The Book-tique is heading to Mull next Friday
9th October, but only for the day. First ferry over in the morning and an
evening ferry back home. Unfortunately, a full weekend is just a bit out of
reach these days. The Doc was told it was just a wee day trip to deliver some
orders, but I didn’t quite get around to telling him the destination was
Tobermory, and he didn’t ask!The plan is to set up somewhere near Scrutineering which
this year is back in the Distillery yard and I’ll publish a wee fotie with
details once I get there so the Book-tique will be easily found.
I’ve got some orders for collection but I’ll also have copies
of all the other books as well as copies of ‘Murmurs on Mull’. This book
actually takes up from where Brian Molyneux’s book finishes. The late founder
of the Mull Rally published two books, the second an update of the first, and
covers the period 1969 to 1993 with ‘Murmurs on Mull’ taking the story from
1993 to 2010.However it has to be said, and potential readers warned,
that the style and content of the ‘MoM’ volume is rather different from the academic,
erudite and detailed storytelling of the original documentaries as written by
the original and genuine authority on the subject, whereas the current story
extension wasn’t!
In fact the ‘MoM’ volume is comprised entirely of the FULL
set of the ‘MullMurmurs’ on-event bulletins which were composed and typed on to
stencils during the rally itself and then run off on a duplicator in the back
of a van before the hurriedly printed bulletins were handed to ‘Bulletin Bill’
and his sundry collection of press-ganged cohorts for distribution around the
island – and all accomplished while the rally was underway!
Unfortunately, the author of the original Mull Rally books
which told the story of ‘the Best Rally in the World’ declined to update the history
any further and so in the absence of intellect, common sense and expert insight
this 1993-2010 update relied entirely on the compilation of the on-event
bulletins as invented, composed and written by the feverish mind of one Jaggy
Bunnet Esq.
No-one is quite sure who this character was (is?) such was
his fleeting presence at various locations around the rally route and in the
pubs (fuelled by the Salen Hotel’s steak pie – thanks Gerry) compiling the gossip,
scandals, tales, fibs and occasional rally facts into some sort of informative
medium. Remember this was in the days before pocket sized computers, compact dot
matrix printers and mobile telephones which could send and receive messages
without having to sprachle up nearby hills in search of a signal.
In fact, the introductory chapter in this book details how
the job was done while the reproduction of the bulletins themselves in this 350
page (yes, really!) book tells the story of the rally as it was at the time
recalling the sights, sounds, smells and weather as events actually happened.
In fact, I have been told by an authoritative source (?)
that it provides the most evocative commentary on events as they happened.
So for one day only, the Book-tique will be on Mull and open
from 9.00 am (ish) to 5.00 pm (ish) on Friday 9th October somewhere near
Scrutineering. Just look for the red Transit and I’ll try and put my flag up as
well !!
https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/
