The Buttercup Spell - Softcover

Imagine a situation where a judge hands out a lenient sentence because he is suddenly filled with love for his fellow man. Think of a world where Trades Union leaders fully support their bosses' high salaries and where policemen hug and kiss drivers stopped for speeding. The secret of this strange behaviour is nothing less than buttercup pollen. It appears to contain the formula to make people love their fellow man. However, the attraction of this modern Utopia begins to fade as the country yearns for an end to the boredom of infinite love. Eventually the government is forced to step in and matters gradually return to normal.

Henry Cecil, known to many as His Honour Judge H.C. Leon, MC, was a High Court judge as well as a famous author. He wrote during the three-week-long family holidays, which were usually spent in comfortable hotels in Britain. He would sit in a deck chair in a sunny garden, exercise book on lap and pen in hand, writing from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and again from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. each day. His writing career is attributed to his Second World War experiences. Sailing around the Cape on a “dry” troop ship on the way to Cairo, the colonel asked his adjutant (Cecil) to tell stories to keep the officers' minds off alcohol. The stories were so popular that they became a regular feature, and formed the basis of his first collection, Full Circle, published in 1948. Many of his stories were made into films or plays, notably Brothers-in-Law and Alibi for a Judge.