In a way (as I see it), such a book would bring something new into the world. The hanging signs of Huddersfield already existed; now they have become the subject of a book.
This might seem like a throwaway sort of claim, somewhat smart-alecky and idle. But I actually mean it with all my heart and it's one of the ideas that brings me most pleasure in the world.
The joy I take from scanning a book of shelves and seeing that someone has written a whole book on this or that subject (which one might not have expected them to) is immense, bottomless.
Within the confines of that book, the author and the reader are primarily concerned with only one thing.
If you are reading The Hanging Signs of Huddersfield, everything else recedes into the background. World War Two is important. Dinosaurs are important. Laurel and Hardy are important. But within the covers of the book, nothing gets top billing over the hanging signs of Huddersfield.
There is something here that penetrates to the very essence of life and reality; the magical fact that every place and every moment and every soul has its own irreducible importance.
From a post at the Irish Papist blog
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One of my currently favourite blogs, as I mentioned recently, is Irish Papist.
This seems to be going from strength to strength, with its quirky, buttonholing, insightful essays on... whatever takes the IP's current fancy.
The above excerpt makes a point about specialist factual books I don't recall seeing before, that I recognised immediately as true - and which I don't think I shall quickly forget.
A blog for browsing.
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