Posted by Mike Dennis on October 09, 2013 at 23:19:11 user MTD.
In Reply to: Re: Ransome on the East Coast? posted by Peter Ceresole on October 08, 2013 at 10:33:40:
I'm not sure if this is the right part of the thread to add my view, but I think it will do.
Given that AR drew upon so much of his own life in the books (sometimes quite thinly disguised and sometimes not) almost anything that anyone can tell us must help in some way. The knowledge of Roger and others leads us to a deeper understanding of the books, and to me reinforces a view I have had for years that they are more than just 'children's books' - which is why here I am at 60 still reading them.
The Beckfoot plumbing discussion, though going off at various tangents, is an interesting example. For AR the idea of water available in a bedroom in the afternoon was 'normal', but even today few houses have washbasins in even the main bedroom. I remember my paternal grandparents who lived in a small terraced council house still had a jug and bowl in each bedroom that was used, this was in the 1960s. So why Nancy knew there was water for the flowers is still a mystery.
Any additional knowledge that anyone can provide must enhance our appreciation of the works.
That distant relative who knew AR's doctor my know something of great importance. My previous post regarding the unknown woman who wrote to AR recommending a surgeon and offering to pay for the operation is a case in point, perhaps someone somewhere knows who it is but is not an AR reader so does not realise the importance to others of what they know?