Dennis Wheatley's memoirs have always raised mixed emotions for me. He spends 3 volumes and a further 228 pages of a fourth volume on the first 47 years of his life - and it makes riveting reading - but only 37 pages for the last 33 years!!! 1944-1977 is the time when he wrote most of my favourite books - and it has always frustrated me!!! I had always assumed that he ran out of time (RIP).
And then Charles makes a casual reference during one of his regular updates that he has come across - for me - the DW find of the century!!! Our hero did indeed write a full 5th volume of memoirs covering the 1944-1977 years. And Charles has discovered the typescript!!!
I think it even trumps Of Vice and Virtue in importance.
CONGRATULATIONS, CHARLES.
Of course, we are now hungry for its contents!!!
Have you read it, Charles?
I'm off to the cellar to get a drink to celebrate.
The October convention can't come soon enough.
The Old Man Said - the find of the century!!!
The Old Man Said - the find of the century!!!
Last edited by Darren on Sun 22 Jul, 2018 18:17:08, edited 1 time in total.
Regards,
Darren.
Darren.
Re: The Old Man Said - the find of the century!!!
The front cover of The Old Man Said typescript has "Fully corrected Copy" hand written at the top (I originally misread it as collected). The typed note has "Folio II, Pages 312-591", so I obviously conclude that pages 312-591 is contained in that file.
Now that we know it exists - we will have find the file with the first 311 pages. Have you seen it Charles, or is the hunt still on?
Now that we know it exists - we will have find the file with the first 311 pages. Have you seen it Charles, or is the hunt still on?
Regards,
Darren.
Darren.
Re: The Old Man Said - the find of the century!!!
Wonderful news! Does this mean there'll have to be a revised edition of The Devil Is A Gentleman?
Fas est et ab hoste doceri
Re: The Old Man Said - the find of the century!!!
You know me, how else would I annnounce it ?And then Charles makes a casual reference during one of his regular updates
Yes, it was as exciting for me as you can imagine, and you can rest assured that it was both volumes of 'The Old Man Said' that were in the boxfiles, as well as the annotated typescript of what we now know as 'The Deception Planners'. So we have the full 591 pages of TOMS.
Like you I enjoy DW's memoirs almost as much as (and indeed perhaps more than some of) his novels, so I glad to have found them. In a parallel universe they may well have ended on a scrap heap.
Happy news indeed and I shall look forward to sharing them with you.
Charles