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The
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Photo from Wikimedia
A Bad Day At
'Goodwill'
Once more it is
time
to sing the praises of the 'mighty' Google. What did we ever do without
them? Google Book Search has been around for a while but the recent
addition of the "My Library" feature adds a whole new dimension.
Basically the new feature allows you to search the database and save
items to your own personal library which can be accessed online and
shared with friends, family, etc. You can also review
and rate the
books in your collection.
A typical Google
'My Library' page looks like this.
If you followed the link I should explai Of course rummaging in the attic is bound to bring to light some long lost cherished possessions. Who over the age of 100 can fail to remember with fond affection the classic 1907 Great Western Railways vacation guide, 'South Wales: The Country of Castles' . This volume is a treasure trove of useful advice. Witness the following on page 50 :-
Certainly
one
would
not wish to engage a perplexing and vexatious chauffer, but the GWR
does not content itself with travellers tips , there are also passages
of purple prose. On page 160 we find the following description of Tenby
at sundown quoted approvingly :-
"Towards sundown a miniature fleet of trawlers sweeps gracefully around the Castle Hill, looking for all the world like a flight of brilliant butterflies ; their russet sails glowing in the warm light of the sun's declining rays with every hue from gold to ruddy purple, recalling memories of gorgeous scenes on far-away Venetian lagoons."
I was never favored with such a vision on my visits to Tenby. It is at this point that we are perhaps reminded of the fact that laudanum was not made illegal in Britain until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920.
* Public schools in the UK are actually private e.g Eton, Charterhouse.n that Google offers you the choice to search for 'Limited Preview' or 'Full View' titles. If you opt for the former you can only view snippets of the text but 'full view' items can be read in their entirety. Here at americymru we are, of course, mainly concerned with books about, or relating, to Wales and we thought it might be interesting to build a library of older works that can be read online in full. What we have here is a collection of dusty old relics reminiscent of a bad day in the book aisle at 'Goodwill'. Most of these volumes are long-since forgotten and with good reason. Still others are fascinating or amusing depending on your literary perspective or lack thereof.
If you followed the link I should explai Of course rummaging in the attic is bound to bring to light some long lost cherished possessions. Who over the age of 100 can fail to remember with fond affection the classic 1907 Great Western Railways vacation guide, 'South Wales: The Country of Castles' . This volume is a treasure trove of useful advice. Witness the following on page 50 :-
- "......it is impossible to ignore the fact that the use of the motor adds most materially to the possibilities of Aberystwyth as a travel-centre. Too great caution cannot possibly be exercised in the choice both of a chauffeur and a machine. If the former is a novice at local topography, he can only be a source of vexation and perplexity."
"Towards sundown a miniature fleet of trawlers sweeps gracefully around the Castle Hill, looking for all the world like a flight of brilliant butterflies ; their russet sails glowing in the warm light of the sun's declining rays with every hue from gold to ruddy purple, recalling memories of gorgeous scenes on far-away Venetian lagoons."
I was never favored with such a vision on my visits to Tenby. It is at this point that we are perhaps reminded of the fact that laudanum was not made illegal in Britain until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920.
* Public schools in the UK are actually private e.g Eton, Charterhouse.n that Google offers you the choice to search for 'Limited Preview' or 'Full View' titles. If you opt for the former you can only view snippets of the text but 'full view' items can be read in their entirety. Here at americymru we are, of course, mainly concerned with books about, or relating, to Wales and we thought it might be interesting to build a library of older works that can be read online in full. What we have here is a collection of dusty old relics reminiscent of a bad day in the book aisle at 'Goodwill'. Most of these volumes are long-since forgotten and with good reason. Still others are fascinating or amusing depending on your literary perspective or lack thereof.
"Here Be Monsters!"
As you might expect
there are some prime examples of condescending and flatulent Victorian
prose to be found amongst the gems in our digital reliquary. Nineteenth
century preacher and author, Thomas Rees, penned his imaginatively
titled "Miscellaneous Papers on Subjects Relating to Wales" in 1867. It
is a masterpiece of groveling servility.
Here is a quote from his article, included in this
volume, on the 'working classes' of Wales:-
"The labou* Public schools in the UK are actually private e.g Eton, Charterhouse.ring classes of Wales, wherever they are to be found without any admixture of foreign elements and habits, are characterised by several very commendable qualities. As a class of people they are remarkable for their loyalty and submission to their superiors. Ever since the incorporation of " Wales with England, the loyalty of the Welsh nation to their Saxon rulers has been perfectly unswerving, notwithstanding the occasional effusions of frenzied poets and hot-headed orators against the Saxon invaders."
For more in the same vein read the rest of this ghastly tract. This is an apocalyptically awful book that is sure to make you chuckle. It is best read out loud in a highly pompous and affected 'public school'* accent.
"The labou* Public schools in the UK are actually private e.g Eton, Charterhouse.ring classes of Wales, wherever they are to be found without any admixture of foreign elements and habits, are characterised by several very commendable qualities. As a class of people they are remarkable for their loyalty and submission to their superiors. Ever since the incorporation of " Wales with England, the loyalty of the Welsh nation to their Saxon rulers has been perfectly unswerving, notwithstanding the occasional effusions of frenzied poets and hot-headed orators against the Saxon invaders."
For more in the same vein read the rest of this ghastly tract. This is an apocalyptically awful book that is sure to make you chuckle. It is best read out loud in a highly pompous and affected 'public school'* accent.
A Classic of
Yesteryear
Of course
rummaging
in the attic is bound to bring to light some long lost cherished
possessions. Who over the age of 100 can fail to remember
with fond affection the classic 1907 Great Western Railways vacation
guide, 'South Wales: The Country of Castles' . This volume is a
treasure trove of useful advice. Witness the following on page 50 :-
Certainly
one
would
not wish to engage a perplexing and vexatious chauffer, but the GWR
does not content itself with travellers tips , there are also passages
of purple prose. On page 160 we find the following description of Tenby
at sundown quoted approvingly :-
"Towards sundown a miniature fleet of trawlers sweeps gracefully around the Castle Hill, looking for all the world like a flight of brilliant butterflies ; their russet sails glowing in the warm light of the sun's declining rays with every hue from gold to ruddy purple, recalling memories of gorgeous scenes on far-away Venetian lagoons."
I was never favored with such a vision on my visits to Tenby. It is at this point that we are perhaps reminded of the fact that laudanum was not made illegal in Britain until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920.
- "......it is impossible to ignore the fact that the use of the motor adds most materially to the possibilities of Aberystwyth as a travel-centre. Too great caution cannot possibly be exercised in the choice both of a chauffeur and a machine. If the former is a novice at local topography, he can only be a source of vexation and perplexity."
"Towards sundown a miniature fleet of trawlers sweeps gracefully around the Castle Hill, looking for all the world like a flight of brilliant butterflies ; their russet sails glowing in the warm light of the sun's declining rays with every hue from gold to ruddy purple, recalling memories of gorgeous scenes on far-away Venetian lagoons."
I was never favored with such a vision on my visits to Tenby. It is at this point that we are perhaps reminded of the fact that laudanum was not made illegal in Britain until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920.
* Public
schools in the UK are actually private e.g Eton, Charterhouse.
 Everything you need to know about Wales ( Travel Tips, History etc ) and the Welsh contribution to the building of America can be found right here! |
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