I've used Google Books at work for tracking down out of print texts - with mixed results. Still it's always exciting to find something freely available online that you thought you'd have to pay to borrow from someplace obscure.
This time I thought I'd have a look for some books I haven't seen for a long time, so I picked a couple of titles my Dad introduced me to when I first started burrowing into his bookshelves for more to read than the local kids library could offer.
I went searching for The specialist by Chic Sale.
The results were dispppointing - no preview, no reviews, no summary of contents. For those who've never heard of it - it's about someone my generation so charmingly called the Dunny Man. Once a week (or more if you could afford to pay for the extra collection) he would come and empty the contents of the backyard toilet. I know that not all of you will remember times when you couldn't just pop into the ensuite in the middle of the night, but once upon a time (and not so very long ago really since I am still alive to tell the tale) we had to put on our slippers and dressing gown, take a torch and go out into the backyard to go to the loo. I think the most exciting day of my adolescence was the day the indoor toilet was first flushed! (even better than the day a man walked on the moon). Anyway - this was a funny little book and my only memory of it was an outdoor earth closet with moons or stars cut in the door so he could look out while completing his visit. I'm sorry that I couldn't find out more about it, or about where I might buy it.
So - I tried one more - 1066 and all that - can't remember the authors. All Google could give me was fuller title and author details:
1066 and all that: a memorable history of England, comprising all the parts you can remember including one hundred and three good things, five bad kings and two genuine dates
By Walter Carruthers Sellar, Robert Julian Yeatman, John Reynolds
Illustrated by John Reynolds - good fun as I remember it - wonder if I would still find it as funny now.
Resolved not to spend any more time looking especially since I know already that this can be a useful tool.
Resolved not to spend any more time looking especially since I know already that this can be a useful tool.
I love your writing, and your tale of the outside toilet brought back memories of accompanying my Dad while he was on the loo. The door would be open - I would sit on the step and we would look at the stars. Of course I thought he was a genius knowing so much - very happy times.
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