For my series On My Bookshelf I pick the book in my library with the weirdest title.
I could have titled this Pamphlets in Early Modern England or Post-Reformation Pamphlets, but like the author of the book I went with the more intriguing title, click bait you could say. Peter Lake doesn’t get around to explaining the odd title till page 584 of a 731 page book. I promise I won’t make you wait that long.
I confess I bought the book impulsively because of the title and a quick glance inside telling me it is about pamphlets, the early modern equivalent of today’s tabloids and sensational news websites. I shared an interest in historical pamphlets with my late brother Paul (Frank Key) who began creating little pamphlets as a child. His first published works were pamphlets printed by Malice Aforethought Press, a project he started with university friends. One of the eccentric characters he created for his imaginary world of Hooting Yard is Dobson, a prolific out-of-print pamphleteer.
Dispatches From the Former New World 