Organ Recitals at the Temple Church

Organ Recitals are held on Wednesdays between 1.15 - 1.45 pm, at the Temple Church and are free and open to the public. For a full timetable of the series for 2006 please click here,
a few upcoming dates are highlighted below.

Also, the services are open to the public, and information is available at the link.


11 JANUARY -Francis Jacob [(in support of the Keyboard Trust]
18 JANUARY James Lancelot [Durham Cathedral]
25 JANUARY Ian le Grice [Temple Church]
1 FEBRUARY Robert Quinney [Westminster Abbey]
8 FEBRUARY Robert Houssart [Gloucester Cathedral]
15 FEBRUARY Colin Walsh [Lincoln Cathedral]

technorati tags: architecture, Knights Templar

The Athenian Murders

The Athenian Murders by Jose Carlos Somoza is definitely reminiscent of a Chinese puzzle. A mystery within a mystery. It's been called a postmodern novel amongst all sorts of other things - and its definitely worth a read. Featuring 'Heracles Pontor - Decipherer of Enigmas'..

More Ghost Stories of An Antiquary

Book Cover Art: 1911 Cover

It's pretty hard buying these new - you can get the the Complete Stories in the Wordsworth Editions, but trawling the second hand shops is a good idea for these old gems. Abebooks.com is a good place to look.

I always do think that if you write about books, or are searching for example, blogs about books, people jump to the conclusion that 'reviews' ought to be a big part of any blog about books. Now i've never understood this obsession with constant reviews - yes it is important to have reviews as well - but it just becomes rather monotonous having - what is at the end of the day - someone's opinion- as the starting point. I'd rather direct people to some interesting books - even if i haven't read something - why not? If it excites your curiosity - why not give it a mention? And then - even if I would like to say something about a particular book - that's one thing - I just think the constant emphasis on Reviews seems to imply that the rest of us ought to take into account what mr. or ms important reviewer thought. Well we know what the publishing industry is like, as well as the inherent clicquey-ness of the idea behind 'literati'. Perhaps that turns me into a literary anarchist?

technorati tags:ghost stories

Ghost Stories of M.R.James

Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) is known as one of the originators of the modern ghost story. Either which way, they are a fantastic read - and definitely so for anyone interested in the 'classic' ghost story. Also, for antiquarians they're particularly fun.

The 1904 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' was succeeded in 1911 by the second collection - 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'. H.P. Lovecraft called him 'a literary weird fictionist of the very first rank'.


technorati tags:ghost stories

Best Secondhand Bookshop in London

Skoob Books, Russell Square. Currently the physical premises are 'under construction' so check out the online shop.




technorati tags: Books, Bookshops

Arthurian Texts and Images

Holy Grail Texts

Chapman, William Ernest. "The Departure of the Knights." From: Sterling, Mary Blackwell. The Story of Sir Galahad: Retold from Le Morte D'Arthur of Sir Thomas Malory and the Original Stories by Mary Blackwell Sterling. New York": E. P. Dutton, 1908.

Short Stories by Saki: Esme

One of his wickeder and funnier stories, Esme - this a link to a lovely site which has a few of Saki's short stories featured. Enjoy the read ( oh he does have a sharp sharp edge) As copyright has expired, there are actually quite a few places on the web where you can enjoy Saki's stories for free. Project Gutenberg is one of them, i shall be refreshing my memory and placing more links from this site.




technorati tag:Saki

Beyond the Shadows: Classic Gothic Tales

Beyond the Shadows - an audio collection of four classic short stories from the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Edgar Allan Poe - The Tell-tale Heart

The second two tracks are Saki's The Open Window

And the last one is by Louisa May Alcott - ( you might remember Little Women): A Pair of Eyes

Directions to Inner Temple and the Temple Church

Temple Church

The Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th Century. Like other Templar churches, the Temple Church has a round apse, and built to the plan of Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre; the significance of this is not often realised today.

The Temple Church had until recently, been one of London's best-kept secrets, and has been for four centuries been maintained by the Middle and Inner Temples, societies of lawyers whose offices ('chambers') surround the Church.

technorati tag: Knights Templar, Churches, Architecture, London

The Holy Blood, Holy Grail

It's interesting, the craze that Dan Brown and the Da Vinci Code have created. now all of a sudden everyone has heard of the Templars, the Merovingians and - so is everyone suddenly interested in esoterica and hermetica?

Well i thought it was an amusing read and i do find it fascinating that old stuff and history and myth is suddenly viewed as not so boring by many. of course lots of people won't take it any further but the image of 'templar enthusiasts' may change slightly..who knows we shall see!

The original Holy Blood Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln was published in 1982 and followed on from a BBC documentary. A lot of - or shall we say - most of the stuff in the Da Vinci code came from the theories expressed in this book.

The wikipedia article on this book is useful to read. I shall enjoy myself immensely when i read this book.

Technorati tags: da vinci code, Priory of Sion

Who was Saki?

'Saki' was born Hector Hugh Munro in what was then Burma and is now Myanmar, the son of Charles Augustus Munro, an inspector-general in the Burmese police. Munro's mother, Mary Frances Mercer - died in 1872 and interestingly and rather revealingly, according to some Internet sources - she was "killed by a runaway cow in an English country lane."

That may explain some of his stories. The pseudonym Saki is thought to be taken from the name of the Cupbearer in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

A couple of quotes from Saki to whet your appetite and entice your curiosity about this interesting and rather enigmatic character:

"Addresses are given to us to conceal our whereabouts"

"He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death"


technorati tag: Saki

The Unrest Cure and other Beastly Tales

Absolutely the best read ever. The Unrest Cure is something that should be more well publicized.















technorati tag :Saki