Big Nodder Update

 

Roughly one year ago the Worm formulated a new list of worthy authors who had entertained him since the birth of this blog back in 2009. The term given to those authors who had passed the combined 10-nod mark was that of “Big Nodders”. Back in December 2012 only seven authors had made the grade. Allow the Worm to refresh the mind of the reader:

1. William Shakespeare (7 books – 29 nods)
2. Alan Moore (3 books – 12 nods)
3. Bret Easton Ellis (4 books – 12 nods)
4. Niall Ferguson (3 books – 11 nods)
5. Bill Bryson (4 books – 11 nods)
6. David Starkey (4 books – 11 nods)
7. Thomas Paine (2 books – 10 nods)

It was an interesting table (well, for the Worm anyway… moderately so). Shakespeare was the clear frontrunner, benefitting from the Worm’s guilt at having avoided the old Bard for so many years. However, it was slightly worrying how the likes of David Starkey crept into the list (by sheer perseverance, it is assumed). Good old Tommy Paine was the only one with a 100% record: two books that both gained maximum noddage.

Let us fast-forward the list onwards into January 2014. The members of the Big Nodder club have expanded to eleven, taking in such illustrious names as Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the unforgettable George Orwell and rabble-rouser Frank Miller. (The nod and book count also includes upcoming reviews).

1. William Shakespeare (8 books – 32 nods)
2. Alan Moore (5 books – 20 nods)
3. Charles Dickens (3 books – 12 nods)
4. Bret Easton Ellis (4 books – 12 nods)
5. Frank Miller (4 books – 12 nods)
6. Niall Ferguson (4 books – 12 nods)
7. George Orwell (3 books – 11 nods)
8. Bill Bryson (4 books – 11 nods)
9. David Starkey (4 books – 11 nods)
10. Thomas Paine (2 books – 10 nods)
11. Arthur Conan Doyle (3 books – 10 nods)

The list remains exclusively male, whilst the leader clearly remains Bill Shakespeare. The big movers are comic book writer Alan Moore (with two reviews upcoming for your delight, dear readers), as well as George Orwell. There is a clear dominance of graphic novelists, historians and Victorian novels, and yes, four-hundred year-old plays.

Again, the point of all of this moving and tussling is… well… pointless. But the Worm likes a good table. At some other slow-point in his book-reading life he will update the table once more. Hooray for the Big Nodders and their authorial hi-jinks!

#245 Tudor Rebellions (2008)

Author: Anthony Fletcher & Diarmaid MacCulloch
Title: Tudor Rebellions
Genre: History
Year: 2008
Pages: 200
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5

Tudor Rebellions has an interesting history. First published in 1968 by Anthony Fletcher, it has recently been given a face-lift by Diarmaid MacCulloch in order to bring about a revised fifth edition. It is a read full of debate for the Tudor enthusiast: firm on details and heavy on analysis.

The big rebellions of the Tudor age (1485-1603) are given space and evaluated in turn. The highlights of which include the 1497 Cornish Rebellion when the people of the west marched to London; the 1549 rebellions in which the Cornish (again) revolted against the changes in religion and when Kett led the men of Norfolk against the leaders of the day due to agrarian grievances and protest against poor local government; Wyatt’s rebellion of 1554 in which he hoped to do away with the Spanish-Catholic influence; the doomed 1569 rebellion when the Catholic lords of the country hoped to stem the tide of the Protestant religion; and then, of course, the utter failure of Essex’s pathetic rebellion against Queen Elizabeth at the tail-end of the Tudor period.

The historians give a narrative account of each rebellion before embarking on the heavier and worthier work of analysis of causes and effects. Similar themes are found within each of these events: protest about religion, of agriculture and economic hardships, as well as the myriad disputes in the localities around the country. Throughout history monarchs were able to withstand many of these problems when isolated on their own; when compounded together they caused explosive disturbances.

A continuing theme is the Tudor family’s quest to bring greater power into their hands. This paranoid and bad-blooded dynasty quelled those who disagreed with them within court circles, as well as attempted to subdue the northern and western subjects in the land. This plan was an outstanding success: from rebelling and waving their fists in 1497 and 1549 the Cornish never made a squeak again. They accepted their status, in which bit by bit their tongue and culture was eroded. Yes, the Tudors accomplished much, however, they failed in the lack of suitable heirs in which to continue their family line.

Of high interest is the conclusion drawn from the lack of notable rebellions in the Elizabethan age. Fletcher and MacCulloch argue that there were four successful rebellions in the first half of the Tudor age: Henry Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the Amicable Grant of 1525 that proved a costly defeat for Wolsey, the overthrow of Protector Somerset in 1549, and Mary’s triumph in 1553 when it appeared that the political nation was conspiring against her succession to the throne. The historians note that such ‘rebellions have been ignored precisely because they were successful’; they future contest that the absence of such rebellions was due to the firm hand of the Elizabethan government in bolstering local Justices of the Peace and in continuing Henry VII’s centralisation of authority. Wyatt’s failure in 1554 meant that the gentry ‘learnt to channel their opposition through parliament’. Of course, Elizabeth was also provided with a religious war in which to stoke the fire of xenophobic and patriotic Englishmen. Either way, the authors are correct in stating that Elizabeth ‘bequeathed to her successor King James one of the most trouble-free kingdoms in Europe’.

Tudor Rebellions is a worthy read for any Tudor enthusiast. It is a great example of scholarly correspondence throughout a period of decades. Fletcher established a book of high importance; MacCulloch has attempted – and succeeded – in updating this read for the benefit of a modern audience. If only more historians united in such a manner, instead of trading blows with one another!

Buy it here 

#244 A Brief History of the Future (1999)

Author: John Naughton
Title: A Brief History of the Future – The Origins of the Internet
Genre: History
Year: 1999
Pages: 320
Origin: bought in a charity shop
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

 

A Brief History of the Future is about a brief history of the recent past. It is just one of many congratulatory books on the benefits and wonder of the internet. Why so many books? The reason is sound: the internet has been deemed by a considerable many as one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. This current information revolution is comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution and earlier invention of the printing press. It is a breakthrough in which everyone is keen to wax lyrically: Eric Schmidt believes it is the ‘the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had’, whilst Clifford Stroll has compared it to a ‘telephone system that’s gotten uppity’. It has expanded knowledge and mayhem, a ‘Wild West’ in which there are no rules.

Clearly, such a source is a fantastic home for reading material. Interestingly, Naughton’s own book is much earlier within this revolution. Printed in 1999, the author speaks of the wonder of the dial-up sound and of speeds that are easily out-gunned in the sparkling future of 2014. What is the Worm doing with such an out-of-date book, you might ask. In truth, the Worm took pity on it. Such was its promise – a combination of humour and insight – that it was impossible to leave it on the forgotten book shelves of charity shop. After all, its only crime was that the source had evolved beyond all imagination.

If anything the spotting of the differences between today and the late 1990s (a mere fifteen years) was one of the highlight’s of the read. Naughton is a warm host, taking the reader through a succession of advances in technology. Each small area is discussed and then connected to the greater whole of the story: that of the internet’s triumph. In a Bryson-esque manner (O yes, that’s right, the Worm has created a term in honour of his long-standing hero Bill Bryson) Naughton keeps the story a human, rather than science/technological affair. The inventors’ lives are described in a humorous and lively style. Indeed, Naughton brings in much autobiographical material; the opening chapter of the book outlines the author’s very own love affair with the internet and its possibilities.

As Naughton notes in the book’s epilogue – paraphrasing Churchill – ‘this is not the beginning of the end; but it is the end of the beginning.’ 1999 was a year in which the internet’s potential was still in its infancy. But we, the smug people of 1999’s future, are not at the end-point of the internet revolution. If anything the Worm chances that we are its adolescents. The future has a long road to chart yet.

Buy it here

#243 Iron Kingdom (2007)

Author: Christopher Clark
Title: Iron Kingdom – The Rise and Downfall of Prussia (1600-1947)
Genre: History
Year: 2007
Pages: 700
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 4 nods out of 5

 

Christopher Clark’s Iron Kingdom was one of those books that the Worm had been eyeing up for years. Always calling him on the bookshelves in various shops, it was forever picked up and toyed with, but the time needed could never be justified. Fast-forward to the summer of 2013 (O yes, the Worm is really that far behind in his book reviews): time was finally found.

But why waste such time on a history of the odd, disbanded state of Prussia? Well, for those exact reasons: that it was odd, and that it was disbanded. The Worm was curious to find out how it developed from a back-water insignificant land to become a major player on the European scene, providing the backbone to the German rise in the first half of the twentieth century. Few other countries have experienced such a sharp rise from nothing; the Worm needed answers.

Clark takes the reader on a journey, chiefly centred on the Hohenzollern family dynasty and their ability to collect titles and pieces of land in order to expand – in an absent minded way – a country of some importance. We are treated to personality analyses of the likes of the Great Elector and, of course, Frederick the Great. Clark is wonderful in weaving together a family story: of their arguments, values, and yet more arguments. The (almost) forgotten ones are also considered, with Clark adding a degree of humanity and an element of humour when needed. Consider the case of Frederick William I: ‘All in all: he was great in small things and small in great things.’  Furthermore, the careers and ideas of various administrators and politicians are examined (such as Stein and Hardenberg), whilst space is fittingly provided for the pivotal role of Bismarck – the Iron Chancellor – in shaping the German nation.

The military might of Prussia and its great victories and humiliating defeats are recounted. Previous historians have focused on Prussia’s thirst for glory, as if they were history’s Klingons. Friedrich von Schrotter once remarked that ‘Prussia was not a country with an army, but an army with a country.’ Clark is keen to continue this idea of a ‘metaphorical resonance of iron’, connecting the image of the Iron Cross with Prussian flags and military heroism. Such militarism has been attacked by many academics, with many joining the dots of Frederick the Great to the later Nazi leaders. The Second World War painted Prussia as a toxic brand; the British war-time minister Bevin once commented that just doing away with Hitler and Co. would not be enough to ensure a post-war peace: ‘It was Prussian militarism, with its terrible philosophy, that had to be got rid of from Europe from all time.’

Thankfully, Clark offers a fresh perspective on the inevitability thesis of war. He attempts to do away with the idea – trumpeted by A.J.P. Taylor, among others – that there was a clear connection from Frederick the Great to Bismarck and onwards to Hitler. One of the author’s central arguments is how Prussia was not the road to the destiny of German nationhood, nor that Prussia was the reason for Germany’s calamity, its obsessions with militarism, and pursuit of world wars. Rather that the nation-building reached in the late nineteenth century was the ‘undoing’ of Prussia and all that it had achieved in its history.

Interestingly, Clark attempts to define “Prussian-ness”. He states that it had ‘a curiously abstract and fragmented sense of identity’, with no shared sense of history, of language, or values. He adds:

‘The core and essence of Prussian tradition was an absence of tradition. How this desiccated, abstract polity acquired flesh and bones, how it evolved from a block-printed list of princely titles into something coherent and alive, and how it learned to win the voluntary allegiance of its subjects – these questions are at the centre of this book’.

Unfortunately, the book does suffer in areas. Much of Prussia’s social history is ignored, with Clark conforming to the old familiar route of dealing with a nation’s leaders. More frustratingly was the clear issue of pacing. For example, there is a heavy focus on 1813 and a build towards the climatic Battle of Waterloo, only for the big event to be glossed over in a couple of pages. Furthermore, the need to explore the Prussian state to its hideous endpoint in Hitler’s Germany appears forced and – again – rushed. Far better, perhaps, to have left the book in 1918 with the Kaiser’s demise and the end of the Hohenzollern link.

All in all, the Worm was thankful for finding the time to read Iron Kingdom. A fitting title for an iron-clad read based on an enigmatic and dazzling state that once flickered bright before being snuffed out into darkness.

Buy it here

#242 Days of Future Past (1980)

Author: Chris Claremont (writer), John Bryne (pencils), Terry Austin (ink)
Title: Days of Future Past
Genre: Graphic Novel
Year: 1980
Pages: 180
Origin: read on the iPad
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

 

What with Superhero movies all the rage in recent years, the Worm has taken a fancy to having a peek at the original source material. The big blockbusters have taken in billions, however, it all started on the tablet-ops of artists and writers both intent on creating on creating an action story that would captivate the imaginations of young people. This particular read – Days of Future Past – is one that stroke the interest of the Worm considering the impending release of yet another X-Men film (the sixth in the “franchise”). Like a glutton for punishment, the Worm has sat through many turgid releases; ever in search of the great superhero film (much like the search for that elusive Great American Novel), the Worm even watched every minute of The Wolverine… The ending clip of which set up proceedings for celluloid’s take on the original Days of Future Past storyline.

Days of Future Past has become something of a legendary storyline within comic-reading circles, originally published across a couple of issues back in 1980. Its plot finds a beaten and older set of X-Men in a dystopian future in 2014. Mutants have been declared illegal, and as such have been removed in a variety of violent ways causing much death and misery. The violence stems from the iconic Sentinels: large robots with an array of mutant hunting devices. Despite being annoyingly inconsistent in terms of power in their various incarnations, they are heavy-weight villains that the recent movie series has been severely lacking. Jumping back into the past is the recently introduced character Kitty Pryde, her mind melding with her younger self in 1980. Warning the 1980s X-Men about impending doom, they set out to prevent the trigger that leads to later events: the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly by the evil Brotherhood of Mutants.

The storyline proved popular, leading to much creative ammo in subsequent decades (in particular the animated series of the 1990s, as well as the upcoming Hollywood film). However, for the Worm, it failed to live up to the much vaunted expectations harnessed by the comic community. Graphic novels have evolved a long way since 1980, providing the reader with less direct spoon-feeding of information and in-depth character portrayals. Days of Future Past has more in common with the Marvel comics of Stan Lee’s heyday back in the 1960s: simple story-telling that leaves no lasting effect on the reader.

Was such a comic ever intended for the Worm? An interesting Alan Moore quote – a man who has made his name as a writer in the comic industry – would firmly answer in the negative. He noted: “I think it’s a rather alarming sign if we’ve got audiences of adults going to see the Avengers movie and delighting in concepts and characters meant to entertain the 12-year-old boys of the 1950s.” As such, perhaps the Worm should leave his judgment for others more connected with the source material. No matter, he will at some point watch the upcoming X-Men movie whilst munching on popcorn… perhaps only then this recent, underwhelming read will finally find a fitting home.

Buy it here

#241 England: The Autobiography (2005)

Author: John Lewis-Stempel (ed.)
Title: England: The Autobiography
Genre: History
Year: 2005
Pages: 420
Origin: a Christmas present
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

 

The tagline for Lewis-Stempel’s edited collection of sources boasts: ‘2,000 Years of English History By Those Who Saw It Happen’. For the pedant – of which club the Worm is a firm member – it is noticeable that many of these accounts are not contemporary: some being written many years later after actually occurring. However, the Worm will let the editor off of such minor faults; it is (a) Christmas (book), after all!

England: The Autobiography is an interesting idea. The gathering together of snapshots from English history cannot – surely – go wrong. It begins with Julius Caesar’s account of invading Britain in 55 BC, and concludes (rather disappointingly) with the 2005 cricket Ashes win. O, how history unfolds. For the most part the book travels a well-trodden path: the Battle of Hastings, the signing of Magna Carter, the Black Death, the Armada, the English Civil War, Waterloo, the Diamond Jubilee, the World Wars, the 1966 World Cup, Churchill, and Thatcher. How very ordinary, you may claim.

Luckily, the editor sees fit to expand on this. Particularly within the entertainment and sporting sectors: the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, Wimbledon, and the birth of football. As well as – more interestingly – the various taboos of history: Richard I massacring his Muslim prisoners, an anonymous court recorder from 1300 noting sex in the country, the torture of a Jesuit priest in the Tower of London during the close of the Elizabethan period, public executions at Tyburn, as well as the combination of prostitutes and peers in a gin-palace from 1800s London. Yes, much better.

History is – as they say – written by the winners. For the most part this signifies that English history is that of upper-class aristocrats and the gentry. Thankfully, Lewis-Stempel references the rise of the “common folk”, as shown in the Victorian period: the injustice of factories, the Peterloo massacre, the Manchester slums, and the Chartist movement. All of which serves to make this collection a well varied and balanced one.

Writers within this book range from George Orwell to Bede, from William Shakespeare to Sir Isaac Newton, from Guy Fawkes to Friedrich Engels, from Samuel Pepys to Max Hastings. Therefore, the reader is (mostly) in good company. All in all, England: The Autobiography is an interesting read and worthy of a place on any bookshelf. It should be relied upon as a reference book, rather than anything more. Lewis-Stempel has chosen some wise passages, if on the whole most being particularly uninspiring.

Buy it here

#240 Trelawny of Trelawne: The Prophecy (1884)

Author: Anna Eliza Bray
Title: Trelawny of Trelawne: The Prophecy
Genre: Novel
Year: 1884
Pages: 180
Origin: downloaded and read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

 

Whilst researching an ancestor the Worm came across this curious book. Written by Anna Eliza Bray, it takes a family story that once happened (as shown by existing diary extracts) before adding that element of dramatic fairy-dust in order to bring to life a novel that could be enjoyed by the good reading public. Unfortunately for the Worm, he began reading extracts of Bray’s book in bewilderment… thankfully, the secret was eventually revealed to him.

Bray was a famous novelist from the Victorian period. Her works are now little known; mostly they can be found on west-country book shelves due to their focus on this part of the world and in particularly on local principal families. The Trelawnys – what with their interesting characters and generational feuding – fitted the bill perfectly of novel-fodder for Bray to embrace.

This Cornish family owned much land in east Cornwall, whilst one of their members – Bishop Trelawny – became involved in national affairs during 1688 when he refused to endorse or support the reigning monarch of the time, James II. Such was his unpopularity, James was forced to abdicate, leaving the throne for William III in what has become known as the Glorious Revolution. Such was the local support for Bishop Trelawny, the Cornish were expected to rise in rebellion. This theme was later used by Robert Stephen Hawker in his Cornish Anthem The Song of the Western Men:

‘And shall Trelawny live?

Or shall Trelawny die!

Here’s twenty thousand Cornish men

Will know the reason why!'

Bray’s tale concerns a branch of this family. The Bishop’s daughter, Letitia Trelawny desired to marry her cherished love (and first cousin) Harry Trelawny. Their love was forbidden, leading to Harry attempting to prove himself by taking part in a rebellious action. Bray mixes reality (the young pair’s match was at first snubbed) with fiction: the dates are moved out of synch with actual history, whilst other events are added in order to up the drama-factor. The novel is outplayed in the form of letters between the central characters, a well established method for the Victorian novel (and one that, unfortunately, has gone largely out of favour today).

For the Worm The Prophecy was a note-worthy book. For anyone else, the Worm suspects it is largely pointless and useless. Bray’s time – and fame – has mostly past. The subject matter of her historical novels, the gentry families of the West Country, have also long past into dusty history books on forgotten shelves in public libraries. However, the Worm enjoyed the book whilst it lasted, largely as a personal curiosity more than anything else.

 

Read it here

#239 Watership Down (1972)

Author: Richard Adams
Title: Watership Down
Genre: Novel
Year: 1972
Pages: 400
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 4 nods out of 5

 

On hearing the words “Watership Down” a whole generation of people will instantly think of the animated film from the late 1970s. Featuring the voices of John Hurt and Richard Briers (among others), it was a chilling adaptation, particularly the opening act in which the rabbit warrens are filled with blood. The film, rightly so, takes its place as a classic in post-war society. The original book is less turned to, but it is within these pages in which the story really comes to life.

Watership Down is about a small group of rabbits who - on hearing the foreboding tale of their warren’s doom by man – decide to strike out and establish a new home for themselves. They are led by the fearless Hazel, his soothsaying brother Fiver, and the strength of Bigwig. On their travels they come against many foes and make new allies, all before establishing a new and thriving warren on the hill of Watership Down. This all harks back to epic themes of the past, particularly other classical fictional journeys, notably that of Virgil’s Aeneid.

Moreover, there are other over-arching themes at work in the novel. This group of rabbits – more akin to a band of brothers – stick it out through thick and thin. In their attempts to survive they make friends and allies with other animals, memorably mice and a vociferous seagull. These allies prove vital in the rabbits’ attempts to survive the onslaught of the evil and vicious General Woundwort at the novel’s climax. In creating this brotherhood of animals, Adams is promoting the idea of friendship to his audience. Considering the period in which this was written – in the aftermath of the Second World War and during the Cold War – such a theme is understandable.

Furthermore, Adams points to the wickedness of the “progress” of industrialisation. The rabbits seek shelter from their destroyed warren (ruined in order to build a brand new housing estate), whilst the humans of the novel attempt to kill them whenever they are sighted. As one of the leaders – Holly – notes: ‘Men will never rest till they’ve spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals.’

In terms of narrative, both book and animated film are similar. Where the novel really comes into its own is in its immersion within the Lapine culture of the rabbits. Mythical folk tales are interspersed between the unfolding narrative action, with many of them centred on the legendary leader of all rabbits: El-ahrairah. Frith, the god who created the world, tells El-ahrairah:

‘Your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.’

As such, the rabbits value a good trick above anything else; all of which makes Hazel’s cunning mind a valuable and praiseworthy asset during their adventure. Various tales are told throughout the novel, most of which attempt to connect to the narrative in a moralistic manner. However, the abundance of them can become tiresome, especially when the reader is determined to stick with these rabbits throughout their quest. But, as Adams points out, the rabbits are incredibly fond of storytelling: a rabbit can no more refuse to tell a story than an Irishman can refuse to fight’. For the reader more inclined to plunge into this folk-culture, there is a sequel (of sorts) written by Adams many years later (Tales From Watership Down).

The novel is enjoyable: both as the reading of the journey of the rabbits (particularly the climatic battle with Woundwort’s army), as well as in Adam’s clear enjoyment in creating an entire culture. The reader has the benefit of reading both in this book. The animated film may be the clear winner in terms of recognition; the Worm suspects that Adams’ book will survive the distance of posterity.

 

Buy it here

The Advent of the Pub Library

It is 2014 - a pub library is born. Forget the use of hover-boards and colonies on the Moon, this really is where the future is at.

The Ship Inn - in Lerryn, Cornwall - has opened a community library. This is part of the wonderful Pub is the Hub scheme, attempting to get more people into the reading-bug.  The Worm hopes the scheme takes off in a big way, leading to more Pub-Libraries in the future.

Pubs and reading have a long history with one another. Many novels have been written in gin-soaked bars, whilst great ideas have come to fruition after one or two glasses of ale. Some people have attempted to fuse the two together: from random, tattered copies of books on dusty shelves, right through to the creation of literary book crawls (such as the James Joyce one in Dublin).

However, the Worm has a warning: liquids and paper can sometimes prove a hazardous mix. A couple of tipples have been spilt on various novels in the Worm's own past. Dear readers, you have been warned.


Read the Cornish Guardian article here!