Duncan Harley

On 12 June 1878 a ponderously titled farming journal, The North British Agriculturist, published an article honouring Scotland’s ‘Cattle King’ - Mr William McCombie, of Tillyfourie. McCombie had, the previous Sunday, carried-off top honours for livestock at the Paris Exposition Universelle - better known perhaps as the Third Paris World Fair. “This is indeed a proud week for Tillyfour and for the polled Angus or Aberdeen breed of cattle … Mr McCombie having been adjudged the £100 prize for the best group of cattle, bred by exhibitor and reared out of France,” ran the article. “McCombie’s successful group numbered six animals…every black polled animal has a ticket of some kind!” Preparations for the Paris Exhibition had involved major upgrading of the French railway network, and it is fair to assume that McCombie’s cows had travelled in some comfort from Alford to Paris by train, before alighting at the delightfully named Gare du Champ de Mars, alongside the Eiffel Tower. The ...

I had intended blogging about the football stadium in Yekaterinburg tonight but can’t really be bothered to be honest. I mean, no sooner has the Footie Cup been won by those tri-coloured-folk French-speaking folk on the continent than the Times, in a so-called page 25 ‘leading article’ bemoans the death of some blue-blooded murdering tyrant from almost a century ago. For those not in the know, Yekaterinburg was the last living-place on the planet for those somewhat despised Tsarist folk who got put to death on July 17   1918. That’s 100 years ago tomorrow to you and me. The town’s footie-stadium has of course played a major part in the World Cup. I may be wrong, but a few matches were probably played not that far from the place where, according to the Times, a ‘Wholesale Butchery by Bolsheviks’ took place. Seemingly folk in Russia, having lost the cup, are now mourning the regicide of Tsar Nicholas II and his Victorian family. “As the cheers fade in the stadium ...

That’s the reprint done and dusted. Not that I had anything much to do with it. The whole point of having a publisher is after all to free up from the business of handling that end of the process. Not for me the ink-stained hands and the ear-shattering noise of the printing-press. Not for me the tedium of taking orders, invoicing them and shipping them to bookshops around the globe. And not for me the tedium of trying to actually get paid for my work. That is what a publisher does and, to date at least, The History Press seem well qualified in this regard. So, hopefully, those bookshops which have sold-out the first edition will shortly be selling out this second edition. Onwards and upwards etc. As for that header – New Books and Panties. Well it’s a not very successful play on Ian Dury’s debut album.  Wiki, and I am confident that they are right, says: ‘ Released in the UK on  Stiff Records on 30 September 1977. Usually thought of as the first album by Ian Dury a...

I see that Victoria and Abdul - the movie - is available on both Blue-Ray and DVD from Monday. Starring Dame Judy Dench – yes, the same Judy Dench who was killed off in Skyfall – and Ali Fazal, the film seems to have attracted rave reviews. The Times gave it massively a huge four star review as did the Radio Times and Total Film. The Daily Mail termed it ‘Brilliant’ and perhaps oddly Good Housekeeping used the word ‘Dazzling’ when reviewing it. Women & Home were less enthused, saying simply ‘Judi Dench is superb’ which could be a reference to anything. Perhaps Dame Judy is a superb painter & decorator or maybe she excels in interplanetary art. Who could know. No matter, I am sure that the film is an entertaining one but I am a wee tad jealous. I featured the tale of Abdul Karim in my new book and yes, I have had some really positive reviews – but nothing on the scale of those four-star commendations. In case you can’t wait until Monday to watch the DVD, or indeed the Blu...