One of the grand old men of British forteana, John Michell, died on April 24. I only met him a few times; he was always kind and gracious. The last time I saw him, we discussed our common fascination with the number 5040 (Plato’s ideal population for the Republic, among other things). He was a fine writer and painter, endlessly curious (in both senses of the word), and will be missed by many. Fare thee well, John Michell.
(Posted by Doug Skinner)
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1 Phyllis Benjamin // May 2, 2009 at 9:50 pm
On a unseasonably warm May 1 John Michell was taken by a horse-drawn carriage from Sir Mark Palmer down a blue-bell and Queen Anne’s lace strewn lane to a lovely country church in Dorcet where he was laid to rest. His son Jason, Richard Adams, Christopher Gibbs and others gave testimony to his extraordinary life. Hymns were sung and we are sure he must of stopped measuring the dimensions of Paradise when he heard the words to ‘Jerusalem’ ring out. Bon voyage dear Magus.