The Longmate Book

[DavebytheSea]

Well, I have nearly finished it and I see one forum member is an exact contemporary of Longmate. Was Boom Macnutt really quite so bad as Longmate says? He was there in my time, but never taught me - I dont remember hearing too many bad things about the revered Ximenes though.

[JGSteel]

I found it a breath of fresh air and acted as a long needed antidote to the "Christ's Hospital book" which appeared in 1953. I have just had a card from Norman who celebrated his 8th birthday on the 15th of this month. He had a party which included another OB who, as he puts it "...hated the place". I can't say that I actually hated it but it was a curate's egg of a place. Good in parts, nasty and violent in others. Career advice was minimal, specially if one had a record of under achievement. My father and I were told by Flecker that I couldn't be an engineer because I was not doing Latin! True to the good in parts thesis, at least the late Dr Van Praagh gave me sound advice for which I am ever grateful. Recent correspondence that I have unearthed from by parent's files included a letter from Mr Averill (Head of the engineering school) saying that I had never applied to become an engineering student. This was, in fact, misleading. It was assumed that those in the D & E streams were incapable of being engineers and, as a consequence, I was never asked! Hopefull things have improved. I became a very senior research engineer at the prestigious Central Electricity Research Laboratories in Leatherhead.
Well well.
If any current Blues want advice on careers in engineering they can contact me.

[J.R.]

'Boom' never taught me either, and I don't remember him as a fearsome character at all.

[shoz]

OK, my curiosity has finally got the better of me. Can someone give me a brief synopsis of the Longmate Book please?

[englishangel]

OK, my curiosity has finally got the better of me. Can someone give me a brief synopsis of the Longmate Book please?

pm DaveByThe Sea, I think he is the expert, and a very sympatheitic character to boot.

[DavebytheSea]

OK, my curiosity has finally got the better of me. Can someone give me a brief synopsis of the Longmate Book please?

A very well written and well researched book - but it is huge (600+ pages). Longmate is perhaps the leading historian on English Social history during WW2. The only problem is that he hated EVERYTHING about CH. The book is a blow by blow account of his years at Housie just before and during the war.

The book can be acquired through Amazon, I think.

I have written more elswhere on the forum - search Longmate!

[shoz]

I did a search on Longmate but it didn't come up with much. I searched Amazon and it came up with 'How we lived then'. This is only £14 so I can't see it being the 600 page book you describe.
Also, does anyone have any information on 'The Christ's Hospital Book' from 1953 as mentioned above?

[DavebytheSea]

I did a search on Longmate but it didn't come up with much. I searched Amazon and it came up with 'How we lived then'. This is only £14 so I can't see it being the 600 page book you describe.
Also, does anyone have any information on 'The Christ's Hospital Book' from 1953 as mentioned above?

Try:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Longmate Book "The Shaping Season

and:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Christ's Hospital Book

[shoz]

Thanks for info. Could you tell me if The Longmate Book is exclusively about CH or is it just a chapter ot two?

[DavebytheSea]

Thanks for info. Could you tell me if The Longmate Book is exclusively about CH or is it just a chapter ot two?

The book is about his time at CH over 8 years, The first introductory chapters are background - his parentage and events leading up to the scholarship by which he was awarded a place by Newbury city council. It is the most detailed and well-researched book I have read about life at Housie - but his experiences and conclusions are by no means shared by his contemporaries or those that followed shortly after. I knew most of the teachers he describes and apart from DSR (whom he clearly adored and by whom I also had the privilege of being taught as a grecian) I simply do not recognise them as the brutes he makes them out to be.

[shoz]

It is the most detailed and well-researched book I have read about life at Housie

I have only just noticed the term 'Housie' being used in this way. Is it just a generic term for time spent at CH or has it some other meaning?

[Richard Ruck]

viewtopic.php?t=754

[englishangel]

I did a search on Longmate but it didn't come up with much. I searched Amazon and it came up with 'How we lived then'. This is only £14 so I can't see it being the 600 page book you describe.
Also, does anyone have any information on 'The Christ's Hospital Book' from 1953 as mentioned above?

Try:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Longmate Book "The Shaping Season

and:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Christ's Hospital Book

B****y H*ll, I am sitting on a goldmine. I didn't realise the 1953 book was worth THAT much.

[mr tall]

I did a search on Longmate but it didn't come up with much. I searched Amazon and it came up with 'How we lived then'. This is only £14 so I can't see it being the 600 page book you describe.
Also, does anyone have any information on 'The Christ's Hospital Book' from 1953 as mentioned above?

Try:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Longmate Book "The Shaping Season

and:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 74-1290828

for the Christ's Hospital Book

B****y H*ll, I am sitting on a goldmine. I didn't realise the 1953 book was worth THAT much.

I reckon what you are sitting on is probably worth a gold mine but not your copy of the book. Have alook here for a more realistic set of prices for copies: http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea ... k&sortby=2

[englishangel]

I reckon what you are sitting on is probably worth a gold mine but not your copy of the book. Have alook here for a more realistic set of prices for copies: http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea ... k&sortby=2

I'll take the $100.00 one

Mine still has it's paper cover. But it is the 1958 reprint, and bit light damaged.