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The dates of the unabridged and abridged translations were incorrect. I have the unabridged edition (Signet paperback). It says Copyright 1957. This page[1] shows the copyright date. New Macmillan published the unabridged Starkie translation in London in 1957, not 1954. The Signet Classic edition, both abridged and unabridged, is the one published in 1964. AlbertSM (talk) 22:27, 10 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Starkie's Raggle Taggle is an excellently fast-paced and evocative travelogue, precious for its in-text citations of Hungarian and Transylvanian Rromani or Rromani-influenced melodies, some of which may now be otherwise lost. However, nothing could be more remarkable about the book than its antisemitism - he is always 'sounding off' against Jews, and he surpasses himself when he encounters a man who is fluently multilingual - at least Hungarian, German, French, English, Romanian and a Rromani dialect! - as well an enthusiastic amateur of the Gypsy music and the Mulatni rasam that Starkie loves most and is the whole point of the book; yet, because he's a Jew, somehow there's a fraudulent and corrupt flavour to all these qualities in him.
Not until I read this Wikipedia article did I learn that Starkie had attended Shrewsbury School. I'd always attributed the antisemitism of English graduates of that institution (known as 'Old Salopians'; contemporary but circa 10-20 years older than I happen to be), such as the late Paul Foot or Richard Ingrams or Michael Palin, to the influence of the famous housemaster in their time, Michael Hoban, who went on to be Headmaster of Harrow School and was cited in court for antisemitism in that role. However, maybe the case of Starkie shows that Shrewsbury may have an antisemitic tradition going far back to the early twentieth century, one that really does win over its students to this stance on the world and its politics. — Preceding unsigned comment added by UnknownSage (talk • contribs) 14:07, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
