No. 353 - Change Ringing

Today I posted as my Facebook status: This is the time of year that I read one of my favorite books -- Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. It's set during the Great Depression between Christmas and New Year's Day in Gibbsville, the fictionalized town of Pottsville, PA.

I own an original first edition (unfortunately without a dust jacket) as well as a reproduction of the first edition, with exact details copied including the original dust jacket. Today I read the back cover and a book called The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sawyers was noted as The Best Mystery of 1934.

The description on the cover read: "Not only an admirable mystery, but also a novel of unique color and feeling ... beautifully written. Through the whole story the ancient art of bell-ringing is woven like a mysterious melody."

A Wikipedia entry said that for this novel the author had to learn about change ringing.

I learned that change ringing is a way of ringing bells that produces a rich cascade of sound. Change ringing bells are hung in special frames that allow the bell to swing through an arc of 360 degrees.  A team of people are needed to ring them because each bell requires the full attention of one person.

Change ringing is described as a team sport, a highly coordinated musical performance, an antique art, and a demanding exercise that involves a group of people ringing rhythmically a set of tuned bells through a series of changing sequences that are determined by mathematical principles and executed according to learned patterns.