I have literally thousands of typed carbon copies to wade through, in my current research. I’m looking for gems relating to a handful of music titles that this publisher produced.
Going through archives, it’s not uncommon to find wee gems – like the author who left his swimming trunks behind after a morning swim … (don’t ask!)
Or someone that an editor thinks his colleague might like to meet:-
You will find him uncommonly intelligent and possibly useful […]
Not to mention a rejected manuscript, described as,
The Scots description “cauld kale het again”. [Translation available on request.]
But today we have another conundrum. The publishing editor for the juvenile list decided not to proceed with a book that apparently combined music and art in some way, declaring that,
‘I felt that sheep’s heads are better in broth than served up eight to a bar.’
Or did she mean, eight to a baa-aa?
If only I could see the rejected manuscript to see what she meant! However, this was 1947, and the book went unpublished. I don’t think the author had any more luck elsewhere!
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 