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Pub History - Book Reviews
ELAINE SAUNDERS – It's A BOOK ABOUT PUB NAMES…
It was the sixteenth and seventeenth century playwright Ben Jonson who wrote of pub signs:
‘It even puts Apollo and for many years numerous authors have published works of varying quality concerning the purpose, interpretation, social importance, art and history of public house signs. Saunders sets out on a rather different journey to reveal the story of Britain interpreted through its pub signs and not, as has tended to be the case in the past, the interpretation of the pub sign in relation to the history of the pubs themselves and the locality within which the public houses are situated; a combination of local history and the history of the ‘local’, sometimes tied in directly to national events and prominent individuals. The primary sources for anyone embarking on research into the history of public house signs (for any purpose) must include Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten’s History of Signboards originally published by the latter in 1866 (or at least the revised and modernized version published in 1951), Charles Robert Swift, Inns and Inn Signs Sacred and Secular (1910), G. J. Monson-Fitzjohn, Quaint Signs of Olde Inns (1927) and, most notably for the capital, Bryant Lillywhite’s 700-page London Signs (1972). On the subject of pub nomenclature the key reference work is Leslie Dunkling and Gordon Wright’s A Dictionary of Pub Names (1987). Regrettably, there does not appear to be any of this important groundwork evident in Saunders’ book. This assumption is made due to the fact that Saunders’ work lacks a detailed bibliography. The only bibliography apparent in the work is a short list of ‘Further Reading’ comprised of associated websites. Regrettably the list excludes the official site of the Inn Sign Society, www.innsignsociety.com, and www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk the official website of the Pub History Society. Thus the reader must assume that only the sources mentioned in the text were utilised. With this in mind it is evident that Saunders relies very heavily on internet sources and in many instances the regularly criticised on-line encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. Indeed, linking across the World Wide Web is a very important part of the concept of an e-book, the only format in which Saunders’ work is currently available. This being the case, the e-book does allow Saunders the otherwise unlikely luxury of including numerous colour illustrations throughout, something which in the main tends to be denied authors using conventional publishing methods. In addition, for readers requiring more in-depth information on a particular subject of interest over and above the data provided by Saunders the e-book facilitates links to numerous related websites thus enhancing the breadth of the work and the potential knowledge to be gained by readers. Presumably, checking that the links remain live is something that all e-authors must engage in to ensure that their on-line product retains its on-going full value to purchasers. Whilst the main focus of Saunders’ work is on determining the history of Britain in terms of pub signs which could, after the Introduction, have easily meant a lengthy, maybe even interminable, dictionary of pub names and derivations, the author regularly, and interestingly, disengages the reader from that list and interjects with other pub-related issues. These include Chapter Two (‘Drinking Expressions’), nestling between Chapter One (‘Adam & Eve to Dun Cow’) and Chapter Three (‘Eagle to Jolly Sailor’) and Chapter Eight (‘Drinking Vessels and Measures’) situated between Chapter Seven (‘Railway to Unicorn’) and Chapter Nine (‘Volunteer to York Arms’). However, the position of these diversions, whilst personally welcomed and which undoubtedly enhance the overall text, may not appeal to all readers. Whilst the originality of Saunders’ approach to her subject cannot be denied there are a number of occasions where myths and legend have been left unchallenged. For example, in relation to the ‘Dove’ (page 44) Saunders states that at this famous Hammersmith public house ‘Charles II is said to have used it as a trysting-place with his mistress, Nell Gwynne’. Reference to Martyn Cornell’s article The Dove, Hammersmith – a tiny mystery in a recent issue of Pub History would have provided proof that the pub was not built until ‘around 40 years or more after Charles II died’ and that Saunders need not have perpetuated the myth. But perhaps it was never Saunders’ intention to challenge myths or apparent historical fact. This quandary is informed by considering the target audience. Saunders does not exactly allude to this in her book but clearly the work is aimed at the general, rather than the academic, reader. A Book About Pub Names is an amalgam of accumulated interesting facts, myths and legends placed into the fresh context of ‘the story of Britain.’ Saunders’ own view is that the book has been designed not to be read from cover to cover but is ‘more a reference book to dip into’. On this basis the book does achieve what its author set out to achieve; that is to be more than ‘a simple history of beer’ and ‘to show how pub names reflect events or characters in the history of Britain and how pub signs provide a unique pictorial record of changing times’. Thus, by its nature, the book lacks the rigours of academic enquiry. Undoubtedly, Saunders has covered a great deal of ground in the book but the reader is left with a residual feeling that, with more focussed reading and research (primarily to nullify the numerous incidents of ‘might’, ‘maybe’, ‘could have’, ‘is thought to’ and ‘it would be reasonable to assume’ that permeate the work) A Book About Pub Names – The Story of Britain As Told Through Its Pub Signs would have been a much tighter and impressive e-publication. Patrick Chaplin © 2007 Patrick Chaplin
References
A BOOK ABOUT PUB NAMES – AUTHOR’S RESPONSEHi Patrick, Thanks very much for the review of A Book About Pub Names. I realised that I was treading quite a fine line during the writing of this book in that it was pitched very much at the "Oooh, I never knew that" market. Hence the lack of academic referencing. It was also experimental in that e-books are new to the market and I therefore exploited the format to include heavy illustrations and web links rather than academic content. I take on board everything you say and agree with most of it provided you keep in mind that it was deliberately written as a "pop history". My own analytical short-comings were so evident during the writing of this book that I'm actually part-way through a History MA in an attempt to academic-up. With a year's access to Jstor I hope to be able to include more academic referencing in the next edition and to approach it more as a historian and less as an antiquarian. Therefore, watch this space for a slightly more academic version and thanks for taking the time to read and review. Maybe one day I'll be Dr Pub Sign against your Dr Darts. Cheers, Elaine Saunders 1st February 2010
REVIEWER’S NOTE:It’s always good to receive feedback from any author whose books I review on my website so thanks to Elaine for taking time out to write to me. It is certainly good news about the revised edition and I very much look forward to hearing more about that in due course. I wish Elaine all the best with her History MA and with the revised edition and eagerly await news that she has been dubbed 'Dr. Pub Sign'. Patrick Chaplin 1st February 2010
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Elaine Saunders,
It's A Book About Pub Names – The Story Of
Britain As Told Through Its Pub Signs (E-book, pp. 161, published by the
author, 2007.) Reviewed by Dr. Patrick Chaplin, Research Fellow in History,
Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.