Record Number: 27804

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Miss Marriage then gave us some notes on Anatole France [sic] Life with references to some of his work & the order of their production. F.E. Pollard read an amusing account of an unconventional dinner party from "La Reine Pedauque" & A. Rawlings gave us some extracts from "The Memoirs of Abbe Coignard". After supper R.H. Robson amused us with the story of the Baptism of the penguins by the Blessed Mael "Penguin Island" & Mrs Evans gave us a glimpse of France's more sober philosophy in a series of short essays from "The Garden of Epicures". Mrs Rawlings read a charming passage on Joan of Arc and Miss Marriage read us one of the cynical passages from a novel "The Red Lily".'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

20 Nov 1923

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
specific address: 'Whinfell'

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Katherine Evans

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1876

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

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

Members of XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Anatole France

Title:

Garden of Epicures, The

Genre:

Essays / Criticism

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

reading group

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

27804

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Howard R. Smith

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2 (1915-31)

Location:

Private Collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

125-6

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Howard R. Smith, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2 (1915-31) , Private Collection, n/a, 125-6, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=27804, accessed: 20 May 2025

---

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).