Mr Olim
1961 novel by Ernest Raymond
Mr Olim is a novel by Ernest Raymond, published in 1961 to critical acclaim by Cassell. It is often used by teacher training colleges to encourage students to analyse successful teaching.
In his retirement, Davey La Tour looks back to his schooldays – specifically, to his first year at St Erkenwald's, a public school in west London (based on Raymond's own school, St Paul's). There he meets the fearsome Dr Hodder, High Master, and his form master, the equally volatile Mr Olim. During that year he develops a deep respect for the acerbic but inspirational classicist. Years later he organises a celebratory dinner for the now retired pedagogue.
The book was serialised on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime in October 1990, and turned into a Talking Book for the Blind.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Mr Olim” is 1961 novel by Ernest Raymond. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Olim, novel and Ernest, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1961 novel by Ernest Raymond” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6929441. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1961 and 1990.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mr Olim”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mr Olim primary sources, Mr Olim archive and Olim research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mr Olim”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mr Olim” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.