Eugene di Villa

A brand new book entitled "Eugene Di Villa", is being launched this coming Saturday, June 28th, at Underwood St Michael's Garden Party in the churchyard between 2pm and 5pm.
The proceeds of this book, which cost £2.00, will be donated to the Eugene Di Villa Memorial Fund. Copies available by e-mail : stan@powercomp.co.uk.

EUGENE DI VILLA – AN ENIGMA?
Eugene was born in London in 1931 - but under a different name. In 1959 he legally changed this, by Deed Poll, and from then onwards became Eugene Di Villa.
Through his grandmother he claimed connections with a European titled family and shared sketchy details of his life with his many friends.
Eugene died in December 2010 and was buried in St Michael’s Churchyard having expressed a fondness for Underwood during his life time. Today, more than three years later, his grave is grassed over and marked with a plain wooden cross bearing a handwritten inscription.
A group of friends, distressed by the sadness of this, have got together to try and raise funds for a proper memorial stone to mark the life of a local man who gave so much to Underwood and the surrounding area. See More

The latest Basford Bystander is now out in the shops. I enjoyed putting this one together.   Copies obtainable from me.

For details e-mail me at stan@basfordbystander.org.uk   

Hard copies available - also pdf format for e-mailing Inland or World wide.

Happy new year to fellow bloggers

I am delighted to announce that my website http://www.ztanzmith.co.uk has now been updated with my latest 2013 books.

 These books, all at £2.00 (sterling) each, with pdf versions available for e-mail, include:-

 

 

“Brinsley – Top to Bottom” -  chapel folk and others

 

“Lively Folk” of Underwood Bagthorpe & Westwood

“Bystander Cream” – containing early articles on Basford from the Basford Bystander

“Bulwell Bystander”- containing early articles on Bulwell from the Basford Bystander

“The Green” – Part one of the reissue of the Hyson Green book which has been out of print for a few years.

 

 

Photo shows my wife Christine and I on our book stall at a recent event

 

I am now busy putting together the next book – this time it will be Brinsley book number 15!

 

BYSTANDER BULWELL - a brand new publication.

 

A brand new compilation from past articles about Bulwell, Nottingham, appearing in the Basford Bystander over the last twenty five years or so is now available.        For the contents, price and contact details -  see box below.

The articles, excellent in themselves, have not seen light of day for many, many years and are so good that, as editor of the Basford Bystander, I decided to make them more accessible and reissue them in this  new handy A5 format entitled BYSTANDER BULWELL.

Bystander Bulwell is a companion volume to the book Bystander Cream published recently.

BYSTANDER BULWELL by Ztan Zmith The editor’s compilation of articles published in back issues of the Basford Bystander   Articles Include :-
Living near Northern Bridge Oakleigh Lodge Sankey’s of Bulwell Jimmy Rayner’s Portable Theatre Bulwell’s Well The Newstead Abbey Barber to the War Office King Billy Dad and footballer Bertie Mee The Workhouse	The Workhouse’s Dr Tancred Bulwell’s Blacksmith Bulwell Common Plane Crash Bulwell Vicar Shooting Albert Street Mr Punch - Rag & Bone man Tragic William Haslam Fanny’s Big Bulwell Wedding Commercial Road Victorian Bulwell
If you would like a copy of this unique book by UK mail then please send a cheque payable to “Basford Bystander”   for £2.70 per book (inclusive UK postage)  to 44 Cherry Tree Close, Brinsley, Nottingham NG16 5BA   ============================================================================================================================ A pdf copy can be e-mailed inland or world wide at a cost of £2.00 (sterling) per copy via  e-mail at - stan@basfordbystander.org.uk    (PayPal accepted)

The recent book launch of "Brinsley - Top to Bottom" resulted in a virtual sell-out on the day itself and a reprint had to be organised quickly to meet demand.   

The book has been very well received - which is pleasing to say it is Brinsley book number 13.    

The title seems to have intrigued quite a few readers.  However the title is particularly relevent to the book and all becomes clear when viewing the contents of the book.

Prospective readers may be interested to learn that there is a pdf version of the book available and this can be e-mailed to any part of the UK and most parts of the world.     The cost is £2.00 sterling and payment by PayPal (using the address stan@basfordbystander.org.uk) is perfectly acceptable.

All net proceeds of the book are donated to Brinsley Parish Church.

http://www.ztanzmith.co.uk and http://www.basfordbystander.org.uk

http://www.newwritersuk.co.uk/ztanzmith.html

http://twitter.com/@ZtanZmith

 

BRINSLEY - TOP TO BOTTOM is my latest book and is being launched on Saturday 16th March 2013 in St James Church, Brinsley, from 10.00am until 2.00pm.     

 

The pretty village of Brinsley, which lies between Eastwood on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border and junction 27 of the M1, is in that part of the country which D H Lawrence described as “the country of my heart.”

 

“Brinsley - Top to Bottom” is my 36th local book and 13th Brinsley Book - which is rather appropriate for the year 2013 

 

After launch day, my illustrated book containing 36pps and costing  £2.70 inclusive of p&p, can be obtained directly from me by e-mailing stan@powercomp.co.uk; from Brinsley Post Office or from Lowdham Bookcase on the internet -  http://www.nottinghambooks.co.uk    If ordering from me the payment should be made out to “Stan Smith” please.

 

My latest book is packed with true stories of fascinating local characters who lived in and around the village - none more so than pop star, grappler and living legend John Lawrence - grandfather of the famous writer D H Lawrence and Walter Cornell the lamp cabin man and one legged cyclist.

 

Then there are the stories of Alfred Wilkinson, keeper of the Miners’ Welfare unable to serve ale to local miners; Bill Harris the only resident in the Rookery to own a piano and D H Lawrence’s uncle who stood trial for murder!      Life was never dull!

http://www.ztanzmith.co.uk   and    http://www.basfordbystander.org.uk

http://www.newwritersuk.co.uk/ztanzmith.html

 http://twitter.com/@ZtanZmith

 

As many will know, I am the Editor of the Basford Bystander which is a journal produced every other month.  It is devoted to nostalgia, together with events and the fascinating stories of people who, over the years,  lived in and around the Nottingham suburbs of  Old and New Basford, Bulwell, Hyson Green, Cinderhill, Broxtowe, Carrington and Highbury Vale etc.

Currently Basford Bystander No 156 is at the printers and will be available at the beginning of February 2013.  As the Bystander is issued twice a year it becomes apparent that it has been published for more than a quarter of a century.    Back copies are available from issue 21 onwards.    See  http://www.basfordbystander.org.uk

 

However Basford Bystanders prior to Issue 21 have been out of print for many years - which is a pity because there are some fascinating articles that deserve to be seen again.    With this in mind I have produced a booklet incorporating the best of these articles which appeared in Issues No 1 - 10.

BYSTANDER CREAM by ZTAN ZMITH

The Editor's Compilation of Articles published in

out-of-print copies of the Basford Bystander

Issues No'd 1-10

     Articles include : -

 

Colds and Chimney Sweeping The Steaming Past - Basford’s Railway Stations   Fox & Crown and its Prison cells.
The River Leen St Leo’s - the Story of a Church Eddie Mellor’s Lincoln Street Alfred Fewkes - Notts Cricketer The Workhouse	Margaret Rose - a tragedy Clay Tobacco Pipes Basford Wakes Ripley Rattlers Northgate & New Basford

If you would like a copy of this unique book by UK Mail then please send a cheque payable to -

"Basford & District Local History Society" for £2.70 per book (includes UK postage)

 to 44 Cherry Tree Close, Brinsley, Nottingham NG16 5BA

==============

A pdf copy can be e-mailed inland or world wide(at a cost of £2.00 sterling per copy) via e-mail at :-

stan@basfordbystander.org.uk.     PayPal accepted.