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Joined: Jun 2001
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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>"Lesser breeds without the law"
Did you read the Orwell piece you linked to? His take on who the above were is very interesting.
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
Orwell's suggestion that the "lesser breeds" are German does not satisfy, in that so much of the DNA of the English is of Germanic import and it seems unlikely that Kipling would denigrate his own genetic roots.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
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The "plasma" of which hairpins could be made was a form of green translucent chalcedony (a species of microcrystalline quartz).
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
I must say this is a fascinating thread and I feel that I should go read some Kipling and/or Laurie R. King, although I am uncertain of the connection. Jackie can you recommend good starting points for both authors? The George Orwell essay is also very interesting. What are "box-wallah" and "blimps"? I used Google to do an image search for "wideawake hat" and that led me to this link (which, by the way, also features Sherlock Holmes-style deerstalker caps): http://www.historyinthemaking.org/catalog/menhat.htm
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 500
addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 500 |
I may try Laurie King. As for Kipling, I'd suggest any book of his short stories. They're issued in multiple collections, sometimes with duplicates. "Plain Tales From the Hills" is one I enjoy. I also like the children's books "Just So Stories", "Puck of Pook's Hill" "Rewards and Fairies". One of my favourite short stories of his is "The Man Who Would be King", and another is "They".
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Thanks, Alex; I was hoping this would bring up some memories for people. And thanks for the pic of a wideawake hat! It's what I think of as an old-timey parson's hat.
You said, Kipling and/or Laurie R. King, although I am uncertain of the connection. ; I said,
Laurie R. King's writing, I snapped up her latest paperback* as soon as I learned it was available. This was another in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series; it takes place primarily in India, and in it there are many references to "Kim",
I learned so much more about India from these two books than I had ever known; in "Kim", about life there, and for ex. in Ms. King's book (called "The Game", another reference to "Kim") that England didn't exactly control all of India--that there were some states, at least at that time, still under the rule of their princes.
As far as I'm concerned, you might as well start with "Kim"; it just takes you right along. As to Laurie King, she has 3 different series (although one of these "series" consists of only two books as yet). The ones about the island and the ones with detective Kate Martinelli get somewhat graphic, gore-wise; there is almost none whatsoever in the Russell/Holmes series, the first (and in my opinion, best) of which is "The Beekeeper's Apprentice". This series is based on one of the neatest...premises, I guess...I've ever come across. The author prefaces it with a story about how she had been a struggling writer for so long, and out of the blue one day she gets a delivery of a very old and well-traveled trunk. In it are many odd artifacts and a manuscript. The manuscript is written--in tiny, precise handwriting--by a Mary Russell, who tells how she and Sherlock Holmes met late in his life, and of their adventures together. The author then goes on to say that she will let Ms. Russell's telling stand on its own, and that any time Ms. Russell wants to come forward and take credit, she is welcome to do so. Now, is that the coolest thing, or what? It's a good thing I'm not a writer--never could I have come up with something as imaginative as that!
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
I have no idea of the origins of the term, but a wideawake hat was a hat with a wide brim that shaded the eyes. They typically had a round-top, rather neatly-fitting crown. Versions of them have been around for centuries.
They were very popular in Australia in the early 19th century because of their ability to reduce glare and therefore fatigue of the eyes. They became the akubra (Australia) and stetson (US) over time when it was realised that a taller crown reduced the amount of heat transferred through the hat to the head.
Sorry I can't give references. I read about this years ago. Somewhere!
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