Monthly Archives: February 2018

Elizabeth Taylor goes from bookshop to plantation

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Kelvin Smith

In Shillingworth-On-Thames Elizabeth Taylor is swept of her feet by John Wiley, the owner of a Ceylon tea plantation, and has amazing romantic adventures. Perhaps she would have been happier staying in the world of books, or perhaps things would … Continue reading →

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In 1954 quite a few bright publishers secretly believed this

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Kelvin Smith

Muriel Spark’s fictional recollection of the London publishing world in A Far Cry from Kensington is a meandering tale that tells us something about the ways in which young ladies in the 1950s acquired “a job in publishing”, lost it, … Continue reading →

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Tite and Snobby or Doolittle and Dalley?

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Kelvin Smith

The River Girl by Wendy Cope appeared in 1991 with lovely brush illustrations by Nicholas Garland. The narrative poem tells the tale of a young writer who, inspired by the river girl muse, becomes a great literary success. This does … Continue reading →

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