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Program Information
Bristol Broadband Co-operative
Gloucestershire co-housing - breaking new ground
Weekly Program
Ian Kahn
 Bristol Broadband Co-operative  Contact Contributor
Feb. 23, 2012, 12:57 p.m.
00:00 - 01:22 Intro
01:22 - 07:59 Recent discovery by Ian Kahn at Lux Mentis books in Portland, Maine, USA, of occultist turned Catholic priest, exorcist and writer Monatgue Summers 1950s lost papers and other effects. The archive is now in the hands of Georgetown University special archivist John Buchtel. http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/jb593/
The Lost Archive of Montague Summers Found…bits from the cases…http://luxmentis.com/blog/?p=981
07:59 - 15:41 Self build in St Werburghs
15:41 - 22:03 Springhill Co-Housing in Stroud
http://www.therightplace.net/coco/public/picturesofspringhill.html
22:03 - 28:28 Vivienne Kynaston from Bradford on Avon, on Fair Trade Fortnight
28:28 - 37:57 The Sofa Sessions: Dan Brown including exclusive live version of his track "Hiding in plain sight"
37:57 - 45:06 Treasure island Chapter 33 Part 2
45:06 - 49:01 Tim Burroughs: Chasing the dragons tail
49:01 - 54:06 Whats on guide and Song of the Week
54:06 - 56:00 Credits
56:00 -1:00:40 The Housemartins: Build
There is more than hope, there is certainty. I have been exploring and cataloguing the archives of Montague Summers, thought to be lost in the 1950s. Father Sewell wrote an interesting article (pdf) in 1970 in The Antigonish Review about the loss of the collection and what might be contained within it. Having rediscovered its location, scholar Gerard O’Sullivan wrote a new artical in the Antigonish, The Manuscripts of Montague Summers, Revisited. He and I had been following each other on Twitter for some time and one thing led to another and the archive is now with me.

He was a colorful figure, writing on witchcraft, vampires, and werewolves, in which he claimed to believe. From an occult standpoint, he is probably best known for publishing the first translation of the Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches), the 15th century treatise on witch-hunting. He has seen a surge of popular support in recent years for his Vampire, His Kith and Kin. This last because Stephenie Meyer appears to be fond of him and quotes him, now and again, in her Twilight books. He also wrote on black magic, the Dark Mass, and such. Though a member of the clergy (RC), his writings (and some alleged personal activities)…and his long friendship with Aleister Crowley-cast a shadow over aspects of his life.


Ordination document on vellum.

He also wrote extensively on the histories of Restoration dramas, studies of the gothic novel, fiction, and a variety of essays (including a gem on Poe). The archive includes handwritten and typed manuscripts of both published and unpublished works and dozens and dozens of letters.
A personal favorite is the manuscript of Summers’ unpublished play, “William Henry: A Play in Four Acts”. William Henry Ireland was a poet and writer of gothic novels…but is most famous as a forger. His greatest forgery, and downfall, was forging a “new” Shakespearian play, Vortigern and Rowena. I am toying with having the boys perform this play this summer…they best hope I place the collection before school frees them.
Another wee gem is a note (below) to the gentleman who repaired Summers’ typewriter…or failed to so so. There are, in addition to piles of personal and professional letters, also the documents of an interesting man’s life. Book contracts, etc. are to be expected, but ordination (to Deacon) on vellum was an interesting thing (more so as his status in the church has sometimes been questioned). So many things to play with…so many other things I should be doing. Wretched.
I have a representative list of the contents of the collection (though by no stretch complete), ask if you’d like to see it. Truly, it is hard to put words to how much I love what I do.

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