Record Number: 30082

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Meeting held at Hillsborough :- 14. 9. 37.

Reginald H. Robson in the Chair.

1. Minutes of last read & approved

2. Charles Stansfield then introduced the momentous question of the evening. Was the Book Club to end its existence? He had felt for some time that it was moribund. [...]

He referred to E. B. Castle who shared his concern and to a letter which he believed had been written to the Secretary by E. B. Castle.

3. The Secretary then read this; it supported the opinions expressed by C. E. Stansfield.

4. The subject was then discussed informally.

[...]

9. We then turned to the work of Barrie. Howard Smith gave us a chat – he would not call it a paper – on the plays he had seen.

[...]

A considerable part of “What every woman knows” was then read in which a number of people took part.

Charles Stansfield appropriately gave a reading from My Lady Nicotine.

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

14 Sep 1937

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: Hillsborough, 4 Glebe Road

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Charles E. Stansfield

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1865

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Retired schoolmaster, then administrator

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Members of the XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

J. M. Barrie

Title:

My Lady Nicotine

Genre:

Fiction, First-person narrative

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

30082

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Victor Alexander

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 3 (1931-1938)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

190–3

Additional Information:

Victor Alexander was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1931 to 1940. It is inferred from this that he was the author of this set of minutes.

Citation:

Victor Alexander, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 3 (1931-1938), private collection, 190–3, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30082, accessed: 22 November 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).