"[He] had gained notoriety among scholars as “fifty bob Dodd” for his first tome on John."
This is from G. L. Borchert, John 1–11 (The New American Commentary Vol 25A; Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996): 40. The reference is to Dodd's The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1958).
Borchert explains in a footnote that "When Dodd’s work was first published, scarcely any commentary at the time had cost fifty shillings, and for scholars to purchase the work was a reflection of the high regard they had for his significant work."
Having read this, I then googled "fifty bob Dodd" and it turned out that it was a googlewhack. Not for long, I'd guess, as this blogpost is now likely to come up. I wonder how long that will take?
