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Twopence Coloured
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Nigeyb wrote: "I hope to start this in the next week or so. Here's to a great discussion."
I will be starting it just as soon as I finish A Year to Remember by Alec Waugh which should be in 3-4 days time.
Twopence Coloured (1928), was Patrick Hamilton's ‘theatre’ book, and it found him on the cusp of what would be his breakthrough, achieved the following year with The Midnight Bell (based on his relationship with Lily Connolly) and the stage premiere of Rope. Twopence Coloured, though, remains one of the rarest items in Hamilton’s bibliography.
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I thought that 'Twopence Coloured' slotted nicely into Hamilton's canon and I enjoyed it quite a lot... well worth the long wait for it to come back into print. Here's hoping I'll be able to say the same thing about his debut, 'Monday Morning,' when it finally comes back into print in January 2014. I'm already clearing the decks so that I can re-read his entire output in chronological order next year!And, yeah, many thanks for sending me the invite to join up...as you can imagine, there's just not much opportunity at all to discuss the works of Patrick Hamilton stateside.
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Mark wrote: "I thought that 'Twopence Coloured' slotted nicely into Hamilton's canon and I enjoyed it quite a lot... well worth the long wait for it to come back into print. "
As I say above, it's early days for me, but after an uncertain start - I wasn't too sure about Patrick's overblown writing style for the Prologue, I feel the story is really picking up as Jackie arrives in London.
Mark wrote: "Here's hoping I'll be able to say the same thing about his debut, 'Monday Morning,' when it finally comes back into print in January 2014. "
I didn't realise Monday Morning was being republished. That will be very interesting. According to the Waterstones website we have to wait until September 2014 here in the UK.
Mark wrote: "I'm already clearing the decks so that I can re-read his entire output in chronological order next year! "
Now that's an idea.
Mark wrote: "And, yeah, many thanks for sending me the invite to join up...as you can imagine, there's just not much opportunity at all to discuss the works of Patrick Hamilton stateside. "
Happy to have been of service Mark.
Patrick Hamilton Fans Of The World Unite!
'Monday Morning' is only being brought back into print in the UK, via Faber. If you've just seen the publication date listed as Sept 2014, I wouldn't be surprised -- that would be the fourth or fifth delay in publication. Still, well worth the wait, I'm sure.The story, as I understand it, is that Faber owned the rights to bring 'Monday Morning' back into print, but it took years for them to locate a source copy of the novel -- there's just that few copies in existence.
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That makes perfect sense despite it all being completely new to me. Thanks Mark.
A Faber blog piece from 2011 states: "Hamilton fans should be reassured that Monday Morning will follow in Finds just as soon as is practically possible.".
And here's a comment from Richard T Kelly of Faber Finds...
"....thank you for your message and request for ‘Monday Morning’. I’m afraid the only obstacle that remains to Finds reissuing this title is the exorbitant and prohibitive cost of sourcing an original edition on the second-hand market. I expect you will be interested by this comment from a bookseller who is currently (but for a limited period!) offering ‘Monday Morning’ on the AbeBooks site: “…this is the only copy I have ever possessed, and it much to good to risk reading, so like everybody else I am awaiting the long promised re-issue, allegedly due to occur later this year. Speaking from the perspective of a collector, this is the third copy of this book that I have ever seen, and is in by far the best condition of the three; by the standards of any book printed in 1925 it is remarkably good. Whilst not wanting to put the cat too much amongst the pigeons, this book will be available for sale for a maximum of three months, after that if it remains unsold it will be withdrawn from the market and placed in my collection, not to see the light of day again until my demise!”
Extraordinary eh?
I've added my name to the clamour for "Monday Morning" on the blog comments.
I'll set up a separate Monday Morning thread (even though the book does't even appear to be on Goodreads - which I suppose is not that surprising).
I remember being intrigued -- and baffled, although I do baffle easier than most -- by the title, 'Twopence Coloured.' A bit of snooping round turned up some cool info... There was a time when theatre-goers would purchase miniature paper replica model kits of the stage set and the characters of the plays that they were attending, typically from a vendor's stall set up in the theatre's lobby during intermission. The idea being that they could then go home, assemble the kit, and re-enact the play for their family and friends -- or, indeed, for anyone with more time than sense.
These model sets were typically available in two versions - a black and white version, as well as a deluxe version printed in full colour. The vendors' cry was "Penny Plains! Twopence Coloured!"
Maybe I've mentioned this before, but there was a book called Twopence Coloured in a small bookshelf in the house where I grew up. The title always intrigued me, but to my regret I can't recall even opening it although I was a votrcious reader. I wouldn't know where to begin looking for it in the house now occupied by my brother, if indeed it's still in the house.
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Fantastic. I'd heard the "Penny Plains! Twopence Coloured!" in relation to, I think, sheet music, however never heard about the miniature paper replica model kits of the stage set. Wonderful stuff. It's funny how little details like that really bring the past to life.
David wrote: "Maybe I've mentioned this before, but there was a book called Twopence Coloured in a small bookshelf in the house where I grew up. "
Do you reckon it was Patrick's book? If so it's probably worth quite a bit now.
Childhood memories are so curious. I find it's quite arbitrary what stays in the mind amidst the plethora of stuff that gets forgotten.
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I am giving this another chance, and trying to ignore all the long sentences and excessive use of capitalisation and brackets which PH uses for comedic effect. I think the problem with this book for me when I read it before was that these techniques just place a barrier between me and any real humour in the book.
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Good for you Fionaonaona. I look forward to your thoughts. so far as I know Patrick employed the Komic Kapitals throughout all his work. I find it more funny than distracting. He seems to use it as a way of mocking platitudes and cliches.
I am finding this the least satisfactory of his books so far (though have still yet to read Impromptu In Moribundia (that's our August 2013 read here at The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society folks) which I suspect might be even less satisfactory). And yet, for all that, there is still much to enjoy, and I am finding it instructive spotting those little obsessions that would shape his best books and spotting the early evidence of his razor-sharp social satire.
Fionaonaona wrote: "I think the problem with this book for me when I read it before was that these techniques just place a barrier between me and any real humour in the book. "
I know what you mean. I am resisting the urge to skim read it because, despite some long and protracted sentences, there is plenty to savour. I am sure if Patrick had written the book later in his career it would have been shorter and punchier - but then perhaps less playful too.
I'm about a quarter of the way through now.
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Very true Jeff.
Jeff wrote: "Monday Morning being reprinted next year."
Let's hope it happens. There have been a few other dates that have been and gone. Still it is looking increasingly likely to happen.
Nigeyb wrote: "After the charms of the excellent "Craven House" (Patrick's second book) this is now feeling decidedly inferior. There's still much to enjoy however, at around the halfway point, two thoughts domi..."I am persevering and am about 70% of the way through. Some of the scenes are good, in particular those with Jackie and Richard, but the descriptive scenes of life in the theatre which just canter through the cliches, just don't do ther job for me. Maybe his Komic Kaps (You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing, and It Is Only Funny Once) and numerous sequential sentences starting with 'and' are an attempt to illustrate something of the nature of life in the theatre. What it means, though is there is very little real story and little opportunity to get to know the characters.
If you compare the writing here with that in The Slaves of Solitude at the other end of his writing career, you can see how well his craft of writing has developed.
Hamilton's Geography: This book covers a wide range of georaphical locations, and Maidenhead is mentioned, again as a sort of significant place. I wonder what his own connection with Maidenhead was?
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I must admit that it was a huge relief to be out of the theatre and over at Charles's house in Sussex (which is as far as I've got). I think Patrick stretched this story to double the length it could, and should, have been.
Fionaonaona wrote: "What it means, though is there is very little real story and little opportunity to get to know the characters. "
That's a very good point. Aside from Jackie and the Gissing brothers we don't really get to know any other characters, and, at least as at page 186, we know very little about either Richard or Charles Gissing. Given the well observed, and wonderfully written, characters in Patrick's other books, this seems very odd. I don't even really feel I know that much about Jackie. Is she deliberately portrayed as simpleton? On page 11, we are told "it must be taken for granted that [Jackie] was, on the whole, a complete fool." So far they seem an uninspired trio.
I am surprised that, after the wealth of disparate characters that appear in Craven House, he wrote this baggy, meandering, overlong and slight tale. Still, as we know, he was to hit form again with Rope: A Play, and then The Midnight Bell. I think, and bear in mind I state this only at the halfway point, this book was a bit of blip in an otherwise upwards trajectory that peaked with the sublime Hangover Square.
Despite those criticisms there is still plenty to enjoy too. I do enjoy Patrick's style and he manages to evoke the grim reality of theatrical life.
Fionaonaona wrote: "Hamilton's Geography: This book covers a wide range of georaphical locations, and Maidenhead is mentioned, again as a sort of significant place. I wonder what his own connection with Maidenhead was? "
I know that you recall that poor old George Bone, in Hangover Square, saw Maidenhead as his salvation. Wrongly. My guess is that, as a very old English settlement, it represented older values. I can't locate my copy of the Nigel Jones biography. If he has any insights to impart I'll update the thread. I don't recall anything.
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It is still a beautiful double-fronted Victorian building and is currently home to a Toni & Guy hairdresser. Next time I'm passing I'll take a photo.
I finished this last night, but I'm not sure whether I should post any more comments until others have finished. I did upgrade my initial one star assessment to two stars, but it really didn't have the qualities that make Hamilton's writing so effective for me.
Doesn't Maidenhead feature in Slaves of Solidtude too? I may be misremembering. but I'm pretty sure it is a location in another of his books.
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Post away. I think if people don't want to read spoilers they can not read the thread until they've finished.
Fionaonaona wrote: "I did upgrade my initial one star assessment to two stars, but it really didn't have the qualities that make Hamilton's writing so effective for me."
So far it's definitely a three star read (most of his other books have been five for me). There's enough classic Patrick in there for me to find it worthwhile.
Fionaonaona wrote: "Doesn't Maidenhead feature in Slaves of Solidtude too? I may be misremembering. but I'm pretty sure it is a location in another of his books. "
Sort of. Thames Lockdon is on the Maidenhead line out of London, a few stops away, and I think might even be based on Maidenhead. I did have a look in the (excellent) Nigel Jones PH biog but couldn't find any explanation for Patrick's multiple use of Maidenhead as a location.
Regarding the return to print of 'Monday Morning,' I've just had an email from Amazon UK informing me that the publication date has been pushed back yet again, this time to September 2014 [as Nigyeb had previously mentioned]. Frustratingly, my order was placed on 18 October 2012.
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I adore Patrick Hamilton's "Hangover Square" (1941) - my favourite novel of all time; "The Slaves of Solitude" (1947) is superb; I also really enjoyed the first two Gorse novels - "The West Pier" (1952); and "Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse" (1953); and "Craven House" (1926) (the book that preceded this one). I would also heartily recommend the biography of Patrick Hamilton, "Through A Glass Darkly: The Life of Patrick Hamilton" by Nigel Jones. Since reading "Hangover Square", I have been working my way through all of Patrick Hamilton's work.
"Twopence Coloured" was published in 1928, two years after "Craven House" which had been well received by both critics and the reading public. "Twopence Coloured" was out of print, and all but forgotten, until the Faber Finds reissue in 2011. This does not surprise me as "Twopence Coloured" is the least successful and pleasing book that I have yet read by Patrick Hamilton. I was dismayed that, after the wealth of disparate characters that appear in "Craven House", he wrote this baggy, meandering, overlong and slight tale. With the light of hindsight, we know this was a blip in an otherwise upward trajectory, and he was to hit form again with "Rope: A Play", and then "The Midnight Bell", and then onwards to the peak that was the sublime "Hangover Square", via the "Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky" trilogy.
There are three main reasons why "Twopence Coloured" is far less successful than "Craven House", and the books that were to follow:
1) It's too long. For the first time ever reading Patrick Hamilton, I felt occasionally bored and was tempted to skip ahead. The tale is slight and could have been effectively told in a short story.
2) The lack of social context. "Craven House" managed to tell an interesting story that highlighted the broader generational conflicts after WW1, along with the social tensions during that era. "Hangover Square" and "The Slaves of Solitude" were to even more perfectly marry social and political comment with compelling drama and wonderfully observational writing about pubs, boarding houses, personal relationships, addiction, love and obsession.
3) Uninteresting characters. The book's two main characters, Jackie Mortimer and Richard Gissing, dominate the story, and yet I felt I never got to know much about either of them. Given the well observed, and perfectly described, characters in Patrick Hamilton's other books, this seems odd and anomalous.
Despite these flaws, the book still has much to recommend it. This is Patrick Hamilton after all. He drew on his experience of working in theatre, and seems to perfectly capture the theatrical milieu - both in London's West End, and the provinces. As always with Patrick Hamilton, the dialogue and humour ring with authenticity, and I have no doubt that much of what is stated in the book was originally heard by Patrick Hamilton.
Despite its unnecessary length, "Twopence Coloured" has much to enjoy for readers who have come to know and love Patrick Hamilton's work. Newcomers should start with "Hangover Square" and "The Slaves of Solitude", and then work through the many other highlights of his bibliography before tackling "Twopence Coloured".
I'll finish this review with two pieces of trivia associated with the book:
1) Mark from The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society on GoodReads informed me that UK theatre-goers in the early twentieth century could purchase miniature paper replica model kits of the stage set and the characters, and - once home - re-enact the play for friends and family. These model sets were typically available in two versions - black and white and full colour . The vendors would cry, "Penny Plains! Twopence Coloured!". Now you know.
2) Jackie and Richard dine at Booth's Restaurant in Brighton on a few occasions. As a resident of Brighton and Hove I wondered where this establishment used to be. I had not heard of it before. It was surprisingly difficult to find information, however after some intense searching I discovered that Booth's Restaurant aka Edwin Booth & Sons, Pastry Cooks and Confectioners, was located at 69-70 East Street in Brighton from 1870 until at least 1950. The beautiful double fronted Victorian building is still at 69-70 East Street and, at the time of writing, is a hairdressers.
The style of writing in Twopence Coloured is very different from the other Hamilton novels I've read. I read it directly after Slaves of Solitude in which I think his writing is at its best. I was very disappointed with Twopence Coloured. It's the earliest of his writings that I have read and I initially thought perhaps his style was not yet developed. On second reading I wondered why he had written it like this. Perhaps it was careless, rushed writing. Or perhaps there were other factors in his life at the time that negatively influenced his writing. I don't think he is a careless writer, and I wonder whether the style was a deliberate attempt to convey something.
Scenes written about life in the theatre are written quite differently from the more personal scenes with Jackie and Richard and some others. When writing about life in the theatre, everything is reduced to cliche and type with the excessive use of the Komic Kaps, which does not allow for any development of character. People are quickly introduced and then never heard of again, which must show something of the experience of the touring actor who would meet people, become intensively involved with them for a short time, and then move on, with little likelihood of seeing them again.
Some of the passages featuring Jackie and Richard are good, but there are so few of them and the story covers such a long period of time, their characters are not developed and we don't really to know them. Hamilton tells us explicitly that Jackie is stupid and Richard is pathetic, so I don't think he is hoping that the reader with sympathise with these characters.
There is one excellent passage where Jackie receives an unexpected visit from her old friend Iris. Earlier in the book Iris offers Jackie an introduction to a friend who worked in the theatre, but Jackie rather arrogantly ignores this, and loses touch with Iris. Jackie fantasises about meeting Iris again, imagining her awestruck reaction to Jackie's theatrical success.
The much fantasised over meeting takes place when Iris -- now happily married and living in Maidenhead -- calls unexpectedly at the theatre having seen a press notice about Jackie. Iris is far from impressed and even seems to pity Jackie. Iris leaves, and Jackie's "heart is bitter as she goes on to perform."
The story deals with the unsatisfactory, shallow and ultimately pointless nature of life and work in the theatre at the time, and perhaps the shallow and pointless nature of actors. Maybe Hamilton was trying to communicate this through his style of writing?
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Fionaonaona wrote: "The story deals with the unsatisfactory, shallow and ultimately pointless nature of life and work in the theatre at the time, and perhaps the shallow and pointless nature of actors. "
Through his sister, an actress, Patrick had worked in theatre, as one of a number of unsatisfactory jobs he held before writing full time. I think you're right that this experience had not given him a very favourable view of the profession - perhaps even of humanity.
I wonder if it was only as Patrick became more alcohol-dependent that his writing really developed those bleaker, darker aspects that often elevate his work.
We know that his obsession with Lily the prostitute, which was yet to happen when he wrote this book (and was to inform The Midnight Bell). Once Rope: A Play had made him a literary celebrity he was drinking more and more too.
Fionaonaona wrote: "Maybe Hamilton was trying to communicate this through his style of writing? "
I doubt it. According to Nigel Jones, as he finished writing the book, he thought he was writing a book that was superior to Craven House. I get the feeling he became over-confident have been buoyed by the relative success of Craven House which was only his second book. I also think he'd run out of good biographical material, and so needed the affair with Lily to inspire more of the excellence that became his hallmark.
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There's already a bit of discussion about Maidenhead and the significance of the place to Patrick Hamilton. I am just reading The Midnight Bell (the first part of the Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky trilogy) and, on page 66, Jenny the prostitute says to Bob the barman, at their third meeting, and whilst discussing another man of her acquaintance who has been good to her, "Took me out in his car last Sunday. We went down to Maidenhead. Do you know Maidenhead?"
Keep those Maidenhead references coming.
The library does not have a copy of this one and your comments are not making me want to buy it. They do have a copy of the biography, so I will read that some time.
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I would say Twopence Coloured is one of his less impressive books - though other opinions are available (see Mark's comments above). That said, it is definitely still worth reading for anyone interested in how Patrick Hamilton developed as an author.
Of the ones I have read, which is most now, I would say your next stop might be Craven House (which I don't think you've read Val) or The Gorse Trilogy: The West Pier, Mr Stimpson And Mr Gorse, Unknown Assailant (the first two are excellent - the third less so).
Val wrote: "They do have a copy of the biography, so I will read that some time."
Which one? Through A Glass Darkly by Nigel Jones? Well worth reading. We should probably set up a separate thread for that one. Please let me know if and when you read it and I'll do just that.
Val wrote: "The library does not have a copy of this one and your comments are not making me want to buy it. They do have a copy of the biography, so I will read that some time."I can think of many, many better things you could do with your time than read Twopence Coloured.
I read somewhere that PH wrote this novel about his actor sister's affair with the actor and playwright Sutton Vane.
Nigey: Yes, Through A Glass Darkly.There is a copy of the Gorse trilogy too, although it is out on loan at the moment and has at least one reserve.
I don't think they have a copy of Craven House, but it is in print, so I will look out for that one.
Fionaonaona: A lot of his writing has elements of his own life, so it is quite likely that he would use his sister's too.
Val wrote: "A lot of his writing has elements of his own life, so it is quite likely that he would use his sister's too."Sorry, my comment there was a bit of a non-sequiteur! I was (lazily) making it in relation to some comments I had made earlier.
I wasn't at all surprised that he would use real life as an influence, but was thinking about what the book might say about his relationship with his sister. Hamilton is quite contemptuous of Jackie, the character based on his sister, and describes her as stupid.
The characters in this book not at all well developed, which is something Patrick Hamilton normally does well, and I had previously wondered whether this was a deliberate (and unsuccessful) attempt to portray shallow people. The poor characterisation was one of the reasons I did not like this book.
Fionaonaona wrote: "Val wrote: "A lot of his writing has elements of his own life, so it is quite likely that he would use his sister's too."Sorry, my comment there was a bit of a non-sequiteur! I was (lazily) makin..."
No, I'm the one who should apologise.
Some of his other female characters are unflattering portraits of women he got involved with, rather unhappily. I agree that it does make you wonder about his relationship with his sister if he shows her as stupid.
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He had a huge affection for Lalla, his sister, and a good relationship with her.
His relationship with his brother Bruce was a bit more strained - although Bruce appeared very supportive throughout his life. Nigel Jones, one of his biographers, suggested to me that when he had finished his biography Through A Glass Darkly, he came across evidence that perhaps Bruce disliked Patrick more than he'd first assumed. Anyway, I digress.
It was Lalla who got Patrick his first paid employment, working with her and Vane in the theatre. This experience obviously eventually helped Patrick write two very successful stage plays - that ultimately made his name and his fortune. Apparently the character of Jackie contains elements of Lalla, but also of Patrick himself. It is not based wholly on Lalla. I'm not so sure that Patrick is contemptuous of the Jackie character - though she is quite shallow.
By the by, Lalla also supported Patrick financially before his theatrical hits. She and Vane were quite wealthy for a period. Sadly Vane was a heavy drinker and subsequently Lalla also started to drink heavily (something of a pattern within the Hamilton family - Patrick's father was also a heavy drinker). The rest of her life was marred by tragedy: two failed marriages, a mastectomy which did not completely eradicate the cancer, a brain tumour, on top of the aforementioned heavy drinking which became chronic as time went on. She died in 1951 with Patrick by her side during her last few days.
I've just discovered that the New York Public Library has a copy of Hamilton's first, 'Monday Morning.' It's a non-lending copy, so I'm planning on sorting out a few days off with which to sit in the library and read it [as opposed to waiting for Faber to finally return it to print].
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Wow, that's amazing Mark. Give me a shout when you're going to do it and then I'll set up a dedicated Monday Morning thread. I am very curious as to what you make of it.
Nigeyb wrote: Keep those Maidenhead references coming. "This isn't a Maidenhead reference, but another theme. Motor accidents. I know PH was hit by a car, and this had a terrible impact on his life. In the middle 20,000 Streets Under the Sky story, about Jenny, there is a significant motor accident. I'm sure there have been more, but I can't think where for the moment. Was there one in Slaves of Solitude? I think he uses them to show that people involved in them, or rather who cause them, are Bad People.
Nigeyb wrote: "Mark wrote: "I've just discovered that the New York Public Library has a copy of Hamilton's first, 'Monday Morning.' It's a non-lending copy, so I'm planning on sorting out a few days off with whic..."There is also a copy in the British Library which can be read in the reading room. Maybe you could do a transatlantic relay read.
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Very good point - it's definitely a theme. Bad People is right. In 1932, whilst walking with his sister and wife in London, Patrick Hamilton was struck by a drunk driver and dragged through the street. His injuries were devastating. After a three-month hospital stay, multiple surgeries (the accident ripped off his nose and left one arm mangled), and a period of convalescence, Hamilton suffered physical and emotional scars that would continue with him for the rest of his life. Some claim this contributed to his alcoholism. It certainly badly affected his self-esteem and he became very self conscious about the visible scars and loss of mobility.
As you say Fionaonaona, The Siege of Pleasure (the second of the Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky trilogy) features a drunken driving accident, and that was deliberately added in after Patrick Hamilton's accident. His second play, To The Public Danger, commissioned by the BBC as part of a road safety campaign, was an account of the carnage caused by drink driving.
I don't remember a motor accident in The Slaves of Solitude - but there could well be. The blackout must have caused a lot of accidents, in addition to drunk driving.
Fionaonaona wrote: "There is also a copy of Monday Morning in the British Library which can be read in the reading room. Maybe you could do a transatlantic relay read. "
Great idea!
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A pretty fair summary too..
Patrick Hamilton's third novel takes its name from a toy theatre and constructs a between-the-wars stage set of dreary provincial fleapit and transient West End glitter from personal experience of a profession that would dazzle, exhault and thwart him.
The story of awkward ingénue Jackie begins, as did Patrick Hamilton, in Hove, from where she persues her dream to West Kensington, future backdrop of the author's greatest dramas. Jackie's fate is set as she steps on the train and meets Richard, a seasoned actor who will become her mentor and then lover – but not until she has "travelled not less than 20,000 miles" in rep, across the "infinite piquancies and horrors" of "Sunday England".
First published in 1928, this is a curio, a memoir of the doomed marriage between Hamilton's sister Lala and playwright-actor Sutton Vane, written before his huge theatrical successes, Gas Light and Rope: A Play.
Still observing from the wings, Patrick Hamilton was teetering before the obsessions that would shape his greatest work and sharpen his social satire. Newcomers should proceed first to Hangover Square.
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Nigeyb wrote: "In 1932, whilst walking with his sister and wife in London, Patrick Hamilton was struck by a drunk driver and dragged through the street. His injuries were devastating. "
I've just realised that the original car accident took place in Earls Court. I wonder to what extent this was significant in its choice of location for much of Hangover Square?
And Peter the fascist has killed with a car, from Hangover Square:
"I have been in jail twice, to be precise," said Peter, lighting another cigarette, and suddenly employing a large, pompous professorial tone. "On one occasion for socking a certain left-winger a precise and well deserved sock in the middle of his solar plexus, and on the other for a minor spot of homicide with a motor-car…"
I'll muse a bit more on this over at the Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society "Hangover Square" thread.
It seems the 2p coloureds have skyrocketed in price, but the appeal remains...https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/
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I must slot that shop into my upcoming London itinerary, even if it’s just to browse. I love the fact that these still exist, that great care appears to go into their creation, and that there’s an appreciative consumer base for them.
Another superb entry on Spitalfields Life today, this time on the toy theatre publishers of Old Street...http://spitalfieldslife.com/2017/12/2...
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I will spread the word!There was a book of that title in our house when I was a nipper, but it’ll be long gone, I expect. I read the re-print when Abacus did the honours recently, though.
The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society
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Here's a thread to discuss Twopence Coloured by our man Patrick Hamilton. I have set this up as a group read for July 2013. Please feel free to post your thoughts, observations and question here at any time.
Patrick Hamilton was acutely conscious that his third novel (first published in 1928) was longer and ‘much grimmer’ than his previous and well-received productions. Twopence Coloured is the story of 19-year-old Jackie Mortimer, who leaves Hove in search of a life on the London stage, only to become entangled in ‘provincial theatre’ and complex affairs of the heart with two brothers, Richard and Charles Gissing. The novel, unavailable for many years, is a gimlet-eyed portrait of the theatrical vocation, and fully exhibits Hamilton’s celebrated gift for conjuring London - the ‘vast, thronged, unknown, hooting, electric-lit, dark-rumbling metropolis.’