About this book
Tim Bobbin: A View of the Lancashire Dialect by Various brings John Collier’s crackling comic voice to life in an entertaining blend of humor, biography, fiction and memoir. Written in Collier’s idiosyncratic 18th‑century South Lancashire dialect, the central dialogue follows Tummus and Meary as Tummus recounts a string of misadventures on a trip to Rochdale—an uproarious portrait of everyday life and language that delighted contemporary readers.
This edition presents the final 1862 form of Collier’s preface (where he famously berates pirate publishers), the extended dialogue and an expanded glossary that illuminates words and pronunciations now largely vanished. The audiobook also gathers 19th‑century commentaries on Collier’s life, Elijah Riding’s 1860 “plain English” translation of the Tummus and Meary text, and three evocative poems left at Collier’s graveside in Rochdale, situating the work in its social and historical context.
Perfect for lovers of regional dialects, British social history, and comic fiction, this audiobook is especially rewarding for listeners who savor spoken performance—the dialect and glossary make it a lively, immersive experience for anyone curious about Lancashire heritage and the roots of English vernacular humor.
