Bygones Worth Remembering

Book excerpt: Bygones Worth Remembering is a two volume work of memoirs and recollections of George Holyoake, English man of letters known for developing the concept of secularism and for his activism in co-operative movement. Holyoake reminisces about notable people and events that occurred during his lifetime and career with the aim to keep clear of the sin of pretension. Persons worth remembering include George Eliot, George Henry Lewes, Harriet Martineau, Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, Herbert Spencer, Benjamin Disraeli, and Joseph Cowen among others. Among events worth remembering are the story of the British Legion, never before told, story of the Lambeth palace grounds, personal incidents and many others.