Made from pears wrote:

NINE is divided into 4 sections and the sections into chapters and these
have names(?) that relate to Change Ringing in some fashion.

Question for those who are change ringers or know about it:

Do these names/titles, etc. have meaning in Change Ringing lore?

Yes, and I had been planning on making this topic my first post on this book, so you've beaten me to it!

I suppose they're something of a tour de force, in that the chapeters within the sections refer to the particular 'method' which is the section name, and also fit into the plot scheme. I suppose this isn't entirely uncommon, and vaguely contemporary (haven't checked the dates) books such as Agatha Christie's _One, Two, Buckle My Shoe_ or _The Labours of Hercules_ have similar chapter or section titles.

And for those who don't:

Do you find that these names/titles of section and chapter add to the
story, confuse the issue or other?

Before I learned to ring, I think they just added a bit of colour, and most of the bellringing details passed over my head. Now, the first time I have (begun to) read NINE since learning to ring, I fing the accuracy quite impressive, though not absolute. (For example, in a proper, recordable, peal, changing ringers is not allowed, so that Mr Venables should not have come and relieved the ringers. But as an important plot point is recorded during LPW's walk around the church during the peal, I guess DLS thought this lapse necessary.

For example, one random selected chapter is:

A FULL PEAL OF GRANDSHIRE TRIPLES HOLT'S TEN-PART PEAL
THE FIRST PART:  Mr. Gotobed Is Called Wrong with a Double

First, note thst it is Grandsire, not Grandshire -- I don't think DLS makes this mistake. As I am just learning to double-dodge in Grandsire Triples (which occurs when a 'bob' is called) I sympathize with Mr Gotobed for being called wrong!

simon
tower captain in the little town of St Ives in Huntingdonshire