Sunday, March the 30th, 2008

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Bring Forth, Devil, Your Elks

Bring Forth, Devil, Your Elks is the title of a history of hunting in Finland noted in the latest issue of the splendidly-named periodical Books From Finland (reviewed here).

Interestingly, the out of print pamphleteer Dobson once planned a series of bestiaries for children to which he gave almost identical titles. They included Bring Forth, Devil, Your Moose, Bring Forth, Devil, Your Stormy Petrels, and Bring Forth, Devil, Your Common House Flies. Unlike the Finnish volume, none of Dobson's works ever saw the light of day, for he abandoned the writing of them when it was pointed out to him that he could make more money by churning out a potboiler about decorative cardigan buttons, a subject on which he was an acknowledged expert.

Unfortunately, a glut of decorative cardigan button books appeared on the market just as Dobson was finishing his manuscript. His money-making scheme shattered, the pamphleteer was forced to take a job as janitor at an evaporated milk factory. As we now know, this experience was pivotal in his pamphleteering career.

Further Reading : “Dobson's Pivotal Experience As A Janitor At An Evaporated Milk Factory” by Petula Clark, in The Journal Of Evaporated Milk Studies, Vol XLVI, No 7 (out of print).