A Little Secret!

[wes williams]

Because I’ve sometimes answered questions on obscure concertina dealers in little backwaters of England, people usually imagine that I’m sitting in a room surrounded by hundreds of dusty old directories. It isn’t true! Although I have quite a few London directories on CD, most of these dealers have been found by searches on the Internet. But its been great fun to see the “Wow!” factor when those of us “in the know” respond with answers within a few hours!

 

Since Stephen Chambers references this “secret” source in his forthcoming Lachenal article for PICA, I thought I’d fire some of you up into doing your own research, and tell you where to find it.

 

We are using a very comprehensive website at http://www.historicaldirectories.org . It has recently been updated to make it easier to use, and is being expanded very quickly thanks to lottery funding.

 

For a quick demo, do a keyword search using “concertina” for the 1850s decade. Currently it will return a single directory (London, small edition, 1852). Open up the directory and click through the “hits” for an illuminating summary of early concertina makers.

 

If you research a dealer or someone claiming to be a maker, I’d appreciate receiving details to add my notebook, which I hope to web-publish in the future.

 

best wishes ..wes

[Theo]

Wes

 

What a fascinating resource!

 

Harry Boyd of Newcastle upon Tyne, who comissioned top class concertinas from Wheatstone and Lachenal, can be found here

 

Thanks

 

Theo

[Stephen Chambers]

Since Stephen Chambers references this “secret” source in his forthcoming Lachenal article for PICA, I thought I’d fire some of you up into doing your own research, and tell you where to find it.

Wes,

 

Mea culpa !

 

Any idea when PICA is going to appear ?

 

Cheers,

[wes williams]

Stephen,

It had to slip out sometime, so why not here first?

 

Current plans are that PICA will first appear as "paper" at the ICA AGM (next month? I haven't checked the date yet!!), then mailed out to members, and on the ICA website shortly after.

 

I believe the final artwork is on a CD-ROM somewhere between Bishops Stortford and the printers in Yorkshire.

 

I can thoroughly recommend your article, and all the others I've seen.

 

Thanks! .. wes

[allan atlas]

STEPHEN AND FOLKS: I learned today that PICA, vol. 1, is now at the printers. . . . . .it should be ready for the weekend of the AGM (later in October). . . . .I imagine that it will be mailed out at around that time. . . . . .the electronic copy will follow as quickly thereafter as possible.................

 

I have already begun to work on Volume 2, which will contain, among other things: an article about the concertina in South Africa by Harry Scurfield, one by Randy Merris on Marie Lachenal Debenham, another on acoustics by Tom Tonen, and a bibliography of the Matusewitch family by Eric Matusewitch. . . . . . .

 

in addition: another "Historical Document". . . . . .another item for the "Picture Gallery". . . . .and probably two reviews................Allan