Record Number: 31873
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Meeting held at Lambia, 33 Conisboro Avenue 19.5.39
R. H. Robson in the chair.
[...]
1. The minutes of last [two meetings] read & approved.
2. R. H. Robson gave an introductory sketch of Hilaire Belloc & his work.
Belloc was educated at the Oratory School — at that time in Birmingham, &
became later an M.P. with a Liberal but independent outlook. He made himself a
champion of Roman Catholicism, wrote on such varied subjects a military tactics,
yachting, religion, & politics, topography, history especially the French Revolution,
as well as producing novels and poetry.
R. H. Robson read, as specimens of his work, his opinion of St. Just, and his
account of the Battle of Hastings.
Other readings were given by later contributors.
3. C. E. Stanfield read from “First and Last Things” giving us the man who
deplored the spread of education; and also extracts about rivers, mountains and
Algiers.
[...]
5. V. W. Alexander read from “Hills and the Sea” the description of the Valley of
the R. Rother, showing Belloc’s love of Sussex.
6. Muriel Stevens gave us some selections from his sonnets & other verse.
7. Celia Burrow then read the vivid account of Dronet’s ride which resulted in the
arrest of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at Varennes.
[...]
9. H. R. Smith, reading from “The Historic Thames” told us of the once important
Osney Abbey & of Reading Abbey as it used to be.
10. Finally R. D. L. Moore read from “The Crisis of our Civilization”, showing
Belloc’s ideas & those of some other historians as to what History could or could
not teach.
[...]
[signed]A.B. Dilks
24. 11. 39'
1900-1945
Date:24 Nov 1939
Country:England
Timeevening
Place:city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: 39, Eastern 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:1887
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, 19 May 1939
Genre:Minutes
Form of Text:Manuscript: Notebook
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenancereading group
Source Information:
Record ID:31873
Source:Manuscript
Author:Victor Alexander
Title:XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)
Location:private collection
Call No:n/a
Page/Folio:45–8
Additional Information:
Victor Alexander’s authorship is inferred from the fact that he was secretary to the XII Book Club at this time, and from the handwriting.
Citation:
Victor Alexander, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 45–8, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31873, 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).