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.
Compiled by Butterworth’s father with a contribution from Vaughan Williams.
Wayne Smith
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The main part of the book consists of George’s own ‘War Diary and Letters’ – a document of historic importance publicly available here for the very first time.
This anniversary edition has been produced to mark the centenary of George Butterworth’s death and as a tribute to all of those whose place of rest remains unknown. For them, his ‘Banks of Green Willow’ has become an unofficial anthem.
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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.
Severn Hospice, Shrewsbury
The YouCaxton Charity Ball (in February) raised £500 for the Severn Hospice and we’ve just had a very pleasant letter of thanks from them. We’re planning another ball for next year and hopefully we can raise even more.
Leominster Library
Bob Fowke will be giving a talk at Leominster Public Library, 6.30 pm Thursday 7 May, on self-publishing and on some of the problems facing authors wishing to self-publish today. The talk will embrace both digital and print publishing and will look at problems of marketing as well as at the more technical problems facing authors who take the self-publishing route. The talk starts with an historical overview of self-publishing from earliest times and looks at the constraints on authors imposed both by the publishing industry and by states throughout the centuries.
Detailed survey of the Shropshire Botanical Society.
Alex Lockton & Sarah Whild
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| To find out more, visit www.bsbi.org.uk – all of our field meetings and newsletters are on the Shropshire page of this site. | ||||||||||
The Guardian on Flora and Vegetation of Shropshire
The Guardian of 1st April has an excellent review by Dr. Paul Davies of The Flora and Vegetation of Shropshire, compiled and written by Sarah Whild and and Alex Lockton and published by YouCaxton Publications: ‘The Flora was produced from 350,000 records collected by more than 1,000 volunteer naturalists … a wonderful collection of botanical records, distribution maps, illustrations and photographs … the diligent and heart-felt work of amateur naturalists and conservationists is easily lost in the noise of human progress. However, I see each bite of data, each act of witness as bright and vital as a lesser celandine flower, humble in its title but brilliant in its presence – a collective joy.’
Birmingham during World War I
The Great War Birmingham, published by the History Press, September 2014, describes life in Birmingham during the ’war to end all wars‘. This beautifully illustrated book describes local reaction to the outbreak of war and follows the experiences of individuals who enlisted. It looks at the changing face of industry; the work of the many hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on local children; and the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front. The picture is of Birmingham ‘aliens’ in an internment camp of the period.