Record Number: 27756

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'The subject of the evening was L.P. Jacks. A few moments sufficed to pool our information as to the man. Too late the Secretary remembered that that indefatigable polisher of mirrors & duster of painted windows - Mr Harold Begbie - had included Jacks in his latest volume of backstairs biographies: perhaps it was just as well for it concentrated attention on the writings & these gave us amusement, interest & profit. Mr Evans out of "From the Human End" read about the change from individual to cooperative gardening with an amusing but very neat indication of the gains & losses of such social changes. Mr & Mrs Stansfield selected readings from "Among the Idol makers". the Magic Formula - "Please will you tell me the time" is a delightful story of the young for the old. "Made out of Nothing" takes us behind the scenes in the antique furniture manufactory and missionary enterprise is seen from a new angle. H.R. Smith read an account of an old farmer "Farmer Jeremy & his Ways" & told of farmers he knew of whom this account was aa true picture. E.E. Unwin read a story about two tramps sheltering from rain with the author in a shepherd's box. "Macbeth & Bangus upon the blasted heath", a story in which humour & pathos went hand in hand. He also spoke about the "Snarley Bob" series in which a famous shepherd with curious psychic powers is the hero of the stories. Through most of the stories & essays runs irony & every one of his writings gives us furiously to think - for Jacks strips the rags & coverings from off our conventions & our conventional thought, & with remorseless logic leads us face to face with our inconsistencies & prejudices.'

Century:

Date:

9 Jun 1923

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
specific address: 94 Northcourt Ave

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reading Group:

Charles and Pattie Stansfield

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Unknown

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Members of the XII book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

L.P. Jacks

Title:

'The Magic Formula'

Genre:

Fiction, Essays / Criticism

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

in the volume Among the Idol-makers

Provenance

reading group

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Source Information:

Record ID:

27756

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Ernest E. Unwin

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

119

Citation:

Ernest E. Unwin, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2  private collection, p. n/a, p. 119, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=27756, accessed: 19 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).