Читать книгу Red Herrings & White Elephants - The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day - Albert Jack - Страница 5

Thanks in the first place go to Martyn Long, whose trivial conversation at the inns around Guildford sparked the idea in the first place. That master of triviality then provided enough inspiration for me to crawl through dirty libraries with dusty librarians (although in some cases that was the other way round) and research the origins of some of our favourite phrases.

Special thanks also go to Ama Page, all the way out there in Botswana, for the wonderful illustrations, and to Tony Banks MP for offering to host the book launch in the House (and I don’t mean his house). Thanks also go to the following for contributing ideas, answers, leads and suggestions. In no particular order, then: Andy McDaniel, Bruce Foxton and Steve Grantley of the Stiff Little Fingers fame (make of that what you will) who are responsible for a couple of the little gems you will later read. Then thanks to Claire Miller for the illustration of me. The Teswaine trio of Peter Patsalides for the Greek translation, Paul Ryan for his spiritual guidance and fatherly advice and Tony Henderson for his support. Nigel Harland for lunch at the Lords, followed by the Commons and then followed by a visit to their respective libraries (no dusty librarians in there). It should also be recorded that David Dickie’s suggestions (set enough traps in the woods and you are going to catch a badger) weren’t quite what I had in mind but made us all laugh just the same. Peter Gordon should get a mention in here somewhere and so must my sister Julie Willmott and cousin John Harris. Thanks to Martin Foale for his suggestion, Lucian Randall and all at Blake Publishing.

If this book is a roaring success then all of them should share the credit in some small way. If, however, it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, then they can have all the credit themselves and leave me out of it.

Albert Jack – Guildford, October 2004

Albert Jack supports the MacKinnon Trust, a registered charity working to raise awareness in mental-health issues such as schizophrenia and the care needed by those who suffer and their families. Their website can be found at www.mackinnontrust.org