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Indlæser... The Englishman who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objectsaf John Tingey
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. This was a really fun read and has inspired me to do a little postal experiment of my own! ( ) The first impression of W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939) was one of an ordinary middle-class Englishman quietly living out his time as an accountant in the leafy suburb of Forest Hill, London. A glimpse behind his study door, however, revealed his extraordinary passion for sending unusual items through the mail. I love stories of individuals fascinated with odd pursuits. For W.R. Bray, the earliest pioneer of mail art, it was experimenting with the British postal service. [full review]. I found this a charming little book. It's simple, and it's not long. It describes the achievements of one man who challenged the British postal system by studying its regulations and pushing them to their limits; but he appeared to do so out of genuine love for the postal system and its workers rather than to show it up. He also amassed an enormous collection of autographs by mail, although I found this part of the book less exciting because the subject's actions were less whimsical and more attention-seeking at this stage. One of the nicest things about this book was its quality of production (I read the hardcover)--very nicely done color plates, and lots of them, formed a significant part of the content. I also enjoyed the author's sheer interest in and enthusiasm for his subject. The book clearly grew out of this ongoing fascination, as opposed to many works that don't really take shape until the author determines to start writing about a general idea. But here I don't feel anybody's trying to sell me on anything, if that makes any sense. It's not an epic nor is it really revelatory, but it's an honest little gem. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
The first impression of W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939) was one of an ordinary middle-class Englishman quietly living out his time as an accountant in the leafy suburb of Forest Hill, London. A glimpse behind his study door, however, revealed his extraordinary passion for sending unusual items through the mail. In 1898, Bray purchased a copy of the Post Office Guide, and began to study the regulations published quarterly by the British postal authorities. He discovered that the smallest item one could post was a bee, and the largest, an elephant. Intrigued,he decided to experiment with sending ordinary and strange objects through the post unwrapped, including a turnip, abowler hat, a bicycle pump, shirt cuffs, seaweed, a clothes brush, even a rabbit's skull. He eventually posted his Irish terrier and himself (not together), earning him the name "The Human Letter." He also mailed cards to challenging addressessome in the form of picture puzzles, others sent to ambiguous recipients at hard to reach destinationsall in the name of testing the deductive powers of the beleaguered postman. Over time hispassion changed from sending curios to amassing the world's largest collection of autographs, also via the post. Starting with key British military officers involved in the Second Boer War, he acquired thousands of autographs during the first four decades of the twentieth centuryof politicians, military men, performing artists, aviators, sporting stars, and many others. By the time he died in 1939, Bray had sent out more than thirty-two thousand postal curios and autograph requests. The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects tells W. Reginald Bray's remarkable tale for the first time and includes delightful illustrations of some of his most amazing postal creations. Readers will never look at the objects they post the same way again. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)383.492Social sciences Commerce, Communications, Transportation Post Office Postal History By RegionLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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