Books May v3.qxp_Layout 1 22/04/2022 16:56 Page 1
BOOKS
Tales of Gay Street William Keeling is a former foreign correspondent of the Financial Times who exposed a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal in Nigeria. He eventually left journalism for chocolate, becoming co-owner of the chocolate company Prestat. Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé is the first in his series, The Gay Street Chronicles. Here is a taste of what’s in store... William Keeling recently inherited a treasure trove of historical documents from his late uncle, Dr W.B. Keeling of Gay Street. They included the diaries of Bellerophon ‘Belle’ Nash, grandson of Master of Ceremonies Beau Nash. The diaries provide a remarkable insight into late-Regency society. June 23, 1830 Local Explorers Return to Bath All Bath is overjoyed to learn that intrepid explorers Dr Erudite Whittlemarsh and his wife Mrs Tulip Whittlemarsh have returned safely following their latest day-long expedition. As chair of the Bath Geographical Society (Gay Street Chapter), I welcomed back them back accompanied by my dear cousin Herr Gerhardt Kant. Dr Whittlemarsh explained to me that the party – ably sponsored by McMunn’s Laudanum Elixir – had walked up to Combe Hay, and from there continued along the Cam Brook river. “We found people living in a village called Peasedown St. John. Although we had heard rumours of this village, we can now confirm its existence.” On their travels, the explorers witnessed farmhands wearing smocks who were harvesting apples and collecting eggs. Apparently, local farmers keep chickens and ducks, and both lay eggs that can be boiled, fried and scrambled. Mrs Whittlemarsh, the party’s chief navigator, told me, “The villagers of Peasedown are mostly one big happy family named Fiveacre. They were even happier after we gave them a bottle of McMunn's.” Dr Whittlemarsh is already famous for his goose fat poultice but has taken to laudanum. He generously dispensed the popular tonic to farmhands, dairymaids, and all the Fiveacre children. The tonic is made from opium – which has proven to be enormously popular in China – and is a cure-all for ailments such as cough, diarrhoea, rheumatism, melancholy, and delirium tremens. Also, that terrible scourge suffered by my neighbour dear Miss Prim: women’s troubles. Dearest cousin Gerhardt has since purchased a small bottle. Whilst I shall not speak for others, he cannot get enough of it and says it is even more efficacious than cocaine and arsenic. Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé by William Keeling is published by Envelope Books and is available online and at bookstores. (£9.99); gaystreetchronicles.co.uk 44 TheBATHMagazine
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May 2022
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issue 231
Editor’s choice books
Here are five recently or soon to be published books, which caught our eye this month... Story & Truth by Ian Douglas & Ben Javens One for young readers, Story & Truth is the first book from independent publisher and travelling children’s bookshop How Brave is The Wren. It comes from writer and theatre-maker Ian Douglas and illustrator Ben Javens. The illustrated book follows the story of worldtraveller Story, who spends his time meeting new people and being welcomed into their homes. On one of his adventures he meets Truth, a wise old lady who “carries the weight of the world on her shoulders”. When they encounter each other, Truth remarks on why it is Story who is welcomed so by the people of the world, and not her. The book is a young reader-friendly look into an age-old and yet very modern problem: why are people more inclined to believe a good story over the truth? Javens has developed the designs for the book, which he says reflect the “age of the tale” being told. He says inspiration from the project came from old picture books in his personal collection, like The Story of William Tell, as told by mid-century illustrator Aliki Brandenberg.” Suitable for ages up to 8. How Brave is the Wren (howbraveisthewren.com), £9.99 Apocalypse Ready by Taras Young With the looming climate crisis and an ongoing pandemic, the last few years have been a stressful one for most people – to put it lightly. But taking a look into the past 100 years reveals a host of similarly upheaving international events, from wars and bombings, to pandemics and natural disasters. In a bid to mitigate the panic caused by tumultuous times, governments around the world have often turned to graphic design to make sense of solutions. Apocalypse Ready from design researcher Taras Young takes a look at these communications in depth. From step-by-step leaflets detailing how to build an earthquake shelter, to booklets providing advice on how to protect your family during a nuclear war or how minimise the risk of catching Spanish flu, the artefacts presented by Young are somewhat chilling, even if they were meant to instil calm. Throughout, Young contextualises each booklet, poster and leaflet for readers – giving an insight into what the creators wanted to achieve with their work, the reasoning behind the artistic stylings and how and where each communications piece was shared. Thames & Hudson, £25
