Record Number: 30670

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at Gower Cottage. 8th May ’43
    Muriel Stevens in the Chair
1. Minutes of last meeting read & signed

[...]

3. Knox Taylor opened our study of Johnson & his Circle by giving us a most comprehensive picture of the background of this period.

4. Howard Smith told us of Johnson’s life and publications.

5. Isabel Taylor read Johnson’s famous letter to Lord Chesterfield.

6. Roger Moore read ‘The Wedding Day’ by Boswell & an account of his first meeting with Johnson.

7. F. E. Pollard described Johnson’s Circle. He spoke of Garrick, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Burke, Godlsmith, Boswell, Richardson, Fielding, Mrs. Thrale and her daughter Hester & others and A. B Dilks read from Johnson’s “Vanity of Human Wishes.”

8. Mention must be made of the excellent refreshments provided by our hostess and the Secretary regrets that owing to lack of time, she has in these minutes done Scant justice to a most thoughtfully prepared & extremely interesting evening.

[signed as a true record by] Howard R Smith 22/6/43 [at the club meeting held at Frensham: see Minute Book, p. 155: ‘We adjourned indoors & the minutes of the last meeting were read, corrected and signed.’]'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

3 Apr 1943

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: Gower Cottage, Elm Road

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Isabel Taylor

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Members of the XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Samuel Johnson

Title:

[letter to Lord Chesterfield]

Genre:

Letters

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

30670

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

153–154

Additional Information:

Margaret Dilks was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1940 to 1970. It is inferred from this that she was the author of this set of minutes.

Citation:

Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 153–154, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30670, accessed: 23 April 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).