Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

I make a point of not reviewing books unless they`re fresh in my mind, and unfortunately some weeks have passed since I finished this. Still, it may be worth me posting a few comments that may be of interest. The book contains 23 stories with sources ranging from Victorian writers to relatively contemporary ones.  11 of the stories are taken from other sources, the remaining 12 having been written specifically for this volume.  Some have a supernatural theme, whereas others are crime stories, though there is one which is neither.   For me personally, there was only one that didn`t deserve to be included, which is really not bad overall since obviously there were 22 which did.  I have to commend Richard Dalby for having found some distinctly unusual choices from the past, though I`d have to add the proviso that some of those are really just curiosities now. I myself don`t mind that, but others may see things differently.  Within the ...

I spotted this sign on a recent trip to Pleasley Pit. To be honest, I took this picture for no other reason than the fact that I liked it, but if you`re interested in Craven Bros there is a page about them on the Grace`s Guide website. There are also websites for Pleasley Pit Trust (the museum) and Pleasley Pit Nature Study Group (the nature reserve) which you should be able to find without too much difficulty..

This can be found in the churchyard at Attenborough. The Chilwell Factory Explosion killed 134 munitions workers and injured a further 250*.   Because of the scale of the explosion only 32 of the dead could be positively identified, the rest were buried in a mass grave at St Marys Church, Attenborough and this blue plaque marks the spot. There is a second memorial, but that is on MOD property and is only accessible to the public on special occasions. With most young men away fighting in the war, many women worked in the factory - in fact one of the reasons for choosing the location (though not necessarily the main one) was that there was an existing local tradition of women working in factories, which was not the case elsewhere. The women were nicknamed Canary Girls as over time their skin would turn yellow/orange due to exposure to TNT.  I can`t hope to do justice to the subject in this short post, but would urge you to visit the many other sites with info...

Richard Dalby (ed) - The Virago Book of Ghost Stories - Virago - 1991 I bought this from  a charity shop near my home  recently and a key part of my decision to buy it was that it cost a mere 40 pence ! That said, it was 40 pence well spent. My own personal preference runs to rather old-fashioned ghost stories  but there again half the fun of a collection like this lies in trying stories one might never otherwise have come across. For me the best of the more modern efforts has to be Penelope Lively`s Black Dog. For the best of the older stories I would turn to Ann Bridge (The Station Road), Margaret Irwin (The Book) and Edith Nesbit (Number 17). Inevitably there were a couple I was not so keen on, but the only one I really couldn`t get on with was Elinor Mordaunts` The Landlady. There is an interesting contrast in the approaches taken by different writers. Ann Bridge in The Station Road leaves much unexplained and ambiguous whereas Ruth Rendell in her ...

Some years ago a customer emailed  me these rather fine pics from her home town of Goole. I have always liked them and I think it`s time to share them with the world.  I believe they depict the offices of the Goole Times.  Goole Times still exists, though now based in different premises, and, along with it`s sister paper the Selby Times, proudly boasts of being "the area`s only locally-owned newspapers" (both belong to the Goole-based Chronicle Publications).  I don`t know if the building still exists. If anyone can answer that, I`d be interested to hear from you.  I`ve noticed a couple of sites online that may be interesting if you want to know more about the history of Goole. One is Howdenshire History, the other is eastyorkshirehistory.blogspot.co.uk . I expect there are others if you search about a bit.  Footnote - I`m grateful to Susan Butler of the Howdenshire History web site for answering my question about this building. I`m ...

You might think that a reggae version of a John Denver song was pretty much the last thing the world of music would need.  In fact, this solo recording by Pat Kelly of The Techniques is a very fine thing indeed. Naturally it has been re-issued repeatedly.  Here are a couple of unusual and interesting issues.  Pat Kelly`s version of Sunshine was produced by Duke Reid and this Jamaican issue (above) is possibly the original. Of the various labels run by Reid, Treasure Isle and Dutchess (sic) are probably the best-known. However, there were others,  including  Sure Shot, as in this case.   I would think the name of the label refers to Duke`s past career as a Jamaican Police Officer, in which capacity he won at least one award for marksmanship.  I have also seen pictures of other Reid issues with the same label design but with the company name given as Sure Soul.  This `70s re-issue is from the UK.  Black Wax was bot...