On Sore Throats and the Migration of the Swallow by J Abernethy

Thanks to RSPB

Title: On Sore Throats and the Migration of the Swallow

Author: J Abernethy 

Publisher: not known 

Source: Thomas Hood’s Invisible Library 

Recently I was looking at a website called Beachcombing’s Bizarre History Blog that features a lot of invisible books, but in a rather different way from my fictional books. Anyway, one page tells me about some fake books that were apparently created by Thomas Hood for a false door in the library at Chatsworth House.

I thought I would report it because these book titles are rather charming. Certainly a lot better than the endless list of fake books perpetrated by Charles Dickens.

On Sore Throats and the Migration of the Swallow by J Abernethy. John Abernethy was an English surgeon who founded the medical school at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He was very interested in the digestive tract and believed that good digestion was paramount for good health. He gave his name to a digestive biscuit, the Abernethy biscuit. Did you ever think that digestive biscuits are supposed to be good for your digestion? I certainly didn’t. I had a bit of a light bulb moment this morning. 

Shelley’s Conchology. Shelley of course was a well known romantic poet not a shell specialist.

On Bell’s System by Pul

On the Quadrature of the Circle; or Squaring in the Ring by D Mendoza. Daniel Mendoza was a celebrated boxer between 1780 and 1795. He taught boxing and you may find characters in Georgette Heyer’s novels attending Mendoza’s Saloon. At least, Wikipedia doesn’t mention this, but how many well known Jewish boxers called Mendoza can there have been at that time?

Views in Rhodes by Macadam. Macadam is of course a system of road building pioneered by John London Macadam.

Attack of Infantry by Malthus 

Recollections of Banister by Lord Stair

The Death of Wolfe by Lamb. Presumably this is the death of General James Wolfe just as his army won the Battle of Quebec.

Contractictionary by Samuel Johnson 

Early Rising by Earl Grey

On Steam by Boyle

Memoirs of Mrs Mountain by Ben Lomond

And finally, Dante’s Inferno; or, the Description of Van Dieman’s Land by an anonymous writer.

And if you’re interested, there’s this list, and also this.

Thanks to NHBS