Record Number: 31742
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Meeting held at 39, Eastern Avenue. 20. 8. 40
A. B. Dilks in the chair.
1. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.
2. The Treasurer presented his Report. This differed somewhat from the Report
made by the retiring Treasurer at our last meeting, & either for this reason, or
perhaps because she was told she had not yet paid her Subscription, Janet
Rawlings proposed that in future a receipt should be given by the Treasurer for all
money paid to him. The proposal was seconded by Edith Smith & passed
unanimously by the meeting.
3. A letter was read from Ethel Stevens regretting that owing to the present
difficulty of attending meetings, she must resign from the club. The Secretary was
instructed to write to her, regretfully accepting her resignation.
[...]
6. Mary S. W. Pollard started the Literary General Knowledge Test by questioning
us in poetry and the poets. Questions which we found singularly difficult to
answer.
7. Margaret Dilks proceeded to test our knowledge of prose by reading three short
character sketches from novels. Most people had no difficulty in identifying these
as Mr. Pickwick, Mr. & Mrs. Bennett and Soames Forsyte.
8. After coffee we were faced with the Herculean task of answering a General
Knowledge paper consisting of 9 sections, each of about 10 questions. This paper
was set by Howard Smith and A. B. Dilks and we are very grateful to them for the
time & trouble they took in compiling it. [...] “Time” was called at 10 o’clock and
the chairman then read out the answers. The integrity of the Club was not
questioned so we each corrected our own papers. [...] It was a matter for regret
that the two sections calling for original composition should have been left out by
so many members. [...]
[signed by] Howard R. Smith
13/9/1940'
1900-1945
Date:13 Sep 1940
Country:England
Timeevening
Place:city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: Frensham, Northcourt Avenue
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:1880
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:n/a
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
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Minutes of the meeting of the XII Book Club held 20 Aug 1940
Genre:Minutes
Form of Text:Manuscript: Notebook
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenancereading group
Source Information:
Record ID:31742
Source:Manuscript
Author:Margaret Dilks
Title:XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)
Location:private collection
Call No:n/a
Page/Folio:70–3
Additional Information:
Margaret Dilks was appointed secretary to the XII Book Club in July 1940
Citation:
Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 70–3, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31742, accessed: 18 July 2024
Additional Comments:
This is the reading, possibly brief and cursory, implied by the Chair's act of signing these minutes. It probably followed immediately after listening to the public reading of the minutes by the Secretary.
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).