CBC RADIO 2 host Bill Richardson briefed the audience on his "bathroom book," Old Father William at the Orangeville Opera House Tuesday night. Pictured with Mr. Richardson (far right) after the show were Booklore's Nancy Frater, and T.O.'s Cathy Reid and David Nairn. What makes a good "bathroom book"? When a person is commissioned to write such a book, what are his/her thoughts about suitable subject matter?

Well, one would hope for humour, even whimsy, and perhaps, bits and pieces designed for satisfying reading within (usually) short time slots. On the other hand, sometimes, inspirational or informative or thoughtful content must surely be included, all artfully written. To have a theme or not to have a theme.

Sounds like quite a challenge, doesn't it?

So, if a publisher decides that this book is now necessary an addition to everyone's bathroom library, whomever would they call to fill the need? Bill Richardson.

The well-known CBC personality, who ruled his couple of hours per week with Richardson's Roundup for seven years and now occupies Saturday and Sunday afternoons on Radio 2 with presentations of opera (Saturdays) and classical music (Sundays), adding historical and anecdotal commentary to the main musical events.

His Roundup was actually quite a good training ground for this literary effort, for those hours were replete with comical, quizzical, quirky, curious and thoughtful individuals and items of information. A bent of mind that leads the nation in and out of intriguing tales might be just the right intellect to pen the perfect bathroom book.

Sure enough, after a year's hard work and research, Mr. Richardson has produced the ideal volume, simply titled: "Old Father William's Well-Ordered Universe: A Generally Reliable Compendium of Facts, Figures and Formulae, Specifically Intended for the Bathroom-Bound (and Those Who Love Them.)"

It is a book that can be judged by its cover, which is beautiful. Mr. Richardson has a fondness for elderly publications; in the course of his research, he sought out the quirky stories and facts in 18th and 19th centuries tomes.

The cover of "Old Father William" has the appearance of antiquity; the colours give a wellworn look to a new publication; the title font is oldfashion and the pages are ribbed. It is nice to look at, different to hold. Right away, the prospective reader is captivated.

On Tuesday, Mr. Richardson came to Theatre Orangeville, as part of his "Small Town Tour" to promote the new book. It was with considerable pleasure that we all noted that the theatre was packed, on an evening when I had feared that people would stay home to watch the U.S. election. Such is the level of well-read folk in this county town and Bill Richardson's appeal that they eschewed the televised frenzy in favour of spending an hour with Bill.

Also, as a side note, this evening's take went to support the Building Dreams project, raising $3,000.

In a conversation with Mr. Richardson just before he went on stage, he told me that he likes lists and that this begins basically as a collection of lists. However, it is not merely a collection of lists, because Mr. Richardson is also fond of segues, one idea leading smoothly to another which might have seemed unrelated to the one before. He has connected impossibly distant people by virtue of the strange similarities of their respective lives. Mr. Richardson is fond of circles.

For instance: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was born on a kitchen table; and so was John Holmes, presumably a less luxurious one. Holmes was a pornographic movie star, gifted, as OFW tells us, with a tremendous member, measuring 14 inches at its most vigorous.

Space prohibits indulgence. I would love to spend 1,000 words drawing you a picture of the joys and happy moments in this truly eccentric journey through oddities and tidbits you really did want to know if only you had known they were there for the learning.

How many times have been persons injured - or worst - by their wigs? How much damage has been incurred by sausages, whether ingested nor not? Have many famous lives were changed by virtue of falling out of a tree? What about the lives of the servants and supporters of famous people? By the way, speaking of the last, for your information, an amanuensis is a person who helps a writer write (you know, by typing his work or bringing tea, that sort of thing.)

Not only is this book fun, it is immaculately written, the erudition of Mr. Richardson's pre- CBC life in the early 1980's as a librarian, having obtained his Master in Library & Information Science (MLIS), coming strongly into evidence. He went to libraries for his research, seeking out old volumes, making notes, which he collected until he had enough of them to start forming patterns.

Naturally, some of his research was done on line, googlarama (my embellishment). Inevitably. And he now uses the website www.oldfatherwilliam.co m for updates, as new information and things missed come to light.

With the gift-giving season coming, this is the perfect present for anyone for those contemplative moments in the bog or even on the table by the fireside, to poke through during those quiet unclaimed moments.

It is available at BookLore, on First Street.