Waterfalls of Jamaica: Sublime and Beautiful Objects

Rating:
Summary: Waterfalls of Jamaica
Review: I must declare an interest in having been a friend of Brian Hudson's for 45 years. As an occasional member of that notorious University of Liverpool fraternity which lodged at Rigby's, just off Myrtle Street, then regarded as being at the cutting edge of popular culture, years ahead of Carnaby Street,we shared many scrapes. Although grudgingly acknowledged to be one of the very few scholars at the School of Geography at that time, Brian had much greater claims to fame as the resident drummer of the University Jazz Band, and perhaps, more significantly, a founder member of the very first of the Liverpool "groups", Cass and the Cassanovas, which paved the way of the Merseysound of the 'sixties, playing at The Cavern well before those bands which grew to greater fame. A colourful character then, and as anyone who knows him would have expected, Brian has written a colourful book.
Not inclined toward the academic myself, I was expecting to grow bored of the subject very quickly, but I was sufficiently enthused, in the event, to read the book in one sitting. I would use the hackneyed phrase "thought- provoking" were it not to mean the certain kiss of death. But Brian does ask some important economic and environmental questions as well as making a fair attempt to provide answers. His book is elegantly written though I did recoil at his use of the verb "eventuate".
Those long-suffering tutors of geography during the 'fifties and 'sixties, most of whom were awarded Chairs at other universities in later life, should be proud of at least one of my contemporaries : personally, I failed to be inspired by "a waterfall is simply falling water" uttered by one luminary. A larger-scale work on waterfalls is warranted. More please, Brian!...