General Chat

Depends how old you lot are, really!! So this topic may fall on stoney ground. When I was a little lad we all seemed to have autograph books ("albums" was too posh a word in them days). We would get autographs of the famous -- mine, for example, were of Spurs players (the good old days, they were!) -- and Middlesex cricketers (the Compton brothers, Bill Edrich); giving a clue to my age, am I ? But mostly we wrote little poems in each others book; and things like "by hook or by crook I'll be first in this book". If that top part of the first page was already filled in by some rotter, we'd quickly turn to the very last page and hope to be able to write "by hook or by crook I'll be last in this book" at the very bottom of it. If anyone's interested in this thread, please feel free to join in: if no-one is, I'll go up to my room with my teddy and sulk, so there! :-( Brian

I had an autograph book - now lost - mainly with "B" list celebs on it. But, in terms of genealogy - My mum has an autograph book which belonged to her mum, and is full of mottoes, poems, etc added by friends and family, which have proved useful in building up family history. Some of them are dated which is very helpful. And, for future historians - my son's present from his primary school when he left was a book which he filled in with details of his teachers and spaces for autographs of his classmates.

Hi Brian Remember them well, and the Hook or by Crook bit. Trouble was, when I owned an autograph book as a child I never met anyone famous. I can remember when I was about 13 going to Guide camp and there was a Scout group in the field next door. We joined them one night (all proper and above board!!!) round the campfire. One of the scouts was pretty good looking and I asked him to sign my book. How sad was that!!!! (;( Lynda

I had one still got it i made all my friends at school sign it some nice little poems as well that my mum wrote

Brian, I have revived the old thread for you to read through!

I remember these little books well. All different coloured pages and you took it to all your important 'engagements'. I got Lenny the Lion - now who remembers him!! (Showing my age again). Nes

I had an 'autograph' book from school - no famous autographs tho! We used to put 'by pen or by quill I'm blowed if you will' after the 'by hook or by crook'! Also a lot of look under here for clean people and the word 'soot' written! Natalie

Hi, I lived near the Ready Steady Go! Studios in London. So guess where I was every Friday night during the 1960's? Got autographs from Cathy McGowan, Brian Poole and the Tremoloes, Manfred Mann, lots of others....including Gerry and the Pacemakers.. In fact that's where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated. Outside Bush House where RSG was broadcast. There were TV screens in the foyer which suddenly started to show scenes of the assassination. Unfortunately I have no idea what happened to my Autograph Book ... but I did meet Gerry Marsden years later and mentioned that one Friday in November 1963 we happened to be in the same place at the same time! Dierdre X

Elisabeth M... My apologies....I didn't realise someone had already started a thread....fairly new at this Message Boards thing....should I be red-faced, or am I just a plonker!? Brian

Brian, Sorry!! Was just trying to give you some more to read! We enjoyed the thread last time around - well I did anyway. Didn't mean any offence, honest! Elisabeth xx