The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion
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Discuss the last book you read, or are currently reading
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"Much Obliged, Jeeves" by P.G. Wodehouse
P.G. Wodehouse was ninety years old when "Much Obliged, Jeeves" was published in 1971 and it is the penultimate Jeeves and Wooster novel. This was the first time I had read this particular Wodehouse book. One chapter in and it was like being with old friends. Just sublime.
Click here to read my review
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"Getcha Rocks Off: Sex & Excess. Bust-Ups & Binges. Life & Death on the Rock 'N' Roll Road" by Mick Wall
A riot of rock n roll excess, but with enough wit, charm and self insight to make it much more than just salacious gossip...
Click here to read my review
4/5
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"Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age Of Paranoia" by Francis Wheen
I was casting about for a book about revolutionary terrorists operating in the 1970s, and in particular the Angry Brigade. I know, I know. Welcome to my world. Anyway my research suggested that "Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age Of Paranoia" might be just the ticket. I can report that I found what I was looking for, and then some....
Click here to read my review
4/5
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North Soho 999: A True Story of Gangs and Gun-Crime in 1940s London by Paul Willetts
Click here to read my review
4/5
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Sick On You: The Disastrous Story of Britain's Great Lost Punk Band by Andrew Matheson
So whilst this book does not contain a happy ending, it makes for a funny, well written and engaging book about majestic failure. I devoured it.
4/5
Click here to read my review
Bill Naughton is possibly remembered as the author of Alfie - turned into another early Michael Caine film. 
A self-taught writer, he worked in the Lancashire mills and as a lorry-driver before moving down to London. I read the short-story collection Late Night on Watling Street- largely based on anecdotal stories from his working life, from Bolton in the 1920s to London in the 1940s. Review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
How interesting to see Naughton mentioned--until recently I'd never heard of him, now he's popped up twice lately to my notice! Strange how that happens sometimes...Just a few days ago I finished reading about the early days of Mass Observation in Bolton. Naughton was a very helpful figure in introducing and connecting some of the key figures/outsiders from the project into the working class areas they were interested in.
Worktown: The Astonishing Story of the Project that launched Mass Observation is the book. I wouldn't necessarily recommend anyone go out of their way to find it, but it is interesting if you have any interest in the background to Mass Observation. Quite a difference in approach between the group Tom Harrisson led in Bolton, where he wanted them to be true observers, noting all aspects of minutiae of people's everyday lives, vs. Charles Madge's approach with his London-based observers who did more self-reporting via diaries.
Think I'll put Naughton's stories on the wishlist for now. I'd also like to get a hold of Humphrey Spender's photographs from that period.
'Lensman' Photographs 1932 1952
Worktown People: Photographs From Northern England 1937 38
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I was convinced Mass Observation had started in Sussex. I need to find out more.
Nigeyb wrote: "^ Thanks Peter and thanks Miss M.I was convinced Mass Observation had started in Sussex. I need to find out more."
I was looking at the Mass Observation Archive website recently and thinking I would like to find out more about it. So if you decide to set anything up I would be very interested in joining in.
The archive is held at Sussex University so that may be where you've come across the Sussex connection.
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That will be it I expect
Ruth wrote: "So if you decide to set anything up I would be very interested in joining in"
Will do Ruth
I was musing the other day how well their archives would lend themselves to a series of podcasts or radio programmes. Here's Simon Garfield talking about MO...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEaDU...
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We Are at War: The Diaries of Five Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times
Private Battles: Our Intimate Diaries: How The War Almost Defeated Us
Our Hidden Lives: The Remarkable Diaries of Post-War Britain
I've read another book by him about Wrestling - The Wrestling - which I loved. I am sure those three MO books are well worth a read
Nigeyb wrote: "^ He's written three books based on the MO archive...We Are at War: The Diaries of Five Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times
[book:Private Battles: Our Intimate Diaries: How The..."
Those three books sound interesting. I read something about Mass Observation a few years ago but didn't follow it up. It was something about a couple of people in the pub talking about a tortoise and I loved that a conversation about the obscure minutiae of somebody's everyday life had been recorded for posterity.
I have an old Penguin Special called Britain by Mass-Observation which is contemporary to the organization (it was published in 1939) and full of the latest observations: "what with them scientists and Mussolini and Hitler, the world'll be in a bloody mess soon, that's what I think" (and you're not wrong there, mate). Fascinating stuff, if often a bit patronizing, and interesting to see it in use - as in this Penguin Special - with earnest hopes for its future and an address to write to if you want to join. It looks like this has been reprinted by Faber Finds as Britain, but I think the original Penguin can probably be bought for less.
Yes...on the one hand, Faber Finds are a real lifesaver in bringing back lost classics, OTOH, their prices can be ridiculous, especially considering how hideously ugly the paperbacks are. Not the best of print on demand...Apparently the very first MO book, May the Twelfth, on the Coronation, was a complete bust and sold next to nothing, but another early work, The Pub and the People: A Worktown Study was very popular--largely in part to novelist John Sommerfield, who actually knew how to write in an entertaining fashion. (Another name I recognized from one of Peter's reviews.)
Nigeyb wrote: "I've read another book by him about Wrestling - The Wrestling - which I loved."That reminds me that one of Bill Naughton's stories - "The Half-Nelson Touch" - is about wrestling. Three blokes "working what was known as The Interrupter at wrestling halls up and down the country." A world of its own...bit like carnival people.
Peter wrote: "I have an old Penguin Special called Britain by Mass-Observation which is contemporary to the organization (it was published in 1939) and full of the latest observations: "what with them scientists..."The Mass Observation website has some recordings of talks given about MO which you can access through Soundcloud. I've just stated listening to one that Juliet Gardiner gave. The sound quality isn't brilliant in places but there's lots if interesting stuff that I need to follow up.
Another communist novel from the 1930s - doubly distanced for today's readers, both by its time frame and by its innocent (or naive) political idealism. This one is Jew Boy by Simon Blumenfeld, one of the first of the new wave of novelists from London's then-Jewish East End.
Interesting, but not, I think, from the best of writers... Review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
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Thanks for your review Peter - one I've been meaning to read for some time and another one also republished by London Books....
Jew Boy by Simon Blumenfeld
Jew Boy is a novel about poverty and politics in the tumultuous world of London’s Jewish East End in the 1930s, where boxers mixed with anarchist and communists, and Yiddish actors and poets rubbed shoulders with gamblers and gangsters. All were united in their hatred of fascism and prepared to use force when necessary to defeat it. Yet of equal interest for the contemporary reader is the novel’s exploration of the personal lives and thwarted aspirations of young people at this time, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
Though the novel opens by introducing us to Dave and then Alec (subsequently the main protagonist), by the end it is their erstwhile lover Olive who is the strongest character – a fact remarked upon by reviewers at the time. Dave is venal, sexually predatory, but ultimately conformist, whereas Alec is intellectually alert and kind-hearted, but suffers from a lack of familial security – which he later finds with Olive. By the end Alec has discovered his voice and mission in revolutionary politics, and this new-found passion sweeps the novel to its conclusion.
The world portrayed here is truly unremitting. The factory scenes are brilliantly done, bringing to life the reality of sweatshops and sweated labour, and vividly portraying the exhaustion produced by long hours, unforgiving deadlines and cut-throat competition. It was the authenticity of these scenes which won the praise of reviewers when first published. ‘The reality of the thing is incontestable,’ Marie Crosbie wrote in John O’London’s Weekly. In The Daily Telegraph, James Hilton reviewed it ahead of the latest novel by Graham Greene, England Made Me, clearly preferring Blumenfeld’s keen intelligence, sense of humour and ‘flashing anger’. Time And Tide noted that, ‘Jew Boy does for Whitechapel what Love On The Dole has done for Manchester and Salford, and moreover does it as well, if not even better.’
Critics praised the warmth and colour of the scenes from Jewish life which were new to them – the synagogue wedding, the rituals of Yom Kippur, the concert evenings, the cafes and restaurants, street markets – even if at times the political message seemed too assertive for middlebrow Britain. Jew Boy still retains a vivid sense of life in tumult, providing a testimony to a unique time and place that is now firmly embedded in London’s volatile history.
http://www.london-books.co.uk/books/j...
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"In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile" by Dan Davies
Click here to read my five star review
Depressing, distressing and essential
5/5
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High Rising (1933) by Angela Thirkell
High Rising is about as substantial as a soufflé, but who doesn’t enjoy a soufflé when the mood is right?
Click here to read my review
3/5
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Christmas at High Rising by Angela Thirkell
Click here to read my review
3/5
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The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge
Click here to read my review
3/5
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"Look Who's Back" by Timur Vermes
An intelligent, interesting and thought-provoking book.
Click here to read my review
4/5
Nigeyb wrote: "I have just finished reading…"Look Who's Back" by Timur Vermes
An intelligent, interesting and thought-provoking book.
Click here to read my review
4/5"
Was it written for a German audience, Nigeyb?
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"Mr Norris Changes Trains" by Christopher Isherwood
The first book I have read by Christopher Isherwood since my teens back in the 1970s and I was delighted to discover it was every bit as good as I had remembered.
Click here to read my review
4/5
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Christopher and His Kind by Christopher Isherwood
Click here to read my review
3/5
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"Look Wot I Dun: My Life In Slade" by Don Powell
Slade, at their peak, were a remarkable band, and Don’s eye witness account of this period is superb and if you're a fan of the band, or enjoy music memoirs, then this is well worth reading.
Click here to read my review
Nigeyb wrote: "I have just finished reading"Look Wot I Dun: My Life In Slade" by Don Powell
Slade, at their peak, were a remarkable band, and Don’s eye witness account of th..."
Sounds like an interesting character. Was Slade your favourite Glam band of that period Nigeyb?
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Nigeyb wrote: "^ That accolade goes to Bowie and Bolan. Joint favess Ruth. You?"Marc Bolan is top of my list. I thouht he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen! And his lyrics were amazing.
I also loved Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust) and The Sweet.
I don't know if it's because I was 15 or 16 - which is such an exciting time anyway - when it was all taking off, but Glam Rock was mine in the way the Beatles had belonged to my older sister. And I could go stomping around in some ridiculous get-up, wearing too much make-up. It still gives me a thrill just thinking about it.
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London E1 by Robert Poole
London E1 is well written and whilst no literary masterpiece it’s another essential read for anyone who enjoys London literature and working class writing.
Click here to read my full review
3/5
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The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift: Intellectual Barbarians by Annebella Pollen
A magnificent book.
Click here to read my review
5/5
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The Art of Camping: The History and Practice of Sleeping Under the Stars by Matthew De Abaitua
An interesting, witty, helpful, well written, passionate book. Well worth reading.
Click here to read my review
4/5
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My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru
The novel’s elegiac tone perfectly celebrates the era of armed revolutionary struggle, whilst also exploring the madness of extremism, personal identity, relationships, radical politics, violence, gender politics, family, and today’s political landscape. It’s an incredible achievement, brilliantly written and, if you have any interest in the revolutionary armed struggle of the 1970s, you will find much to enjoy.
Click here to read my review
4/5
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Reasons To Be Cheerful by Mark Steel
An amusing, engaging, and interesting memoir that provides a great history of British politics from the last 1970s to the early 2000s, and some fascinating social history
Click here to read my review
4/5
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The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
A subtle, clever, powerful, beautifully written novel
Click here to read my review
5/5
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Sympathy for the Devil: The Birth of the Rolling Stones and the Death of Brian Jones by Paul Trynka
Click here to read my review
4/5
AND
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Kondō
Click here to read my review
4/5
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Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics: A Sideways Look at Twentieth-Century London by Rob Baker
If, like me, you are a sucker for social history, insightful and revealing trivia, and tales of 20th century London life, then you will also find much to interest, amuse, intrigue and delight in Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics.
Click here to read my review
4/5
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Small Town Talk: Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock
…which is about Woodstock, the town - 100 miles north of New York between the Catskill mountains and the Hudson river - and not the festival named after Woodstock and which actually took place 60 miles away.
Albert Grossman (manager of Bob Dylan, the Band, Janis Joplin - amongst many others) inspired numerous people to follow his lead when, in the early 1960s, he relocated there.
Click here to read my review
3/5
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"1966: The Year the Decade Exploded" by Jon Savage
I’m already a keen admirer of Jon Savage’s writing, and for me "England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond" is still the best book written about punk rock in the UK.
"1966: The Year the Decade Exploded” is a behemoth, coming in at c650 pages, however Jon Savage is on top form in this kaleidoscopic trawl through the year of 1966.
Click here to read my review
5/5
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"Dead Man Upright" by Derek Raymond
Sadly the series does not end on a high despite some great writing.
2/5
Click here to read my review of "Dead Man Upright" (Factory 5) (1990)
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"Here Comes Everybody" by James Fearnley
If you liked The Pogues I heartily recommend it.
Click here to read my review
5/5