Our Ponko has provenance like none other. I feel in my heart of hearts he is without doubt, the one Ponting toted round as part of the magic lantern show, around 1913 and if he is not the one Ponting is photographed with, his is identical. No others are known to have survived.
Author Archives: PLH
‘Old Hand-Knitters of the Dales’ and ‘Their Darkest Materials’
Good news for the UK and EU – evergreen classic ‘The Old Hand-Knitters of the Dales’, has a new print run and is available from us now!
COMING SOON from Pretty Baa Lambs Press
NEWS! We’re working on the second edition of ‘River Ganseys’. Hopefully, due out in December, 2020. The book will contain new illustrations by David Hunt (illustrator of ‘Their Darkest Materials’)and some new material not previously published.
The Escrick Murder
It’s a classic Victorian melodrama of shenanigans in Hull with a “naughty lady”, and betrayal, spite and revenge on a terrifying scale. And the key piece of evidence that sends the murderer to the gallows – a half-knitted stocking. Will link to our new podcast here when it’s up.
Their Darkest Materials
I wasn’t even sure where I was going with this, or what angle to take, when someone who had booked and re-booked us for talks several times, asked me to do another talk and wondered what I was writing about at the moment. The research notes were loosely connected with the working title “Dark Side” and so, as I talked about a potential future talk, as I heard myself speaking I sort of realised this was not unlike a sort of horrible histories for adults – and so ‘Their Darkest Materials’ was born. ..