Thank you for your responses. There is an element of happenstance in all
reading choices, but my early ones were mostly about money. Though I grew up
in London, libraries were not particularly good; librarians seemed to think
they were guardians of their collections and their job was to put obstacles in
your way and collect fines. My chief source of volumes was fêtes and jumble
sales, where I was able to think, “I could afford that. I’ll try it.” I can
remember the bookcase in my bedroom when I was ten, “Little Women,” a book
about Stalingrad, William and Biggles books, the Observer book of British
birds, something about steam engines, my stamp collection, a book of Morecombe
and Wise scripts, an old collection of Punch, some Alistair MacLean, “The
Kraken Wakes,” A.A. Milne, a comic verse appreciation of Kings and Queens,
Victor Comic book annuals, Father Brown stories, an illustrated small press
edition of prints and poems, a 1950’s collection of photographs, whatever else
seemed worth my pocket money. Literature I read later, and liked some of it,
but I have remained an omnivore.
David Ritchie,
back from first rehearsal in
Portland, Oregon
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