tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post1377421790731492545..comments2024-03-27T11:26:20.466-07:00Comments on The Passing Tramp: Black Mass and Cozy Class: The Unexpected Convergence of Whitey Bulger (1929-2018) and Charlotte Macleod (1922-2005)The Passing Tramphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-52421688236912005212018-11-15T23:09:39.473-08:002018-11-15T23:09:39.473-08:00I just looked "Craig" up in Barzun and T...I just looked "Craig" up in Barzun and Taylor and they mistakenly list Alisa as "Ailsa" too! It's a better name. Well, at least the editor didn't make Charlotte change it to "Jenny"!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-57336976616809269242018-11-15T01:08:43.040-08:002018-11-15T01:08:43.040-08:00I love the names in the Balaclava series too.I love the names in the Balaclava series too.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-88507723521884277832018-11-15T01:07:57.547-08:002018-11-15T01:07:57.547-08:00Thank you so much. I'm not posting as frequen...Thank you so much. I'm not posting as frequently as I used to, but I do try and make things interesting for people with at least weekly posts. There's a lot of human interest among crime writers!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-46283255316571801012018-11-15T01:06:10.628-08:002018-11-15T01:06:10.628-08:00I'd also like to thank the late Whitey Bulger!...I'd also like to thank the late Whitey Bulger! Without him this blog piece could never have happened.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-64849902248401475192018-11-14T12:46:30.701-08:002018-11-14T12:46:30.701-08:00Only you could come up with those details and conn...Only you could come up with those details and connections, Curt! I was always mystified by the Ailsa/Alisa anagram, I had to triple check every time I came across that pseudonym.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-15165380414043870012018-11-14T12:44:19.256-08:002018-11-14T12:44:19.256-08:00Thanks, dean! Funny, I like Ailsa better than Alis...Thanks, dean! Funny, I like Ailsa better than Alisa, but I guess publishers know best! (Or do they?) I thought it was too big a coincidence that it was a family name.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-73807886808444604842018-11-14T11:38:21.752-08:002018-11-14T11:38:21.752-08:00I'm sure it was first grown there. AND! Oddly ...I'm sure it was first grown there. AND! Oddly enough, it's also the name of a variety of tomato. That particular Ailsa Craig is relatively new, dating back to 1912. I only found out all of this when several years ago I read some obscure mystery that involved gardening (it was probably one of the Rev. Buckle books by Nicholas Brady) and mentioned in passing was the Ailsa Craig onion. I immediately looked it up online to find out how old the variety was because I knew Alisa Craig was Macleod's pseudonym. Made me laugh a lot.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-45880900138735086272018-11-14T10:45:08.043-08:002018-11-14T10:45:08.043-08:00This was absolutely fascinating. I read it all, an...This was absolutely fascinating. I read it all, and the piece about the Balk fellow. You do such a great job with this blog. Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15547916206007733970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-67982038857972946242018-11-14T04:57:58.234-08:002018-11-14T04:57:58.234-08:00John, I'm sure Charlotte knew that, as she was...John, I'm sure Charlotte knew that, as she was extremely fond of puns herself. In one of the Sarah Kelling books, there's a sea captain whose surname is "Rovedock." Also witness the heroine in the Grub-and-Stakers series, Dittany Henbit.Miranda Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214710626330587150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-60360546488784945782018-11-13T17:21:53.428-08:002018-11-13T17:21:53.428-08:00John knows his onions! I wonder if Ailsa Craig is...John knows his onions! I wonder if Ailsa Craig is grown on Ailsa Craig!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-63673168984872730062018-11-13T12:43:34.510-08:002018-11-13T12:43:34.510-08:00Well, how about that. I always thought that pseudo...Well, how about that. I always thought that pseudonym was an in-joke for botanists and gardening enthusiasts who no doubt enjoyed her books. Ailsa Craig is an ancient name for an onion variety first grown in Scotland. The name dates back to the late 19th century. I thought she was being extremely clever in coming up with the anagram of the first name. Ah well...J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-16452819143348312532018-11-13T05:13:38.756-08:002018-11-13T05:13:38.756-08:00Charlotte did indeed take the Alisa Craig pseudony...Charlotte did indeed take the Alisa Craig pseudonym from her aunt's name. Charlotte wanted it to be Ailsa Craig (the Craig being a pun on "crag") but the publisher thought Ailsa too strange and insisted on Alisa. Charlotte told me this herself during a visit to Houston for a signing.Miranda Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214710626330587150noreply@blogger.com