A Christmas Singular Discovery
Boy finds festive fortune in foraged firewood; PLUS books and other stuff of the year
This fleeting festive feelgood story from Christmas 1839 was published in the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette on 2 January 1840:
Singular Discovery: On Christmas morning, a little boy, about twelve years of age, residing at Chalford, Westbury, proceeded to take a piece of an old window frame from some ruinous premises, late the property of Perry, a bankrupt, for the purpose of making a Christmas fire.
On cutting it up, nearly two hundred pieces of gold coin were discovered. They were of different sizes, of the reign of Elizabeth, and were in the most beautiful state of preservation. The circumstance, as might have expected, has created a lively sensation in Chalford and the neighbourhood.
Chalford is a Wiltshire village near Bath, in the South West of England. The reign of Elizabeth I ended in 1603, so the coins were more than two centuries old when found. Gold coins from Elizabeth’s reign have recently sold for up to £45,000 each, making the boy’s haul worth as much as £9m ($11m) today.◆
Now a look back at the year that was 2023:
2023: A Year in the Rearview
Strap yourself in for a bumper selection of 2023 stuff, including books of the year, articles and podcasts, TV & film updates, and more…
Stuff I wrote:
The Dog and the Dinosaur
The epic true story of a war hero, his rescued dog, and their improbable quest to find a living brontosaurus in the Congo.
Death of an Angel: Did a White Cop Kill a Black Guardian Angel?
The police said it was an accident. The Guardian Angels accused them of covering up a racially-motivated murder. Who shot Frank Melvin?
The Man Who Rode the Bear
A fleeing murderer and a furious grizzly.
Thirty-Two Days Adrift
A fight for survival in shark-infested waters.
The Titanic Rescue
The unsung heroes who saved 700 souls.
The Ghost of Mecklenburgh Street
A 200-year-old haunted house.
You can find more of my writing at stuffbypaulbrown.com.
Books of the year:
The Wager by David Grann
Every bit as good as anticipated, another classic from David Grann.
Wasteland by Oliver Franklin-Wallis
A brilliant wake-up call, tremendously informative and readable.
Into the Uncanny by Danny Robins
Enough to send shivers up the spine of the most cynical non-believer.
Food of the Cods by Daniel Gray
A mouth-watering celebration of fish and chips.
The Full English by Stuart Maconie
An entertaining modern take on Priestley’s English Journey.
The Search by John Henry Phillips
The hunt for a wrecked D-Day landing craft and the story of its crew.
Two Brothers by Jonathan Wilson
The story of a fractured relationship shaped by tragedy and triumph.
Find more recommended books on the Singular Discoveries bookshelf.*
Podcast I made:
Singular Discoveries Podcast Season 1
An audio series telling unusual stories from forgotten corners of the past.
Season 1 has 8 episodes and is available on Apple, Spotify, and elsewhere.
A bonus 9th episode is available to podcast supporters now — click here.
Bonus episode trailer:
More podcast news coming soon. Your support helps me make more episodes.
Film & TV stuff:
I’m continuing to produce original source material for film, TV and podcast development projects. Two more of my works were optioned in 2023.
I currently have four film & TV projects under option by production companies. The rights for several other projects remain available.
Find more original source material for development projects at IPPicks.com.
Twitter RIP:
In May 2010, I joined Twitter. In July 2023, Elon Musk reinvented it as “X”. Twitter was (mostly) great for me, allowing me to communicate with a community full of interesting and sometimes brilliant people.
What I did most often was share stuff I like — books, articles, music. Other people shared my stuff. It was nice. But on X, because the algorithm promotes paid content, most people who follow me never see my posts.
So, I’ve mostly given up posting there. I’ve joined potential Twitter replacements Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky, but none quite fill the void, with the old Twitter community fragmented between the different platforms.
The death of Twitter has made me think a lot about how I use social media and the internet, how I work and write, how I promote my work and writing, and how I connect with readers. And there’s more thinking to do.
For now, there’s this newsletter and my website. And all my links are here.
If you’re not already a subscriber, please hit this button to stay in touch:
Support my writing:
If you’ve enjoyed Singular Discoveries or anything else I’ve written in 2023, please consider showing your support to help me continue into 2024.
I try to keep my work ad-free and outside of paywalls. If you appreciate that, you can help by sharing my articles, buying my books, or supporting me on Ko-Fi or Fair Payments for Writers.
Thank you for your support.
Buy my book:
OK, my book The Tyne Bridge was published in late 2022, but your moral obligation to buy it for yourself or your friends and family continues… It’s a handsomely illustrated hardback that will make a wonderful Christmas gift.
You can get it here. (A very limited number of signed copies are available, too.)
Or, if you prefer, here’s the Amazon link.*
Here’s the book’s trailer video, in case you missed it:
Sample The Sample. Get sample editions of newsletters that match your interests sent to your email inbox for free:
That’s all for 2023. Hopefully, I’ll be back in 2024 with more — I’m already working on some exciting projects.
Why not give someone a festive treat by sharing this newsletter with them?
Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Great New Year! - Paul
*Amazon links are affiliate links. If you use them, I may earn a few pennies.
Dammit, yet more things to add to my reading list! Thanks Paul. And I share your Twitter agonies. Some wonderful people there but I stopped using it a couple of months ago and I'm definitely reading more long form stuff, which is something. Merry Yule to you.
Glad to see you on BlueSky! It's really picked up the past few weeks, and has that whacky early Twitter feel to it.