Author: David Long Publisher: Casemate Publishers ISBN: 1844688682 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 271
Book Description
Just why has England been blessed with so many quirky people? A delightful look at this phenomenon from an award–winning and “superbly talented” author (Sunday Express). From the eighteenth-century judge who insisted all babies were born with tails that were secretly removed by midwives to the twentieth-century schoolmaster who left twenty-six thousand pounds to the Lord Jesus Christ (upon His return and satisfactory proof of His identity), England is famed for its colorful characters. In this exploration of eccentrics through history, David Long studies these beloved real-life figures and their bizarre legacy, including the many strange buildings they left behind—not just follies but re-creations of exotic palaces. He also discusses why eccentrics still spark a continuing fascination, and highlights the most notable (not just the most famous) in his entertaining essays. In addition to a useful timeline that sets the scene, this book reveals where readers can see the long-lasting legacy of the eccentric for themselves, from Brighton Pavilion to the follies at Stourhead and Castle Howard. “A new book by David Long is always something to cherish.” —Londonist
Author: Louis R. Franzini Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: Category : Psychology Languages : en Pages : 264
Book Description
Louis Franzini and John Grossberg take readers behind the tabloid headlines and media exposes to tell the real-life stories of emotionally damaged men and women driven to horrific extremes in their efforts to gratify their basic human needs for love and attention.
Author: Edith Sitwell Publisher: Rare Treasure Editions ISBN: 1774643995 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 357
Book Description
Eccentricity exists particularly in the English, states Dame Edith Sitwell, because of “that peculiar and satisfactory knowledge of infallibility that is the hallmark and the birthright of the British nation.” Originally published in the 1930s, The English Eccentrics has lost none of its vitality and wit. We find hermits, quacks, mariners, indefatigable travelers, and men of learning. We meet the amphibious Lord Rokeby, whose beard reached his knees and who seldom left his bath; the irascible Captain Thicknesses, who left his right hand, to be cut off after his death, to his son Lord Audley; and Curricle Coats, the Gifted Amateur, whose suit was sewn with diamonds and whose every performance ended in uproar. This is a glorious gallery of the extremes of human nature, portrayed with humor, sympathy, knowledge, and love.
Author: David Long Publisher: The History Press ISBN: 0752462369 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 164
Book Description
Did You Know? In 1884 the Circle Line opened and was described in The Times as ‘a form of mild torture which no person would undergo if he could conveniently help it.’ According to one psychologist, Tube commuters can experience greater levels of stress than a police officer facing a rioting mob or even a fighter pilot going into a dogfight. Underground trains have only twice been used to transport deceased people in coffins: William Gladstone and Dr Barnardo. Some of the most bizarre items handed in to lost property include 250lb of sultanas, a 14ft canoe, a child’s garden slide, a harpoon gun, a pith helmet, an artificial leg, someone’s brother’s ashes and a sealed box containing three dead bats. WITH well over a billion passengers a year, more than 250 miles of track, literally hundreds of different stations and a history stretching back at least 160 years, the world’s oldest underground railway might seem familiar, but how well do you actually know it? This book offers a feast of Tube-based trivia for travellers and lovers of London alike.
Author: David Long Publisher: Random House ISBN: 1448165164 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 290
Book Description
The PDSA Dickin Medal (regarded as the animals’ Victoria Cross) has been awarded to just 64 animals, from the Blitz to present day, for their courage in times of crisis. Among these incredible true-life stories you will meet... G.I. Joe the plucky pigeon, who rescued over 100 lives by flying twenty miles in twenty minutes to deliver a message in World War II. Theo the steadfast springer spaniel, who served as a bomb-detection dog in Afghanistan. Rip the trusty mongrel, who saved many victims of the Blitz air-raids. Olga the courageous police horse, who bolted from the path of a flying bomb in World War II only to return to the scene and remain on duty. These heart-warming tales of gallantry and devotion will stay with you long after you turn the pages. Previously published as The Animals' VC.
Author: Edith Sitwell Publisher: DigiCat ISBN: Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 287
Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "English Eccentrics" by Edith Sitwell. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.
Author: John Timpson Publisher: ISBN: 9780711706835 Category : Eccentrics and eccentricities Languages : en Pages : 224
Book Description
In 'Timpsons English Eccentrics', John Timpson takes a look at over 120 characters who would appear eccentric to most of us in any age, and generally endearingly so, whose behaviour or lifestyle was generally bizarre.
Author: David Joseph Weeks Publisher: ISBN: Category : Psychology Languages : en Pages : 306
Book Description
From 1859 to 1880, Joshua Abraham Norton thought he was Emperor of the United States. Ann Atkin keeps 7,500 garden gnomes in her backyard. Brooklyn artist Peter McGough dresses and acts as if it were 1895. These are just a few of the eccentrics discussed by Dr. Weeks, the world's foremost expert on the subject.
Author: John Timbs Publisher: DigiCat ISBN: Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 347
Book Description
English Eccentrics and Eccentricities is a humorous work by John Timbs. An entertaining and light reading that covers different personalities, in a quirky fashion that Brits are well acquainted with.
Author: David Long
Author: Louis R. Franzini
Author: Edith Sitwell
Author: David Long
Author: David Long
Author: Edith Sitwell
Author: John Timpson
Author: David Joseph Weeks
Author: John Timbs
Author: John Timbs