A Book Maybe?
After reading the article by Derrick Harwood, it made me realise the amount of ‘gems’ enriching this site and continue doing so.
The majority of readers are computer-literate and it is the way forward. However, for various reasons, there are still a great deal of folk out there who are not au fait with technology and who still only read books: they are missing out on the brilliant stories, photographs and information being donated to our site. Some of the stories can make one step right back in time, to old Laindon for example and can bring back memories of special events.
That prompted me to think I wonder if there’s a writer available who could produce a book that would relay some of these stories? I thought of someone like Ken Porter and just wonder whether permission could be sought for such a project?
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I think the book is already written, it just needs extracting from the text laying within this website.
Richard, you are so right! Now who would have the time and dedication to do that?
Editor’s Note:
Not forgetting the cost of financing such a project. Having a book published can be quite expensive.
I just wonder how Ken went about publishing his books; but yes, that is a point, of which I have no idea. Thank you.
Hi Andrea
I agree that a book is a fine idea.
I have read a couple of publications on Basildon and the ‘Plotlands’ and although both were an excellent read, to me they don’t capture that unique mix of events, conditions and community spirit of the people who actually lived out their daily lives before the redevelopment of the area. The point is that it is all there in the Laindon Archive and even better, most of the story is still in living memory.
Whilst I would agree that most are computer literate these days, there are still many who in my experience see no point in taking on new skills when they have managed so far quite well without them.
Having said this, IT skilled or not, to me there is no substitute for a good book on the shelf. Especially one that you can take down and open at any time of your choosing. We can even hope that the young might be equally as fascinated by those eventful years of the 50s and 60s, when most had no phone, no TV and no car, but what we did have was an awful lot of hope for the future.
Hi Derrick, had to respond to this one because it was your story got me thinking of a book!! The response to your way of writing said it all – we were there! I completely agree with you and I just hope that someone talented enough will come forward to offer creating a book for us! Thank you.
Now all you have to do is convince Ken.
Please feel free to use any comments and observations made by me of my years. I notice that most contributors are a lot younger than me. I still log in to read what is going on in my old patch. Now 85 years.
Andrea, I hereby grant permission for any of my ramblings on this site to be used in any forthcoming book. I also hope that I’m still around to read any book that may be written about the trials and tribulations of growing up and living in the Laindon area. What a damn good suggestion on your part.
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