So anyone who has been with me since the beginning of this blog (it hasnt been that long ago) probably recognize the title of the book listed above. The Curious Englishman is a book about the mailings of W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939). As a young man Bray bought a copy of the Post Office Guide and apparently read it cover to cover. He proceeded to test the limits of the Postal Service by mailing odd objects (Bike pump, a turnip, and a rabbits skull) all of which made it to their destinations. He also sent mail with interesting addresses.
The above card was addressed to the "Resident nearest this rock". The interesting thing is that it made it to it's destination and made it back to Bray as well. (Back then if you sent the mail back to sender before the next day was over it would be delivered without an extra charge.)
The book is filled with all kinds of premium photos or scans of the various mail experiments that Bray sent. There were a few things that I would love to try here in the states..though most of what he did I am sure would not pass our Postal Code. Haha.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The history is pretty fascinating and seeing his experiments is really awesome too. You can find out more about his experiments by looking at the website created by the author..and if you would like to order this book..you can find it on amazon.
