AT THIS STAGE, Andrusier’s entire universe was the north London suburb of Pinner, where he grew up with his Jewish parents: a larger-than-life father and a mother it seems fair to call “long-suffering”. In fact, quite a lot of the book is a beautifully bittersweet memoir about Andrusier’s conflicted relationship with his father, from whom he learned the appeal of collecting—although his dad’s taste ran more towards postcards of Eastern European synagogues that were destroyed by the Nazis.
Meanwhile, following his Big Daddy triumph, young Adam expanded into writing off for autographs. But he also continued as an “in-person collector”, waiting outside London hotels to accost the likes of Elizabeth Taylor (who said no) and Nelson and Winnie Mandela (who said yes, but seemed to Andrusier to be unhappily married).
He also introduces us to the strange world of autograph conventions, where a winningly random assortment of celebs—from astronomer Patrick Moore to the bloke who played Jaws in James Bond—sign for money. On a darker note, he sees a particularly long queue for the pilots who dropped the first atomic bomb cheerfully signing photos of the Hiroshima ruins.
These days, Andrusier makes his living as an autograph dealer. But here he is as a boy, a couple of years after a family holiday in California, about to make his nascent collection more international:
One day, Dad had a thought. He disappeared into his study, and after a lot of groaning and throwing paper around he emerged clutching a brightly illustrated brochure. It was a ‘Beverly Hills Star Map’.
‘I’d forgotten all about this,’ he gleamed. ‘Might be useful.’
この記事は Reader's Digest UK の August 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Reader's Digest UK の August 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?