New Book

[garyhiggins]

For those of you who have the same disreputable taste in reading matter as me, there is about to be published a new George MacDonald Frazer book. It is not a Flashman, it is an early work of his that was never published and was kept safely wrapped in the bottom of a safe for sixty years. Apparently he always had a fondness for this book, and after his death, his children decided to have it published. The title is "Captain in Calico" (Yep, a pirate story about Calico Jack Rackham). It's being brought out in August by Haywood Hill Booksellers, and then on general release in September.
To all MacDonald Frazer fans,that's got to be a BIG Ahhrrr harr me hearties and Yo ho ho an' a bottle o' Rum.
Best wishes, Gary.

 

[peedee]

Whilst I am a huge fan, I have reservations about this Gary.
On Radio 4's review program their review was not so kind. It was discovered by his children and the impression I had was of purely cashing in on his name with a novel he didn't release and said no to.

This feels like a mirror of the crticism levelled at the Tolkein family putting out unfinished work as complete after his death.

Why did he not release it when written?
Does it mean it's a pale shadow of a revision he could have made?
Is it an unfinished work completed by a ghost writer?

Will I buy it? .....of course .
But I cannot see it being as good as McAuslan, to me miles better then flashman anyway .

Let me know what you think once you have read it please
Paul

 

[garyhiggins]

You could be right Paul, mind you anything by George MacDonald Fraser . Lets face it, I'd have it if it was just his shopping list.

 

[peedee]

Hear, hear !

I mean

Read, read !

This converstaion has helped me you know,
I received a waterstones voucher for father's day off my daughter.
So far, I've been in 4 times, had 3 coffees and there was so many wondrous tomes I could buy that I couldn't make my mind up.
I felt a little like the priests stuck in the lingerie dept in 'father ted'.
Looking around me, I wasn't the only one looking lost and undecided.
However I shall aquire my own copy of McAuslan tomorrow and enjoy it all over again
Paul.

 

[garyhiggins]

Well done Paul, now you've got me going all nostalgic, I haven't been in an actual book shop for years. I now get all my books from AM............., and I regret the sheer joy of rumaging. Now most of my books are on a reader, and I'm actually catching up on all those books I should have read but hadn't. At the moment I'm well into The Morte D'Arthur. I'm getting worried though, because these days I tend to buy the electronic one to read and the printed one to put on the bookshelves
Does this make me a collector?
Best wishes, Gary.

 

[OldTaff]

No, Gary, it makes you a bibliophile, and if more folk had continued buying good quality books, poor old bookbinders wouldn't have been put out to grass. Sorry , but I watched the industry slip quietly down the tubes as it was taken over by "craft" bookbinders, charging silly money. I worked for "Her Maj" and our department was cut to the bone. Still, it gave me a pension, enough to continue buying real books!

Alan

 

[peedee]

Some while ago, I had a small water burst, which led to the loss of some of my fave uniform books.
I have had so much fun finding them again I call it treasure hunting.
I am scanning them and. putting them all on disc as well,
after all, you never know............


Paul