Books books books

[Stephen Sugg]

I've just tried to re read Narrow Boat for about the 20th time and I just can't get into it. I'd go so far as to say it's hard work, and not very enjoyable. I can't put my finger on why though.

 

Anyone else share this view?

 

I am currently reading "Voyage into England" by John Seymour (ebay £6.00). It's great and has the following pearl of wisdom:

 

"I don't see why the canals should "pay", The lane that leads from my house to the village doesn't "pay". The canals are merely lanes and roads, that's all. They should be treated as other lanes and roads and kept up as part of the general transport system of the country".

 

I like that.

 

I also noticed whilst re reading Number One the other day the first mention of global warming that I can think of. This book was written in 1991. How very modern.

[Liam]

I have started to read "Narrowboat" about 5 or 6 times but have only completed it once, due to me picking it up, getting a quarter to half into it and then putting it down again as I did find it not the most interesting of books...

 

I have, however, read Anderton for Orders, Number One, Bread Upon the Waters, Quiet Waters By, Hold on a Minute, Ramlin Rose, Lockeepers Daughter and others including Windlass in my Belt a few times over as I seem to always miss bits out the first time round and I do pick up little bits of info between reads such as who had what boat and where it is now... just make it more interesting for me.

 

The next one I would like to get my hands on is Amateur Boatwomen. I have only seen one copy of this which was purchased for £90 in the US!

 

Edited to add that the £90 book was one of the original prints...

Edited April 22, 2008 by Liam

[magpie patrick]

I've read Narrow Boat four or five times and enjoyed it, but it is a mistake to see it as a canals book, and even Rolt himself was later embarrassed by it's rather rsoe tinted view of life. It is a travelogue written around the start of WW2, using the canals as a corridor but overall in many ways is more a journey through Rural England. Many details are missed out, for example, the Rolts spent six months in Church Minshull because Tom was working at Rolls Royce in Crewe, a fact only mentioned in Landscape With Canals (much more specific and very interesting). Rolt's habit of diverting off into either philosphy or non-canal interest that happens to be close by can also make this book hard work: If that isn't to your liking then treat Green and Silver with caution.

 

That said, NB changed the waterways for good, thanks to Messrs Aikman, Hadfield et al reading it

[Chertsey]

I've read Narrow Boat twice, loved it the first time, found it quite distasteful the second. Voyage into England is lovely. Bread upon the Waters is excellent. Amateur Boatwomen is a bit thin but a good complement to Idle Women, as is Margaret Cornish's Troubled Waters.

 

Links are to where I've reviewed them on the blog, should you want my opinion in greater depth....

[carlt]

I read NB a couple of times but wasn't overimpressed. After many years searching, I acquired Sir John Knill's memoirs "Knill's Navy", which is excellent (I found it on the same shelf as the rocking horse poo!). A great read and an interesting insight into the IWA ego clash.

 

Idle Women is good but I find a lot of the others just a bit "rose-tinted".

[stort_mark]

Idle Women is good but I find a lot of the others just a bit "rose-tinted".

 

Isn't everything rose-tinted? And hasn't that led to rose-tinted TV...Waterworld, Locks and Quays, everything done by or for Dibnah? You'd be hard-pushed to work out why the 40s to the early 60s were called The Austerity Era from all these books and TV programmes.

[Chris Pink]

The next one I would like to get my hands on is Amateur Boatwomen.

 

Gosh. I'm going to lock up my copy - £2.50 in the charity shop, £78+ on Amazon for a paperback? Gosh.

[Stephen Sugg]

Gosh. I'm going to lock up my copy - £2.50 in the charity shop, £78+ on Amazon for a paperback? Gosh.

You should see the price of The Amateur Boatwomen. £194! Credit crunch? What credit crunch. You can have mine for £150

[Stourbridgeguy]

You should see the price of The Amateur Boatwomen. £194! Credit crunch? What credit crunch. You can have mine for £150

 

There is one on amazon for £35

 

Bargain

[Stephen Sugg]

There is one on amazon for £35

 

Bargain

 

How do these prices on Amazon work? How can one book vary so much, it's not worth £35 even (when you think that you could probably pick it up in Stoke Bruerne on Braunston for a lot less). How do they expect to sell them??

[Hairy-Neil]

How do these prices on Amazon work? How can one book vary so much, it's not worth £35 even (when you think that you could probably pick it up in Stoke Bruerne on Braunston for a lot less). How do they expect to sell them??

 

Amazon Marketplace is a bit like ebay 'Buy It Now'. The books are for sale by independant dealers or private individuals who can set whatever price they like on their item.

[Liam]

I'm reading "Windlass in my belt" at the moment and wondered if anyone knows or knew of the author, John Thorpe. He seemed to be really into the boating scene in his younger days... is he still with us/still boating, I wonder?

 

Just curious.

[Stephen Sugg]

I'm reading "Windlass in my belt" at the moment and wondered if anyone knows or knew of the author, John Thorpe. He seemed to be really into the boating scene in his younger days... is he still with us/still boating, I wonder?

 

Just curious.

Great book. He is still around, he was on a few episodes of Waterworld a little while ago, retracing the steps of his first journey. Seems like a nice chap.

[Tim Lewis]

You should see the price of The Amateur Boatwomen. £194! Credit crunch? What credit crunch. You can have mine for £150

 

There is a copy for £40 on Abe Books

 

Tim

[carlt]

I've just bought one for £15 + p&p from the AntiQbooks site.

Edited April 30, 2008 by carlt

[DHutch]

I read narrowboat.

- Took about 8months to actually pick it up the first time, but once i had, i read it in about 2months. Which is quite quick for me. Just 20minutes every odd night.

 

Skim read a few bits a bit, but a good read really, i thought.

 

So yeah, thats about fourth on the list of books ive read in the last 5 years. Fourth of four.

 

 

Daniel

[ChrisPy]

"I don't see why the canals should "pay", The lane that leads from my house to the village doesn't "pay". The canals are merely lanes and roads, that's all. They should be treated as other lanes and roads and kept up as part of the general transport system of the country".

 

I like that.

On the other hand I just paid 220 squid to keep my motorised chariot legal on the lanes and roads, in addition to the exorbitant fuel duty that wouldn't be collected if I didn't use the lanes and roads, so presumably the roads do "pay" these days.

[carlt]

On the other hand I just paid 220 squid to keep my motorised chariot legal on the lanes and roads, in addition to the exorbitant fuel duty that wouldn't be collected if I didn't use the lanes and roads, so presumably the roads do "pay" these days.

They certainly do pay.

 

If road tax and fuel duty was ring fenced for highway maintenance (as it was intended) then there would be no need for a council tax levy.

 

But if the canals were maintained as efficiently as the roads (and that isn't very), there'd be no need for BW to rip-off the boater.

[Grunners]

For those who were after 'The Amateur Boatwomen', this is from the publisher's website:

 

"We hope to have a reprint run shortly. If you are interested in receiving notification of availability please email us at jlbelmont@aol.com "

[Derek R.]

I've just tried to re read Narrow Boat for about the 20th time and I just can't get into it. I'd go so far as to say it's hard work, and not very enjoyable. I can't put my finger on why though.

 

Anyone else share this view?

 

I am currently reading "Voyage into England" by John Seymour (ebay £6.00). It's great and has the following pearl of wisdom:

 

"I don't see why the canals should "pay", The lane that leads from my house to the village doesn't "pay". The canals are merely lanes and roads, that's all. They should be treated as other lanes and roads and kept up as part of the general transport system of the country".

 

I like that.

 

I also noticed whilst re reading Number One the other day the first mention of global warming that I can think of. This book was written in 1991. How very modern.

 

'Voyage into England'? I have 'Sailing Through England' by the same author, travels in a Dutch Botter.

 

I think 'Narrow Boat' is best read and perhaps appreciated more by folk new to the cut, but even then, there will be some who can't get into it. I enjoyed it, but struggle with it many years later. In complete contrast, I can pick up Rolt's 'Landscape With Canals' any time and be totally absorbed. Perhaps because it's more matter of fact than a deliberate romantic portrayal.

 

'Bread Upon the Waters' is good, but what of 'Anderton For Orders' by Tom Foxon? That's one I haven't read.

 

Shiela Stewart's 'Ramblin Rose' breaks a few tinted glasses and rightly so, but read her other title 'Lifting the Latch' - nothing to do with canals, but a poignant story of life in an agricultural community.

 

Global warming/cooling's been around since the Earth began, only the hype is modern.

 

Derek

[Hairy-Neil]

but what of 'Anderton For Orders' by Tom Foxon? That's one I haven't read.

 

 

 

Derek

 

An excellent read, along with 'No.1', the sequel.

[Derek R.]

An excellent read, along with 'No.1', the sequel.

 

Ta, might raid the 'piggy'.

 

D.

[larkshall]

Hmm Being new to canals, though plenty of time served on the salty stuff What would yeah recommend as an essential reading list and in what order (not paying a fortune for books though).

 

To add by Canals that includes rivers broad and narrow...

 

More interested in the actual workings, the boat people, and completely uninterested in people like Rolt (based on articles in the monthlies)

[carlt]

Hmm Being new to canals, though plenty of time served on the salty stuff What would yeah recommend as an essential reading list and in what order (not paying a fortune for books though).

 

To add by Canals that includes rivers broad and narrow...

 

More interested in the actual workings, the boat people, and completely uninterested in people like Rolt (based on articles in the monthlies)

Colours of the cut: Edward Paget Tomlinson

 

Walker's of Ricky: Anthony J. Walker

 

Canals of England: Eric de Mare

 

Canal People: Sonia Rolt

 

Narrow Boats: Tom Chaplin

 

Waterways of Northamptonshire: David Blagrove

 

and all of the booklets published by Robert Wilson

[Stephen Sugg]

Colours of the cut: Edward Paget Tomlinson

 

Walker's of Ricky: Anthony J. Walker

 

Canals of England: Eric de Mare

 

Canal People: Sonia Rolt

 

Narrow Boats: Tom Chaplin

 

Waterways of Northamptonshire: David Blagrove

 

and all of the booklets published by Robert Wilson

Journeys of the Swan - Can't remember the author John somebody

 

Windlass in my belt - John Thorpe

 

Great Days of the Canals - Anthony Burton (I think)

 

The ones mentioned above especially:

 

Colours of the Cut and

Waterways of Northamptonshire both are very good.