Eric Newby
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Cornishman
Well-Known Member
Met him once at the old Island Cruising Club in the early 1980s. A lovely man, and I reckon he will have no difficulty navigating his way to heaven.
machurley22
Well-Known Member
Obituary
First came across him through A Short walk in the Hindu Kush during my own wandering days. (Particularly enjoyed the comparison between his account of meeting Thesiger and Thesiger's account of meeting Newby.)
I've lost count of the number of times I've read The Last Grain Race though and would urge anyone who hasn't had this pleasure to go out and get a copy today.
Wonderful man (whom I would love to have met) and an amazing life. End of an era for me.
First came across him through A Short walk in the Hindu Kush during my own wandering days. (Particularly enjoyed the comparison between his account of meeting Thesiger and Thesiger's account of meeting Newby.)
I've lost count of the number of times I've read The Last Grain Race though and would urge anyone who hasn't had this pleasure to go out and get a copy today.
Wonderful man (whom I would love to have met) and an amazing life. End of an era for me.
suse
Well-Known Member
Fantastic writer - I've so enjoyed his books. Yes, like McH, someone I'd have liked to have met.
S x
S x
tome
Well-Known Member
By coincidence, the Last Grain Race was one of the favourite books of a friend who passed away last week. I read him a couple of chapters the night before he died, so I was taken aback to hear the news
Two more bright stars in the sky!
Two more bright stars in the sky!
zzjfawce
Well-Known Member
He packed an awful lot into his long life, a great man and the king of travel writing.
Is the book still in print? I read it 20 years ago and wanted to read it to my sons but no luck finding it so far with Amazon etc? I have been able to get hold of a copy of a book of the photographs that he took on board Moshulu ("Learning the Ropes", publ John Murray 1999) but the narrative is very sparse. One of my boys, though, spotted that Newby mentions Pommern as one of the other grain ships and that this same ship is mentioned in "We didn't Mean to go to Sea" by Arthur Ransome - funny the things 12 year olds notice and remember, even though they forget where they put their pencil case 5 minutes ago.
Is the book still in print? I read it 20 years ago and wanted to read it to my sons but no luck finding it so far with Amazon etc? I have been able to get hold of a copy of a book of the photographs that he took on board Moshulu ("Learning the Ropes", publ John Murray 1999) but the narrative is very sparse. One of my boys, though, spotted that Newby mentions Pommern as one of the other grain ships and that this same ship is mentioned in "We didn't Mean to go to Sea" by Arthur Ransome - funny the things 12 year olds notice and remember, even though they forget where they put their pencil case 5 minutes ago.
michael_w
Well-Known Member
My post from The Lounge:
One of my all time favorite authors and a man whom I wish I had met.
The description of his fight in the "Last grain race" after which he is promoted from "Rosbif" to "Rosbif Strongbody". A different piece of travel writing. The self-depreciating attitude and a stoic approach to hardship, combined with an impish sense of fun. I re-read his books on a regular basis.
One of my all time favorite authors and a man whom I wish I had met.
The description of his fight in the "Last grain race" after which he is promoted from "Rosbif" to "Rosbif Strongbody". A different piece of travel writing. The self-depreciating attitude and a stoic approach to hardship, combined with an impish sense of fun. I re-read his books on a regular basis.
Malish
Well-Known Member
Trevor_Smith
Active Member
Try again on Amazon, I just looked and ordered it.
pragmatist
Well-Known Member
Recently re-read Short Walk - was surprisingly disappointed as thought it wonderful first time round. But where did you find Thesiger's description ?
My all-time favourite is "A Short Walk in the Apennines" - mixture of exciting & poignant. "Slowly Down the Ganges" is also wonderful But agree with the obit comment about some of the later ones - "Round Ireland in Slow Gear" appears to have been commissioned and, as I recollect, is entirely about how awful Irish rain is !
He was such a wonderful mixture - I mean, dresses, square riggers and the Hindu Kush ! Having said that the chap currently mending our Landrover and who specialises in restoring ancient versions occasionally talks about his time in the fashion world ! Perhaps there are eclectic eccentrics about still !
My all-time favourite is "A Short Walk in the Apennines" - mixture of exciting & poignant. "Slowly Down the Ganges" is also wonderful But agree with the obit comment about some of the later ones - "Round Ireland in Slow Gear" appears to have been commissioned and, as I recollect, is entirely about how awful Irish rain is !
He was such a wonderful mixture - I mean, dresses, square riggers and the Hindu Kush ! Having said that the chap currently mending our Landrover and who specialises in restoring ancient versions occasionally talks about his time in the fashion world ! Perhaps there are eclectic eccentrics about still !
machurley22
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
But where did you find Thesiger's description ?
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't remember I'm afraid.
The gist of my recollection though is that it's just another day in the office for Thesiger when he comes across Carless and Newby who seem to him like a pair of raggedy-arsed amateurs on the edge of survival (which I suppose they were in comparison) and he feeds them and supplies them with various staples to help them on their way.
IIRC which is by no means certain!
But where did you find Thesiger's description ?
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't remember I'm afraid.
The gist of my recollection though is that it's just another day in the office for Thesiger when he comes across Carless and Newby who seem to him like a pair of raggedy-arsed amateurs on the edge of survival (which I suppose they were in comparison) and he feeds them and supplies them with various staples to help them on their way.
IIRC which is by no means certain!
tworeefs
Well-Known Member
I very much enjoyed reading his book 'Something Wholesale', which was about his time after the war of working in his father's dressmaking firm. It was particularly poignant for me as my father had a menswear manufacturing company, which I used to visit as a child/teenager and I recognised many of the characters, situations and terms used.
machurley22
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
By coincidence, the Last Grain Race was one of the favourite books of a friend who passed away last week. I read him a couple of chapters the night before he died, so I was taken aback to hear the news
Two more bright stars in the sky!
[/ QUOTE ]
Started to read it again tonight of course and thought of John (although I've never met him - isn't the internet a strange and wonderful place?) when I came to this:
"From aloft came the great roaring sound that I heard for the first time, and perhaps will never hear again, of strong winds in the rigging of a good ship."
By coincidence, the Last Grain Race was one of the favourite books of a friend who passed away last week. I read him a couple of chapters the night before he died, so I was taken aback to hear the news
Two more bright stars in the sky!
[/ QUOTE ]
Started to read it again tonight of course and thought of John (although I've never met him - isn't the internet a strange and wonderful place?) when I came to this:
"From aloft came the great roaring sound that I heard for the first time, and perhaps will never hear again, of strong winds in the rigging of a good ship."
MASH
N/A
Thesinger on Newby; Desert, Marsh and Mountain, I'd have thought. They were carrying sleping bags so he thought them "A pair of pansies..." this at 17000' in the Himalaya! No such foppery for Thesinger.
If you liked Last Grain Race try The Slope of the Wind by Adrian Seligman, same story, same time and at least as well written but on two of Erikson's vessels, Killoran and Olive Bank, and is prefaced by E.N. Anything else by Seligman is well worth the read too; War in the Islands (for those who cruise the Turkish coast & Dodecanese or who like real rip-roaring true adventure tales), and Voyage of the Cap Pilar (his own square rigger).
If you liked Last Grain Race try The Slope of the Wind by Adrian Seligman, same story, same time and at least as well written but on two of Erikson's vessels, Killoran and Olive Bank, and is prefaced by E.N. Anything else by Seligman is well worth the read too; War in the Islands (for those who cruise the Turkish coast & Dodecanese or who like real rip-roaring true adventure tales), and Voyage of the Cap Pilar (his own square rigger).
S
Skyva_2
Guest
'A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush', the last lines. The last 2 pages are hilarious.
"The ground was like iron with sharp rocks sticking up. We started to blow up our air beds. 'God, you must be a couple of pansies', said Thesiger."
'Love and War in the Apennines' is probably Newby's best writing.
"The ground was like iron with sharp rocks sticking up. We started to blow up our air beds. 'God, you must be a couple of pansies', said Thesiger."
'Love and War in the Apennines' is probably Newby's best writing.
benjenbav
Well-Known Member
Fascinating life and some great books.
Good job he didn't post on here with a name like that or he'd have been flamed to there and back again.
Good job he didn't post on here with a name like that or he'd have been flamed to there and back again.
hebdena
Active Member
Just to be picky, "Olive Bank" should be Olivebank as it was an ex Andrew Weir's ( Bank Line) vessel. The tradition was that all Bank line ships were named after certain features such as rivers, lakes, lochs and loughs etc with 'bank' as a suffix. I sailed on the Clydebank, Streambank, Lossiebank, Teviotbank, Corabank, and Crestbank. I gather that the current ships on the South Pacific run are named after places in Papua New Guinea, maybe this was for political reasons...........
One ship in the early 80's was called the Roachbank which caused great amusement in the US as the only roach they knew was not the swimming type!
Regards..............Andrew
One ship in the early 80's was called the Roachbank which caused great amusement in the US as the only roach they knew was not the swimming type!
Regards..............Andrew
milltech
Well-Known Member
Oh that's so sad. One of my very favourite books The Last Grain Race.
You can have dinner on Moshulu in Philadelphia, restaurant in the hold, you can still go and look into the forepeak unchanged.
You can have dinner on Moshulu in Philadelphia, restaurant in the hold, you can still go and look into the forepeak unchanged.
tome
Well-Known Member
Very fitting, found it at the end of chapter 7.
Thanks
Thanks