tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post6642428885605600477..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: FFB: Money on the Black - Allan MacKinnonJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-28399437751676753292018-02-20T22:29:36.377-06:002018-02-20T22:29:36.377-06:00The slang starts in the title:"On The Black&q...The slang starts in the title:"On The Black" is short for "On The Black Market", which in this case means the unrationed sale of anything at all, mostly food and drink.<br /><br />The sgian dubh isn't intended as a weapon, its historical function was more that of pocket knife. One thing that would have made it more common in London during the war is that there would be a lot of kilted soldiers, all of whom would be issued one.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07560562004881756340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-68066015105708131512018-02-11T03:48:15.744-06:002018-02-11T03:48:15.744-06:00SLEEPING CAR TO TRIESTE is quite a good little mov...SLEEPING CAR TO TRIESTE is quite a good little movie. Definitely worth watching.dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-74255163843125731922018-02-09T16:21:14.000-06:002018-02-09T16:21:14.000-06:00Loved all the contemporary details. I had never he...Loved all the contemporary details. I had never heard of the four-day flitter, how fascinating. Radiograms were still common when I was growing up - but I didn't know they dated back to the 1940s.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-75047838587100244542018-02-05T13:41:52.087-06:002018-02-05T13:41:52.087-06:00I ordered a copy of HOUSE OF DARKNESS, and hope it...I ordered a copy of HOUSE OF DARKNESS, and hope it will be as enjoyable as your comments suggest. Of course, you haven't steered me wrong yet!Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-35390001330691553272018-02-05T12:00:47.346-06:002018-02-05T12:00:47.346-06:00I might put a hunt on for this, especially with th...I might put a hunt on for this, especially with this post as a vocabulary reference should I find one! Thank you as always for another fine review.Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-22721470594175743332018-02-04T12:14:04.703-06:002018-02-04T12:14:04.703-06:00Sounds like a good one, John. But since it's s...Sounds like a good one, John. But since it's scarce, I'll just have to take your word for it. :) I think SLEEPING CAR TO TRIESTE is available on youtube unless they took it down already. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-21321191732613044672018-02-03T08:26:01.623-06:002018-02-03T08:26:01.623-06:00If it's House of Darkness, his most popular an...If it's <i>House of Darkness</i>, his most popular and most often reprinted book, you ought to read it. It's just as good as this one. Bev (<a href="https://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2016/03/house-of-darkness-review.html" rel="nofollow">My Reader's Block blog)</a> gave it a five out of five rating and it's called his best novel by Barzun in <i>Catalog of Crime.</i> If that's his best compared to this one, it's got to be amazing! I'm interested in reading more MacKinnon and tracking down as many of his movies as I can. He has the real stuff on display here, that's for sure.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-67180494538428985082018-02-03T03:07:12.431-06:002018-02-03T03:07:12.431-06:00Enjoyed reading about all the 'new' things...Enjoyed reading about all the 'new' things, John. I looked for the author @Open Library. Only one book of his is available and it is not this. neerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986509319841061021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-29141320647286456832018-02-02T21:45:41.917-06:002018-02-02T21:45:41.917-06:00Ah...well, you will have to wait until next week t...Ah...well, you will have to wait until next week to find out.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-75587026394359466792018-02-02T19:00:48.929-06:002018-02-02T19:00:48.929-06:00A Clockwork Orange, perchance?<i>A Clockwork Orange</i>, perchance?Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-91341547450585602102018-02-02T15:11:41.702-06:002018-02-02T15:11:41.702-06:00I'm beginning to think that the ONLY reason I ...I'm beginning to think that the ONLY reason I continue to read old books in this genre is to have opportunities to learn about world history or amass more trivia. The genuine historical features of any book (as opposed to faux history in "historical novels") always fascinate me and I'm increasingly being drawn to pop cultural references like the Radiogram. I looked at pictures of Radiogram models made in the WW2 era for about 30 minutes trying to find the most attractive one before I settled on using the advert.<br /><br />Right now I'm reading a book that features a gang of teens in England. Their slang is like reading a foreign language. There a was an unusual reference to --of all people-- the actor Wilfrid Hyde White. Luckily, I'm such a movie addict I immediately knew who he was and what the reference meant.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-29090353343858337012018-02-02T14:22:50.371-06:002018-02-02T14:22:50.371-06:00You have more patience than I do, John. I'd ha...You have more patience than I do, John. I'd have given up on this book after the first two or three of those idiom speed bumps. I grew up during WWII, but in Wisconsin, and I have enuf trouble understanding some of the jargon from that time. A modern American translation of <i>Money on the Black</i> might be just the ticket. Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.com