My theory and practice is to say yes to life and then I'll see how I manage along the way. Part memoir, part manifesto of a fiercely independent spirit; intelligent and lyrical.
First vol of the unexpurgated diaries, with the second due in the autumn. (A selection was published in 1967 but there was a 60-year embargo on the full text.)
Born in Gravesend in 1929, he died in 2004 in California, where he lived for most of his adult life. This collection presents the private life and reflections of the poet for the first time.
The fascinating story of a language known as 'Rotwelsch', associated with vagabonds - linked to Yiddish and Romani - that the author learned from his father and uncle. His grandfather, a Naz... read more
A group biography of five women at Oxford in the early C20th who pioneered the study of remote communities in Siberia, Egypt, New Mexico and Easter Island. The women were Katherine Routledge... read more
Despite his prominence as a crucial figure in China's struggle against deforestation, Purdom (1880-1921) has been largely overlooked by history. He lived a short, quietly heroic life, campai... read more
Sands, the overloaded former editor of the Today programme, visited ten monasteries around the world hoping to understand what they have in common and how monastic life might help her in her... read more
A life of the indefatigable and intrepid Bird (1831-1904) who travelled in her mid-life to Australia, the United States, Hawaii, Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaya; later sh... read more
Kneale knows the city like few others (viz his Rome: A History in Seven Sackings, pbk £10.99). His writing is also a delight, so his account of lockdown is worth reading.