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Loading... A Texan in Englandby J. Frank Dobie
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In 1943, J. Frank Dobie was invited to become the second American scholar (Henry Steel Commager was the first) to lecture under the newly founded professorship in American history at Cambridge University. And the invitation held even after Dobie explained that his knowledge of history consisted mainly of facts relating to the length of the horns of Longhorn steers, the music inherent in coyote howling, the duels Jim Bowie fought with his knife, and the habits of ghosts in guarding Spanish treasure. This humorous and moving book is full of original and surprising conclusion No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)942.085History and Geography Europe England and Wales England 1837- 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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It contains such interesting digressions as: a list of the topics covered in Cambridge's general examinations, information about the political state of British farming, speculations as to why it feels so much colder in English lodgings than out on the lone prairie, excerpts from wills and death notices printed in the Times, a description of the ideal English pub, a screed about the difficulty of finding coffee in Wales, and an impassioned plea against fascism, listing all those things peculiarly English that Dobie felt needed to be protected from the depredations of the Nazis.
As a Texan who has lived in England, I was perhaps particularly interested in this and found many of his observations were still true. But beyond that, it is really a unique, strange, and charming memoir. ( )