English as she is misspoke and miswrote (Easts, Shites and Leaves, 2003)

A. Parody. Eats, Shites & Leaves. (2004) Piggy-backing on Lynn Truss’s Eats, Shoots, and Leaves (2003), this is a mildly amusing compilation of “crap English”. The compiler makes a few minor mistakes, mostly because of the widely-shared confusion between grammar and usage, and much of the material can be found elsewhere. Some of it merely illustrates the quirks of English spelling, especially of homonyms. He includes proverbs, I suppose because most of them have become cliches.

The best bits are the inadvertent weirdness caused by errors in diction (I am a person who recognises the fallacy of humans), the clash of cliches (If you stand still, there’s only one way to go, and that’s backwards), the difference between spoken and written syntax (I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith), simple carelessness (The patient has no past history of suicides), and so on. I bought my copy from a guy at the Timber Village Market. He was toting used books around in van, and looked hopeful when I approached. Probably overpaid, which makes it a keeper – too valuable to give away. ***

The Dismal Pseudoscience (Economyths, 2017)

David Orrell. Economyths: 11 Ways Economics Gets It Wrong. (2017) Orrell is a mathematician who’s made his living applying his skills to miscellaneous real world problems. Here he dissects 11 economyths, showing how they fail to match real world data.

Modern economics began with Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. In the mid-1800s Jeremy Bentham and others attempted to mathematise Smith’s insights, and, within the limits of their mathematics, they succeeded. By the mid-20th century, economics had become a thoroughly mathematised social science. Unfortunately, economists didn’t bother testing their models by comparing their predictions against actual data. If the predictions didn’t work out, that was not a fault of the models, but of people’s misunderstanding of the economy, which led them to make the wrong choices. Choices that falsified the predictions must be the wrong choices, you see, because if people had made the right choices, the predictions would been correct. Economics has become a pseudoscience, a cargo cult using mystical algebra.

Milton Friedman went the final step of proclaiming that economic theory proved that free-market, profit-focussed capitalism was the only viable and democratic system. Hence the inability of economists to predict the 2008 collapse of the real estate bubble and the ensuing financial crisis.

That’s a rough paraphrase of Orrell’s thesis. The 2008 crisis occasioned the first edition of this book. This one (2017) includes quotes of criticisms of the first edition and Orrell’s responses. It adds a chapter on money, which proposes that money is quantum-like. Interesting, but IMO at best a first draft of a proper theory of money. Such a theory is difficult because money has many functions, all of which depend on our beliefs about it.

Orrell stresses that the economy is a complex dynamic system, which includes the agents, and so agents’ perceptions and beliefs play a major (and confounding) role. He doubts that economic prediction will ever be better than weather forecasting. He also emphasises that neo-liberal economic theory as propounded by the Chicago school (Milton Friedman et al) has led to economic behaviour whose ecological effects threaten to make the planet at least extremely uncomfortable for human beings. I think he’s right.

I will reread this book. It’s dense with data, history, and anecdote. Here and there I felt almost sorry for the economists that fulminated against the first edition. But their smug ignorance of the limits of applied mathematics, of ecology, of anthropology, of psychology, and of history prevented pity.

Recommended. ****

Lord Peter Wimsey in Short Takes (Lord Peter, 1972)

Dorothy Sayers. Lord Peter {The collected short stories} (1972) Compiled by James Sandoe.

It’s always a pleasure to read about Lord Peter. His first appearance was as a Wooster-like ninny, but later appearances indicate this was a pose. Here he helps an anxious twin discover his hitherto unknown criminal brother; rescues the victim of horrendous domestic abuse; solves assorted other crimes; and turns out to be a fair-minded and affectionate father in the previously unpublished “Tallboys”, which is also a nicely done satire on “enlightened” child rearing methods as expounded by people with no understanding of children.

The editor provides a good chronological overview of Sayers’ crime fiction, and includes a wonderfully erudite and affectionate critique of Sayers’ fiction by Carolyn Heilbrun (aka “Amanda Cross”, but that’s not mentioned), and a well done parody, “Greedy Night”.

All in all, a treat for both the Sayers fan and the crime fiction addict. ****

Quebec Railway Light & Power Company (Grumley, 2006)

 J R Thomas Grumley. Quebec Railway Light and Power Company: Montmorency Division. (2006) A Bytown Railway Society book. Lots of pictures, a good potted history of the line, the Montmorency Falls, and the St Anne de Beaupre shrine that provided most of the tourist traffic. The line started as a steam railway in 1898, and was electrified in 1900. Most of the book deals with the locomotives and rolling stock.

Like many such books, this is aimed at the railfan. There’s a bibliography, the halftone printing is excellent, but there’s no map. Hence only *** of four stars.

J is For Judgment (Grafton, 1993)

Sue Grafton. J Is For Judgment (1993) A supposedly dead person is seen by an insurance agent who’s on holiday in Mexico. Since the insurers have paid his widow, they’re miffed. They send Kinsey to verify the sighting. The supposed deceased supposedly suicided by stepping off his sailboat, after the revelation that he was a swindler and a cheat. Several of his victims are also after his hide, his widow wants nothing to do with him, his erstwhile partner has his own reasons for pursuing him,, and so on.. A nicely done puzzle, with timeouts for Kinsey’s family to connect with her. Kinsey isn’t too happy about that, so we’ll find out more in later novels.

The trail ends with a satisfying solution and a goodly dollop of poetic justice. I enjoyed the book. Since Grafton’ death, 2nd-and copies of her books are becoming rare. This copy was a first edition, with dustcover. ***

The Shadow Riders (L'Amour, 1982)

 

Louis L’Amour. The Shadow Riders. (1982) Colonel Ashford believes the South can raise again, with himself at its head. To make it happen, he’s assembled a gang of thirty-some drifters, mostly criminals. They attack and loot ranches on their way to Mexico, where Ashford expects to build a new Confederate Army, attack Texas, and then sweep across the South, etc and so and so forth.

Problem is, he’s attacked a Traven ranch, and then kidnapped some women whom he plans to sell in exchange for weapons. One of them is Mac Traven’s fiancee Kate Connery. Mac, his brother Dal and their Uncle Happy Jack trail Ashford’s wagon train through southeast Texas to the final showdown.

The copy I have touts the CBS TV movie (with Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot et al) based on the book, but it’s another L’Amour tale told with his usual skill. This one’s a bit thin on character, has useful backstory inserted where the plot demands it, and so on. Enjoyable for the L’Amour fan, but merely average. **½

Kilrone (L'Amour, 1966)

Louis L’Amour. Kilrone. (1966) Former army Captain Kilrone walks into an army post with news of the Bannocks assembling to attack Colonel Mellett’s column, and then the post itself. They’re being led by Medicine Dog. The commander in charge is Major Paddock, who believes that Kilrone is his rival for his wife’s affections. Dave Sproule, the owner of most of Hog Town, the nearby settlement that caters to off-duty soldiers’ needs and wants, has his own goals.

That’s the setup. The story moves swiftly, telling mostly of how Kilrone plans for defending the post, and how they survive the attack. Cross-cuts to the other strands of the tale give us the necessary overview, and also raise and maintain tension. The romances are resolved as they should be, and the villains get theirs.

A well-done early L’Amour which lacks only the polish, nuance and richer characterisation of the later ones. **½ 

Come Home Charlie. . . (Delderfield, 1969)

 R. F. Delderfield. Come Home Charlie, and Face Them. (1969) Charlie Pritchard is posted to Cadwallader’s Bank in Penmadoc. He rooms at the bank manager’s, whose daughter Ida likes him, and beds him, but thinks he lacks gumption. They enjoy each other’s company until Ida runs off to London.

Office politics at the bank are nasty. Charlie’s only escape is Delphine at the Rainbow Café. She and her brother Beppo persuade Charlie that robbing the bank is feasible, and most of the tale informs us of the trio’s plans and step-by-step progress towards their goal. It all unravels in the end of course, but Ida returns just in time to help Charlie put the pieces back together, one of which is his discovery that he likes her more than well enough to marry her, and not just from gratitude, either. There’s a satisfying amount of poetic justice, too. All’s well that ends well: The villains are punished, and Charlie is rescued by a good woman.

Charlie makes a convincing narrator. The story’s told from his vantage point near the end of his life, and he knows well enough how little he understood himself when he first arrived in Penmadoc. The novel is a coming-of-age story; the crime led him into self-awareness via a detour through semi-valid delusions about his control of the situation.

Recommended of you can find a copy. ***

Turncoat (Gutteridge 2003)

 Don Gutteridge. Turncoat (2003) First in a series. Upper Canada, 1837. A government sympathiser and informer may have been murdered. Lt Governor Sir John Colborne sends Ensign Marc Edwards to Crawford’s Corners to investigate. The local Sheriff assists, various inhabitants assist and obstruct, sometimes both, endemic smuggling both misleads and redirects the investigation, political and personal animosities interfere, and Beth, the victim’s daughter-in-law attracts Edwards’ romantic attention. Their courtship will be the backstory that ties the series together.

After a rather lengthy exposition, the story picks up speed. New pieces of the puzzle raise more questions than they answer. The style is efficient, and improves as the narrative proceeds. Gutteridge has taken care to research the period thoroughly, and creates a convincing ambiance. The solution is satisfactory logically, socially, and psychologically. Ensign Edwards is a nice young fellow, not too good to be true, and perhaps not quite as casually patronising as an Englishman of his class would be. The secondary characters are believable enough to carry the story. This was a second run at reading the book. After the first chapter or two, it drew me in, and I ended wanting to read more of Marc Edwards’ adventures. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the other books in the series.

Nicely done historical fiction. **½

Late Georgian Humor: Thomas Hood's Comic Annuals.

 Thomas Hood. Comic Annual, Vols I, II, & III.(1830, 1831, 1832) An odd set of books. Bound in board with marbled paper, printed on excellent pre-woodpulp paper, with engravings, slightly foxed. The prose pieces and verses are crammed with puns – Hood was famous for them Many of the pieces clearly allude to mild scandals and other concerns of the time. Many of the engravings present visual puns.  Most of the jokes and puns sound rather lame to 21st century ears, but tastes change, and this series was intended to amuse the whole family, so it had to be mild in its satire, and wholesome in its humour.

Annuals of all kinds became an English Christmas gift tradition. Peter and I received several during our time in England and after. Wear on these copies of Hood’s Annual indicates frequent (re)reading. According to his Wiki entry, the Annual was published until 1842; Hood made a decent living as a writer. I inherited these copies from Uncle Paul via Peter, and am glad to have them. Contents * to ****

Kings & Queens of England (Delderfield, 1966)

 Eric R. Delderfield. The Kings and Queens of England. (1966) Just what the title says, the monarchs listed in order, with dates and other statistics, and a brief summary of their reign. The author claims to have avoided bias as much as possible, and I think he’s succeeded. Portraits of most of them reproduced rather badly: halftone on plain paper tends to lose detail. A useful little reference book, so I’ll keep it. **½

The Golden Egg (Leon, 2013)

 Donna Leon. The Golden Egg (2013). The deaf-mute helper at the laundry that does Guido and Paola Brunetti’s dry-cleaning dies of apparent suicide. The necessary bureaucratic protocols fail to turn up any record of his existence. His mother gives conflicting and unverifiable accounts of their history. The neighbours, who know much of what actually happened, refuse to tell Brunetti what he needs to know. He eventually digs away the layers of  deception that victimised the man, but decides to withhold the final piece of the puzzle from the guilty person, because he cannot prove their guilt. But Brunetti knows that their plans will be thwarted when the evidence they believe will prove their claim to wealth will fail. The solution explains the title.

The casual corruption of Italian political and economic life is once again both backdrop and cause of the troubles and pains that these people suffer and inflict on each other. Leon’s great talent is imagining rounded characters: The walk-on parts are more than cardboard cutouts, and the main players are so fully imagined that we feel we would recognise them on the street.

Recommended. ****

Politics As Lived: The Life (Paikin, 2001)

Steve Paikin. The Life (2001) Paikin has interviewed many politicians. Most want to serve the public good; Paikin admires both that willingness and the more or less cheerful acceptance of the slings and arrows of outraged citizens’ complaints.

Paikin knows that there are villains, venal timeservers, vain seekers of applause and such, but those aren’t the subject of this book. What we get is an informal political history of the times when  these politicians served. Paikin interviewed the politicians and also the back-room players, commentators, pollsters and others that make their living in politics, and so gives us multiple points of view. David Lougheed, Alexa McDonough, Bob Rae, Frances Lankin, Brian Mulroney, Allan Gregg, are just a few of the people we meet.

Paikin avoids analysis and comment. He tells the stories of these people as completely as he can. The result is a very human story of Canadian politics.

Politics is an unavoidable and I think necessary part of our communal life. We are a social species; rank and status both create and control conflict. Managing that conflict is the function of politics. Democracy makes for a messier form of politics, where power becomes a means and not an end. Well, that’s the theory, and by their own accounts, supported by the testimony of the other players, the politicians profiled here do want power more for what they can do when they have it than for its own sake. Paikin’s book shows why, so far, Canada hasn’t suffered the rule of a tyrant.

His book also shows that democratic participation in government goes beyond voting,  that paying attention to what the politicos are up to is the only way to help them govern us.

A good book, recommended. ****

Dogsbody: There was one of the clan at every important (an unimportant) event in history.

 E. O. Parrott. The Dogsbody Papers (1988) The history of the Dogsbody clan from prehistoric time to the present, told through a variety of snips and bits. Parrott assembled them into this book. Written by several people, which makes for a variety of style and tone, and so prevents what could otherwise have declined into tedious repetition. They amount to a satire on history, on English exceptionalist assumptions, and on human foibles generally, mostly sex, money-grubbing and covering your ass. Very English absurdities, which I think limits the appeal, but I’m susceptible, so I enjoyed it. Not quite as surreal as Monty Python, but the same genre. Recommended. **** 

Age of Folly (Lapham, 2016)

Lewis H. Lapham.  Age of Folly (2016) Subtitled America Abandons Its Democracy. Published before Trump won the 2016 election, with essays from 1990 to 2015.

But depressingly relevant. And essential for making sense of what’s happened since 2016.

And I think that’s about all that needs to be said about this book. Recommended.

****

Footnote: In the Atlantic Magazine of January 2025, David Brooks has published an acute analysis of how the attempt to create a meritocracy has had unexpected consequences, one of them being the rage against elites that’s translated into the populism that elected Trump. Brooks spends a couple of pages explaining how the failed experiment could be transformed into a winning one, but I think he’s a tad naive politically. 

When Blood Lies (Richards, 2016)

 Linda L. Richards. When Blood Lies (2016) A nicely done puzzle that begins when Nicole Charles buys an old desk and finds some ancient wine in a secret compartment. There’s more: money-laundering, attempted murder, etc, and a handsome young man. Charles is a gossip columnist who wants to be promoted to real reporting; this provides a subplot that points to a series. I haven’t found any other of Richards’s books.

This book was on of an easy-reading series published by Orca Book Publishers. The style makes for a quick read. Good for when you haven’t much energy for close attention. **½

Leacock: Literary Lapses (1910)

Stephen Leacock. Literary Lapses (1910/1957) With an Afterword by Robertson Davies. Leacock’s first published work, displaying a range from nonsense to witty comment to slice of life to sharp satire. I think his reputation as the friendly, slyly comic uncle is superficial, based on his mastery of absurdly logical nonsense. Maybe it’s my curmudgeonly disposition, but I think that his satire is underrated. It’s delivered in the kind of deadpan style that disguises its bite, but his hatred for greed, hypocrisy, economic malfeasance and social cruelty is more than clear enough. I think that Sunshine Sketches and Arcadian Adventures are his greatest and most enduring works.

Davies provides an interesting account of the book’s publishing history. I enjoyed his notes on the range of Leacock’s humour.

I enjoyed this reread. This reissue is part of McClelland & Stewart’s New Canadian Library, now out of print. M&S featured Canadian art on the covers, David Milne’s “Billboards” here. Recommended. ** to **** 

Dick Whittington - What Really Happened (Sitwell, 1945)

 Osbert Sitwell. The True Story of Dick Whittington (1946) My great-aunt Dolly gave me this book in 1949. I wonder whether she read it first. The rhyme of Dick Whittington and his cat was one of our favourites, and she no doubt thought that this version would suit us. Sitwell has used the story to satirise the rise of the money economy and the worship of money. It’s not a children’s book, although an alert middle schooler would understand it well enough, and perhaps shape his economic and political attitudes accordingly.

Sitwell tells how Whittington advances in his career, selling arms to foreign nations so that they can liberate each other. The cat figures prominently in his first successes. He marries well, but his social-climbing wife finds the cat an inconvenient appendage to the household, especially after Dick is appointed Lord Mayor of London. She (sweetly) encourages Whittington to send the cat to a series of old cat homes, at ever greater distances from London. The cat finds its way back to its beloved master every time.

The story does not end happily. I can’t recall reading it in1949, but if I did, it must have had its intended effect, since I too deplore the monetising of every aspect of our economy. 

Recommended, if you can find a copy. Mine is missing the dust jacket shown in the illustration. Online offers range from at round $15 to well over $100. The few blurbs refer to the “charming” folktale, not Sitwell’s version. It seems few booksellers actually read what they sell. ****

When Things Go Bad (Saramago, The Live Of Things, 2012)

 Jose Saramago. The Lives of Things (2012) Saramago is a Nobel Prize winner. I have mixed feelings about the Nobel Prize for Literature. By its very nature it tends to reward translatable literature,  which usually means literature that’s heavy on theme and thesis and light on language and style.

Saramago wrote during the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal. His stories are fantasies; their ambiance and tone is claustrophobic, stifling. There’s a sense of a fate that can be neither evaded nor comprehended, only endured. The “things” are both actual objects that turn on their owners, and people that have become objects, lacking the autonomy that would make them free agents..

An oddly unengaging read for the most part. I don’t know if that’s the effect of translation. I suspect that in Portuguese there are allusions, puns, verbal effects etc that add nuance, scope, and satirical point, but which would be difficult to render in English. But another book that drew me in despite its flaws, which testifies to the power of theme. ***

Esther's Gift (Karon, 2002)

 Jan Karon. Esther’s Gift. (2002) A “gift book”, really a Christmas greeting card in hard covers. Esther has decided to forgo her annual gift of orange marmalade cakes. But when she muses about the recipients, she changes her mind.

Good for Jan Karon fans, a bit sticky-sweet for everybody else I think. Recipe included. **