Record Number: 6625

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I am reading a sweet book, "The Farthing Spinster", by Catherine Dodd. Some of the passages about gardens are beautiful. Here are some of the most lovely [...] from the diary of an early 18C lady. I wish my diary could be as beautiful as that. Another of her gardens was of "sweet scents" [...]. "A houseful of books and a garden full of flowers" would be enchanting. In the same book is a delicious description of syllabub, a sweet then in fashion; [...] I love food. I wonder if it is greed or just because I love to see things served well and carefully with their proper etceteras. I think books, food, lovely pictures, good plays and nice clothes are the most interesting things in my life! I suppose the book has made me think of these things.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 14 Jan 1943 and 15 Jan 1943

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

specific address: Casterton School, Kirkby Lonsdale

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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Hilary Spalding

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

4 Sep 1927

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

daughter of manufacturer; later schoolmistress and head of English

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

Mrs Hilary Adams after marriage

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Catherine Dodd

Title:

Farthing Spinster, The

Genre:

Autobiog / Diary

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

1926

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

6625

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Hilary Spalding

Title:

MS Diary 1943

Location:

private collection of Mrs Hilary Adams

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

n/a

Additional Information:

Entry written on two slips of notepaper, with lengthy quotations, inserted between 14 and 15 Jan.

Citation:

Hilary Spalding, MS Diary 1943, private collection of Mrs Hilary Adams, n/a, n/a, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=6625, accessed: 18 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

None