OCULEUS: The Musings of a Liberal Victorian in Ayr
is now available to purchase from -
DUNDONALD CASTLE & VISITOR CENTRE
and DUMFRIES HOUSE, VISITOR CENTRE AND SHOP, Cumnock.
What People Are Saying about … OCULEUS
“It gives a great insight into pretty much every aspect of late Victorian Ayr and is an excellent addition to our resources.”
— Tom Barcley, retired historian, from Carnegie Library, Ayr
“I stopped my research to have a read at the book …. Mr Wallace was clearly not only a very observant man but could express his observations with style, panache and vigour.
Carolyn's careful and skilful editing really helps to illuminate Mr Wallace's scrapbook and make her book a treasure which is well worth reading, not just locally but more widely.”
— Ian McCracken, Volunteer Archivist with CILIPS
“Well researched and fascinating.”
— John Kellie, author
“I really enjoyed this book … it is full of fascinating insights into a world often alien / often identical to our own, and would make a great read for Ayrshire folk and the far flung. OCULEUS himself is the star of the show, with the most distinctive written voice I’ve heard in a long time.
Superb work.”
— Simon Lamb
"How much I enjoyed reading OCULEUS, not least your comments throughout in order to add context. Your great grandfather seemed to have a knack of knowing where the border lay between forthright comment and libel. He wrote fearlessly but it was always laced with wit.
Well done. I hope the book has the success it deserves.”
— Duncan Carmichael
“The purpose is to present the varied riches of a local newspaper… Carolyn O’Hara has carefully selected extracts from the columns... and published them in twelve, subject chapters, linked by her own sympathetic commentary which takes care to highlight aspects of the writer's unique style, embracing humour, invective and the intermittent use of phrases in Scots′ for emphasise…
Without doubt the book provides a very effective local snapshot in time…the volume can stand as a reminder of the value of the OCULUEUS column to anyone researching the social history of Ayr over the period that the column was published.”