THE
ARTS
4114 Early Reading
I was taught to read, by my mother and my grandfather (who had been a teacher), at an early age. Thereafter I was an avid reader, reading everything I could find. My mother said I would read the labels on sauce bottles just as eagerly as books!
The first book I read was ‘Mac and Tosh’, which was about two scots terriers. After that I can only remember fragments, especially one with an Arabian nights setting; and a seductive arab princess who had a panther for a pet. Later I can remember one which made up of a series of stories set in a foggy Victorian London, and some others which must have been anthologies of short stories.
The first named author I can remember was Nomad, who also had used to talk about the countryside on the radio. I can distinctly remember his description of water voles and their habitat.
My first love, though, ultimately was the books of Arthur Ransome. I collected every single one of his books – and still have them. He was the ‘recommended’ author of the time, for middle-class children, but I immersed myself in the lives of his fictional children. The first one I received was not ‘Swallows and Amazons’ but ‘Pigeon Post’, part way through the series, and I reveled in the sunny adventures it offered.
I did read some of Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ books, which were the choice of the mass market, but these were frowned on in our circles!
One of the most influential books was given to me ostensibly by my grandmother (but probably by my mother) for Christmas. It was a book about inventions and it set me on my way to become a scientist.
In my teens I used to read the bodice rippers that, in particular, our neighbour – Madge Mackenzie – passed across to my mother; I did say I used to read anything! But my favourite author then was Agatha Christie, and I read almost all her books; including the ‘Poirot’ and ‘Miss Marple’ series.
hits