Source of saucy Soho
QUESTION Why are so many districts around the world called Soho?
The London neighbourhood of Soho has many different faces, from its seedy, nefarious history to its reinvention as a foodie hub. Its iconic status and memorable name have seen it copied around the world.
It is thought the word is derived from an old hunting cry. In the 16th century, this area was a hunting ground and ‘Soho!’ was used to encourage or call off the hounds when fetching hares.
An alternative theory is that because it was a notorious area for thieves and footpads, the cry was borrowed as a way of sounding out strangers in the dark.
Steve Coogan, playing Soho strip club owner Paul Raymond in the 2013 film The Look Of Love, goes along with the hunting theory by yelling ‘Soho!’ out of the back of his Rolls-Royce.
The name has been borrowed by cities around the world, often because of its geographic relevance.
Soho in New York is the area South of houston Street; South hobart in Tasmania is Soho village; and Soho, Tampa, Florida, is short for South howard Avenue.
Soho in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a modern district named for its bohemian feel, akin to London’s Soho.
Jon Holland, Bovingdon, Herts.
QUESTION What was the world’s first mail order catalogue?
MAIL order catalogues, with a limited distribution, have been known since the 17th century.
In 1667, gardener William Lucas published a catalogue of seed prices. It consisted of hand drawings with plant names and was delivered by post, which had to be paid for by the recipient. In 1744, U. S. inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin published A Catalogue Of Choice And Valuable Books, Consisting Of Near 600 Volumes, In Most Faculties And Sciences.
It offered: ‘Those persons that live remote, by sending their orders and money to said B. Franklin, may depend on the same justice as if present.’
In 1845, the jeweller Tiffany’s launched its Blue Book to a select clientele.
Welsh entrepreneur Pryce Pryce- Jones is credited with setting up the first modern mail order company in 1861.
he was apprenticed to a local draper and took over the business in 1859. Two years later, catalogues selling drapery, furniture and homewares were distributed across the country.
Pryce-Jones was aided by the introduction of the 1837 Post Office reforms — which called for low and uniform rates according to weight, rather than distance — and the expansion of the railways.
One of his most popular products was the patented euklisia rug, an early form of sleeping bag, with 60,000 sold to the Russian army.
Clients included Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria and europe’s royal households. he exported to the U.S. and British colonies. By 1880, he had 100,000 customers. he was knighted in 1887. n IS THERE a question to which you want to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question here? Write to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT; or email charles.legge@dailymail.co.uk. A selection is published, but we’re unable to enter into individual correspondence.