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Record Number: 30133

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Meeting held at St. Margaret�s, Shinfield Road: 20. 1. 38.

F. E. Pollard in the chair

1. Minutes of last read and approved

[...]

6. C. E. Stansfield opened the proceedings on � [A-E ligature, the name adopted by George William Russell] by a detailed biographical sketch of some length, in the course of which we gained some idea of the contradictions and complexities of A. E.�s character. [...] An interesting personal touch was added to the sketch by F. E. Pollard who had been present at one of ƒs �salon� receptions.

7. Extracts from A. E�s prose were then read by Mary S. W. Pollard on �Gandhi,� and by F. E. Pollard on �The one dimensional mind�.

8. Finally F. E. Pollard and V. W. Alexander read three of A.E.�s poems.

9. By this time most of us were more than ready for a little lighter matter, and we thoroughly appreciated some delightful touches from The Tinker�s Wedding by Synge which Rosamund Wallis gave with evident relish.

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

20 Jan 1938

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: St. Margaret's, Shinfield 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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Francis E. Pollard

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1872

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Formerly schoolmaster, now occasional lecturer and supply teacher, and supported also by wife's unearned income

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

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Text Being Read:

Author:

� [pseud.]

Title:

[One or more unidentified poems]

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30133

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Victor Alexander

Title:

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

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

0�2

Additional Information:

Victor Alexander was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1931 to 1940. It is inferred from this that he was the author of this set of minutes.

Citation:

Victor Alexander, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 0�2, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30133, accessed: 05 February 2026

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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).