Just out!
Contact Information
I welcome suggestions and feedback and will consider interesting guest posts. If you would like to email please click on the picture to view contact details.
Category Archives: Snippets
The Gloucester Miser
Snippets 214. 184 years ago today, the “richest commoner” in Britain died. James (Jemmy) Wood made his money in banking, and had wealth of around £900,000. Calculating the value of that money in today’s terms is notoriously difficult, and depending … Continue reading
Posted in 19th Century, Books, Britain, England, History, People, Snippets
Tagged Book of Days, Gloucester Old Bank, Jemmy Wood, Misers, Robert Chambers
Leave a comment
Life of a Fern Hunter
Snippets 213. The following quote is taken from Over the Sea and Far Away, by Thomas Woodbine Hinchcliff, published in 1876: Of all regions that I have as yet seen in the world there is nothing comparable to this Brazilian … Continue reading
Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Journals, Nature, Snippets, Travel
Tagged Brazil, Over the Sea and Far Away, Thomas Woodbine Hinchcliff
Leave a comment
The Killer Leaf
Snippets 212. Thomas Woodbine Hinchcliff was a mountaineer, explorer and travel writer, who served as President of the London-based Alpine Club, the first mountaineering club in the world, between 1875 and 1877. During that time one of his several travel … Continue reading
Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Journals, Nature, Snippets, Travel
Tagged Alpine Club, Brazil, Over the Sea and Far Away, Rio, Thomas Woodbine Hinchcliff
1 Comment
Humorous Review of 1919
Snippets 212. Exactly one hundred years ago today, on 1st January 1920, the West Sussex Gazette carried a very tongue-in-cheek look back on previous year, titled “Humorous Review of the Year 1919”. The following are the highlights of this amusing … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Britain, History, Humor, Humour, News, Newspapers, Snippets
Tagged Lord Northcliffe, West Sussex Gazette, World War I, WWI
Leave a comment
Blanched Bones or Human Life?
Snippets 211. When visiting a country such as Italy, with so much to take in of historical interest, it is perhaps all too easy to only have eyes for the ancient ruins and ignore everything else. The following inspirational quote is … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Autobiographies, Books, History, Inspiration, Memoirs, Snippets, Travel
Tagged Art, Baedeker, Italy, Lady Harriet Jephson, Ruskin
Leave a comment
The Platter-Faced Pin Basket in the Nicknackatory
Snippets 210. Francis Grose (1731-1791) was a noted antiquarian who wrote a series of books about medieval antiquities. Financial difficulties inspired him to branch out into other areas of writing, and in 1785 his A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar … Continue reading
Posted in 18th Century, Books, Britain, History, Humor, Humour, Snippets
Tagged Francis Grose, Slang
Leave a comment
Lost in a Swamp
Snippets 209. John Muir (1838-1914) was a celebrated naturalist known as “John of the Mountains”, a key figure in the push for the establishment of National Parks in the USA. Today’s quote is taken from his account of A Thousand Mile … Continue reading
The Child Actor Who Caused a Riot
Snippets 208. Every so often a child actor rises to levels of fame that seems to eclipse that of their adult equivalents. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when a child actor makes a strong impact in a particular … Continue reading
Posted in 19th Century, Books, Britain, England, History, Memoirs, People, Snippets
Tagged Child Actors, Covent Garden Theatre, Theatre, William Betty
Leave a comment
Safety Last in Cinemas
Snippets 207. The following quote, concerning the safety of children in cinemas, is taken from the 25th February 1909 edition of The Bioscope: In the meantime there is the question of the Children Act, 1908, which those concerned in entertainment … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Britain, Crime, History, Magazines, Newspapers, Politics, Snippets
Tagged Bioscope, Children Act 1908
Leave a comment
Japanese Artistic Talents
Snippets 206. Recently we have been looking at a few choice quotes from Notes of a Nomad, by Canadian author Lady Harriet Julia Jephson, published in 1918. For the most part it is a journal of her travels, but it starts in … Continue reading
Posted in 19th Century, Autobiographies, Books, History, Inspiration, Memoirs, People, Snippets, Travel
Tagged Art, Canada, Japan, Lady Harriet Jephson, Notes of a Nomad
Leave a comment
Windows into History 