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This book is a joy to possess. It is a must for the serious researcher and the collector of historical trivia alike. With over 2,700 entries, author Peter Williams covers a lot of ground in this volume. On page 284 we find an entry entitled "Oldest Survival of Old Welsh". This is cross referenced with the entry for St. Cadfan where we learn that he was:- "...a missionary from Brittany, whose commemorative stone at Tywyn, Merionethshire has the oldest surviving example of Old Welsh."
This is one of the books many strengths and makes it almost suitable for casual browsing. Its major purpose though is to serve as a quick reference book and a starting point for further in-depth research. Anyone who is involved in compiling questions for Welsh quiz nights would be well advised to provide themselves with a copy. (see example quiz at the bottom of this page)
What is the "Longest Poem in the Welsh Language" and what is the "Largest Welsh Male Voice Choir"? ""What were the first Welsh words heard on radio" and "Where was the first photo taken in Wales"?. The answers to these questions and many more can be found cross-referenced on the pages of this book. There are many things in this volume which would take a considerable amount of "googling" to uncover.
The current revision is an updated edition of "An Alphabetical Guide to Wales and The Welsh" first published in 2005. The book can be obtained by contacting the author at Celticinfo.com.
Notes About the Author
"Peter N. Williams was born in Mancot, a little village in Flintshire, North Wales, just inside the border with England. Brought up in the industrial town of Flint, he was educated at Kings School, Chester, England and at the University College, Swansea, South Wales.
Peter came to the United States in 1957. Following his military service with the US army in Germany, he taught high school in Delaware for a number of years before completing his M.A. and PhD at the university of Delaware. He then taught English at the University before becoming Chairman of the English Department at Delaware Technical and Community College. Peter is the editor of CelticInfo.com , Celtic_Worlds.com and The Eagle and Dragon ( the official publication of the National Welsh American Foundation ).
Founder of the Welsh Society of Delaware and a Director of the National Welsh American Foundation, Peter was honored for his work on behalf of Wales and Welsh Americans by being made a member of the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1999. He is the author of The Sacred Places of Wales; From Wales To The Lehigh; The David Thomas Story; The Seven Wonders of Wales; A new Look; The History of Wales in Verse; Wales From A to Y; The Book of Wales, and the editor of 38 Hymns in Welsh and English."
See our "Wales and The Welsh" pub quiz HERE . Or download here:- walesandthewelshquiz.pdf Interview with the author HERE .
Speaking as a hard-core short story fanatic, I can honestly say that Lloyd Jones' "My First Colouring Book" has been the high point of my literary year so far. It's great to see a Welsh author who has so far mastered this genre as to be worthy of mention alongside Carver, Cheever, Maupassant, Mansfield and, dare one even suggest it, Chekhov himself.
Lloyd Jones is fond of referring to his writing as "scribblings". In this collection he has elected to "scribble" in a dazzling variety of colors, all of which are intensely evocative.
There are many fine things in this anthology. There is "Blood," which warns of the potentially cataclysmic dangers of "exotic blood transfusions". There is "Post Office Red," which asserts the critical importance of preserving a sense of mystery and wonder. The closing sentence of this story reveals the "moral" of the tale with the same blinding clarity achieved by Mansfield in "The Doll's House". In "Black," an intellectual atheist meets a lady friend at a lake near the oldest church in Wales. It is close to the festive season and they are invited to join the Christmas service. The protagonist spends his time in the church indulging sexual fantasies about old girlfriends and the female occupant of the burial plot in the pew beneath his feet. On the drive back home they pass a dark and sinister stranger on the road and he has perhaps the closest thing to a religious experience that he will ever know. "Wine" is a heart-warming "feelgood" tale about a devout christian who performs a charitable act in order to fill a gap in the "O" section of his address book. It contains elements of high farce and compares favorably with the best of O Henry.
Also not to be missed are the four short essays at the end of the book which describe walks in North, South, East and West Wales. As a South-Walian and a keen hill-walker back in the day, I deeply appreciated his account of a sojourn in the Black Mountains and his visits to Cwmyoy and Partrishow churches. Both are magical places and evoked masterfully.
Lest anything I have so far said gives the impression that this is a light-hearted collection, please allow me to observe that these stories contain some of the most profound and poignant meditations on life, love and death in 21st century literature. In a recent interview with Americymru, Lloyd Jones was asked about his future literary plans. He replied, "Maybe some more short stories?". We sincerely hope so.
In short, this book is a treat for short-story fans, lovers of literature and lovers of Wales. If you fall into all three categories, then it is simply a "must read". If you are buying a gift for Christmas, either as a gift to yourself or for someone else, you couldn't do better than "My First Colouring Book."
CS
