As part of the Portsmouth 60 Plus Festival, I am at the Portsmouth Central Library on Wednesday 9 October presenting the above talk. 'Once Upon a Time' is very much an adult look at some of the stories I have grown up with and that established my love of reading and books. Long after the novels and romances of adult life have faded, the simple stories and tales we read as children live on in our hearts. This talk explores the stories behind just some of the books that bought me more innocent happiness than probably anything I have read since.
Why was Anna Sewell so drawn to the poor treatment of horses in writing ‘Black Beauty’? In ‘Gulliver's Travels’, just how did Gulliver really put out the fire in the Queen's Palace? Who was the real ‘Robinson Crusoe’? What colour was ‘Winnie the Pooh’? Why did the first editions of ‘Where's Wally? ‘ have to be reprinted? Find the answers to these and many more questions in this revealing illustrated talk.
Tickets are free, but you will need to book.
Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Venue: Central Library, Guildhall Square,
Portsmouth, PO1 2DX
Cost: Free to attend
Booking: Call 023 9268 8046
