Christmas Cracker 2010

I am an inveterate collector. Some collect stamps, some exotic cars, I collect commonplace books, as well as keep my own. A commonplace is a collection of oddities, pithy sayings, newspaper stories and all things which catch the author's fancy.

My favorites are the annual A Christmas Cracker published by John Julius, Lord Norwich, only child of Duff and Lady Diana Cooper, perhaps the second most famous couple in Europe in the immediate post WW II years. For much of his life, Lord Norwich has kept a journal of favorite poems, odd definitions, strange anecdotes and curious correspondence. Since 1980, instead of Christmas cards, John has printed selections of his findings and mailed them to anxiously awaiting friends.

Yesterday, I received the 2010 edition, and over the next few weeks will share my favorite entries. This tops my list. The more things change...



And I thought it was only me.

Toad

More on A Christmas Cracker

Careful readers, periodically take pot shots at my reluctance to honor one of the stated goals of this blog, to point out the ways men and women differ. I plead guilty, with reservations. A greater fools errand than that I'd never invented. Then I came across this little gem in "The Illustrated Christmas Cracker", edited by J. J. Norwich.

Included is the following, a book review, unattributed but clearly written by a woman.

A book review from the American magazine Field and Stream, November 1959:

Although written many years ago, Lady Chatterley's Lover has just been re-issued by Grove Press, and this fictional account of the day-to-day life of an English game-keeper is still of considerable interest to outdoor-minded readers, as it contains many passages on pheasant raising, the apprehending of poachers, ways to control vermin, and other chores and duties of the professional game-keeper.

Unfortunately, one is obliged to wade through many pages of extraneous material in order to discover and savour these sidelights on the management of a Midland shooting estate, and in this reviewers opinion, the book cannot take the place of J.R. Miller's "Practical Gamekeeper".

I had to dust off my ancient copy of this edition to give this review its due, but clearly, any male reviewer wouldn't be so quick, or so insensitive as to dismiss the extraneous bits.

I trust this will quiet the madding crowd for a while.

Toad

john julius norwich-A Christmas Cracker

Few Americans are aware of the erudite John Julius Norwich, 2ND Lord Norwich, only child of the British diplomat, notorious philanderer and war hero Duff Cooper and his wife, Lady Diana Cooper, the most desired hostess in between the wars England.

John has lived a fabled life, rich from exposure to most everyone of importance in the 20Th century, he's a well educated and enthusiastic raconteur, brought up since birth to provide "good value for money". Self described as "shallow", he is a most charming man.

Following Oxford he followed his father's career in the foreign service. Retired after a dozen years and took to writing, mostly histories, and editing. Later had an active television career, mostly in documentaries and is a well known speaker and preservationist in the UK.

For the past 40 years he has kept a journal of favorite little poems, odd definitions, strange anecdotes and curious correspondence. Since 1980, instead of sending Christmas cards, John has printed selections of his findings and mailed them to anxiously awaiting friends. Every 10 years they are collected and printed by Penguin.

My favorite are these two entries.

From Hoare's "Short Italian Dictionary, Cambridge, 1964
Baffona: f: Woman with not unpleasing moustache.

and this description of the Opera Carmen:(click photo to enlarge)


Toad