Ideas You Might Borrow

Being now 70, I have a lot of ideas that I plan to develop before I die. And more that I do not expect to have time for, so there are out there for anyone to pick up.

Topics for an essay or book

Adam Smith and David Hume were close to two noted 18th century scientists: James Hutton and Joseph Black. Economists and historians seem never to have heard of them. Fascinating for a popular history, or even a TV documentary.

Also neglected: two fascinating characters close to them:

  • Alexander Wedderburn, Involved in the loss of British North America. George the Third when he died called him ‘the greatest rogue.
  • John Robison, who worked on an unsuccessful steam car along with James Watt. And later invented the modern Conspiracy Theory, though his was just about Freemasons and never mentioned Jews.

You can get details from my book about Adam Smith. Hard to find, but much of it is on-line here.

  • A decent life of Agnes Smedley. The existing works are mediocre. You can find the fascinating facts from two essays I did: her time in China up to the Xian Incident and then the War Against Japan.
  • The equally amazing life of Madam Sun Yat-Sen, including the overlooked evidence that she set up Edgar Snow to make Mao the popular face of Chinese Communism.
  • A novelisation of the life of the father of Mao Zedong. We know little about him apart from what Mao said in his autobiography given to Edgar Snow and available in Red Star Over China. It would need someone born in China, hopefully near where they lived.
  • Another about the wife and sister of Mao who were underground workers executed by the Kuomintang.
  • Staying In China. A Christian missionary who remained for the first few years of Mao’s rule. Republish his book, and give his wider context.
  • When China retook the Yangtze. The now obscure story of the Royal Nacy’s Amrthyst
  • Dangerous Poets (Coleridge and Shelley)
  • Jack London, Genocidal Socialist
  • Hoodlums Like Robin Hood. Do a novelisation of the oldest stories of Robin Hood and Little John, where they are really nasty characters.
  • The unloved Artorius Dux Bellorum. (The character who became King Arthur, and perhaps has no known grave because he began as work of fiction.)
  • The Tragedy of Two Sisters – Mary Tudor and Elizabeth. Showing how they were close but torn apart by politics.

You can find source material in my various essays, many just on the Labour Affairs website.

Also things I could never realise, but might be successful for someone buiness-minded

An “Are you OK” service for the old or sick living alone. Charge a small fee for someone to check they are not sick, dead or in need.

A Permanent Website Home. A fixed fee with a guarantee that a copy of your website will be preserved forever.