 16 September at 14.30 pm, Wolverhampton being Gwinnett’s place of origin.
The talk will, among other things, examine the dubious means by which Gwinnett rose to become one of the largest landowners in the State of Georgia and leader of the Populist Party, before placing his signature on the Declaration of Independence and becoming successively Speaker, Commander-in-Chief and President of Georgia. He died an untimely death in a duel.
Book advertising
Kath Hirani’s moving account of her trans-racial life, treated in fictional form in Not Quite the Full Chapati, has found unlikely endorsement on the back of the buses of the Island of Jersey. In addition there is a video which is now on LCD screens at the airport by the baggage conveyor belts.
Henry James
Today a hundred years ago, Henry James became a British citizen. He had been living in England, in Rye, Sussex, since 1897, but by becoming British citizen he hoped to express his solidarity with his adopted country during the struggle of World War I. He died a year later in Chelsea – but his ashes were taken back to Cambridge Massachusetts for internment.
Lewis Carroll
July 4, tomorrow, is said to be the 150th anniversary of the publication by Macmillan of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The date of publication was itself the third-year anniversary of Dodgson’s famous boat trip on the Isis at Oxford with the three daughters of Dean Liddell of Christchurch, including, of course, young Alice.
Shropshire history – book launch
Book launch, Tuesday 7th July at 7.00 pm at Pengwern Books, Fish Street, Shrewsbury, for Coalbrookdale Doctors by Dr. Richard Moore, Dr Moore’s wonderfully well-researched account of three generations of Shropshire apothecaries/general practitioners. All welcome.
Donald Duck and Donald Bradman Anniversary
A literary or dramatic (and cricketing), anniversary of sorts: seventy-six years ago today, Donald Duck made his first appearance in The Wise Little Hen (although he did not achieve fame until two years later when he appeared in Orphan’s Benefit beside Mickey Mouse). It seems that Donald may have acquired both his forename and, indirectly, his surname from Australian cricket champion Donald Bradman who was out for a duck against the West Indies in 1932 while Walt Disney was in the process of creating his famous character. Disney was intrigued by the strange (to American ears) cricketing expression.
Oscar Wilde
Today is the anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s release from Reading goal in 1897. David Freeman’s excellent Wilde in America, published 13 February this year, reminds us of happier days before Wilde’s persecution and confinement. There’s a good review by Neil Hegarty in the Daily Telegraph, which outlines Freeman’s account of Wilde’s contribution to the ‘invention of modern celebrity’ during his tour of the Untied States in 1882.