Author Archives: vhk10

Sheila Mann, Hints of a Perfect Splendour

Disclaimer 1: I married into the family of the book’s subject, Aelfrida Tillyard (1883-1959). My parents-in-law get a fleeting mention towards the end. As I have this personal connexion, the following observations will focus on those aspects of Aelfrida’s life … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

Whipplesnaith, The Night Climbers of Cambridge
Barbara Vine, Grasshopper

Don’t try this at home. Or rather, don’t try it in Cambridge. The Night Climbers of Cambridge circulated in samizdat form for a while, and a copy in the University Library could be consulted by special permission, but has now … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

the Gun Street bookshop

I was near Gun Street in Reading today and recalled with fondness the bookshop which used to be there many years ago. It has imprinted on me as the bookshop all others ought to resemble. I can still recall the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hubert Pragnell, Architectural Britain

This chronological study of British architecture from Saxon times on is produced by the National Trust and its dimensions (it’s about 15 cm square) mean it can be slipped into a handbag or large coat pocket when visiting a notable … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

Rob Temple, Very British Problems

This is the book of the Twitter hashtag – a selection of examples of behaviour which is perceived as characteristically British, with some more related discussion about matters such as British weather. I recognised a lot of it – especially … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

Helena Attlee, The Land where Lemons Grow

This is a book about the author’s travels in Italy in search of citrus fruit and its growers. The text is a mixture of botany, history and travel writing, with a sprinkling of recipes both historical and present-day (the former … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

Andrzej Stachurski, This is Poland

This large-format book was a present from a Polish student and is essentially a coffee-table guide to the country. The chapters are entitled: Geography; Cities; Churches; Palaces, Castles and Manor Houses; and Nature. It was probably wise not to include … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

A A Pallis, Greek Miscellany

This book was self-published in 1964, and I was given a copy some twenty years later by (I think) the author’s son, when I was on a school trip to Greece. It is a collection of essays on mediæval and … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

The History of English Poetry, Peter Whitfield (Naxos audiobook)

I bought this thinking this would be an anthology of verse read aloud, with at most brief introductions to each selection, but it’s an audiobook, dating from 2009, with extracts of poetry read to illustrate. What is it an audiobook … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment

Philip S. Harrington, Eclipse! The What, Where, When, Why & How Guide to Watching Solar & Lunar Eclipses

If you come across this book soon after I write this, it’s still useful for another couple of years as it covers all solar and lunar eclipses from 1998 to 2017. Each solar eclipse has a map of its path … Continue reading

Posted in Book review | Leave a comment