Earlier this year, we launched a survey asking our readers for their thoughts on the future of Ernest, and one of the clearest messages to come across is that what people really, really want is a copy of issue one to add to their collection.
And so we’ve decided to do it! We’re crowdfunding to print a special Collector’s Edition of issue one, with a subtle matte silver foil on the cover, no advertising and an extra 8-page feature celebrating seven years of publishing Ernest. Read on to find out what’s inside.
Below images by Jesse Wild
The remarkable life of Nikola Tesla
“His naivety and kindness were exploited his entire life, and he died poor and insane – having fallen in love with a pigeon – while lesser men reaped the rewards of his genius. This is often the way of things, except for the part about the pigeon.”
Writer Mark Blackmore enters the world of a super-scientist with 700 patents to his name and the power to make electricity dance.
The singular case of Dr Lobsang Rampa
“When informed that he’d just been addressed in Tibetan, Rampa fell to the ground and began to scream in agony. This continued for a good 30 seconds before he finally climbed back onto his chair and calmly explained that before leaving Tibet he had put a curse on himself to no longer understand or speak Tibetan. In fact, Lobsang Rampa only spoke English with a curiously strong West Country burr.”
David Bramwell tells the bizarre tale of West Country plumber turned mystic Dr Tuesday Lobsang Rampa.
Sea monsters of the Northern Seas
“The creature’s horse-like head would rise out of the sea and the malicious glint from its flame red eyes would be the last thing the poor mariners would see before they drowned.”
An island that dragged sailors to a watery grave and a monstrous create that collected human bones in his beard – Duncan Haskell wakens the beasts that slumber in the depths of our northern seas.
A history of backpacks
“The modern era of rucksacks really began with Ole F Bergan of Norway, who invented a new rucksack frame in 1908 using bent juniper branches, reportedly out of frustration when on a trail…”
The Bergen, the haversack and the Swiss army pack: military icons that endured heavy loads, extreme weather and the relentless bombardment of warfare.Vintage military bag restorer Kevin Ruston reveals his admiration for the humble and enduring rucksack.
The last of the Scalpay fishermen
“Throughout my childhood in Inverness, I heard much about Scalpay. To me, it was a fairytale place; an unknown land, far away on a distant planet with stories of crofts, religion and fishing.”
Photographer Johan Hallberg-Campbell tells the story of his ancestral home – a remote island in the Hebrides where traditional ways of living and working are fast becoming memories of the past.
A water trail through the Westfjords
“Icelanders have been bathing outdoors for centuries, and for good reason. Few things soothe sore muscles and chilly limbs like a hot spring...”
In Iceland’s wild west, a small team are revitalising isolated communities while preserving an outdoor bathing heritage that dates back to the Vikings.
The slow coffee movement
“Do I improve as a person by discovering just how hard it is to grind a mere 18 grams of coffee beans by hand? Do my friends really want to try the beans I roasted at home over a candle in a glass? But the results are worth the wait...”
Grinding your own beans, measuring water and tinkering with a chemistry set: the slow coffee movement requires a steadfast follower – and John Lidwell-Durnin is one of them.
