An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

323: History's Greatest Dogs

April 20, 2023

Description

Rin Tin Tin, born on the Western Front in 1918, became one of the biggest movie stars of the silent film era. Greyfriars Bobby gained his fame for guarding his masters' grave for 14 years, until...
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Books Referenced

Guy Mannering

Author: Walter Scott

Context:

Mentioned as the source of the name 'Dandy Dinmont' - a character from this Walter Scott novel that the dog breed is named after

The Dandy Dinment Terrier, The True Story of Scotland's Forgotten Breed

Author: Mike McBeth

Context:

Referenced when discussing Mike McBeth's research into whether Greyfriars Bobby was actually a Dandy Dinmont terrier rather than a Sky terrier

Flashman

Author: George MacDonald Fraser

Context:

Referenced as having 'a great scene' depicting the burning of the Summer Palace during the Second Opium War, with the pathos of the European negotiators' treatment described as 'absolutely superbly done'

Greyfriars Bobby

Author: Eleanor Atkinson

Context:

Described as a novel written in 1912 by American novelist and journalist Eleanor Atkinson that became the canonical story feeding into various films about the famous Edinburgh dog

RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon

Author: Richard Nixon

Context:

Nixon's memoirs are referenced twice - once noting that Nixon said the TV cameraman was crying at the end of his Checkers speech, and another noting that Nixon always called it 'the fund speech' rather than the Checkers speech

The Diary of Anne Frank

Author: Anne Frank

Context:

Mentioned in reference to Anne Frank writing in her diary that she longed to have a dog like Rin Tin Tin

Strongheart, The Story of a Wonder Dog

Author: Lawrence Trimble

Context:

Mentioned as a book written about Strongheart, a German Shepherd who was a Hollywood film star before Rin Tin Tin