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The Guide's aim (so wonderfully achieved) is to amuse and inform. (Toby Barnard, TLS )
Beautiful, browsable book. (Boyd Tonkin, The Independent )
Pretty much perfect (Classic FM )
Beautiful, browsable book. (Boyd Tonkin, The Independent )
Pretty much perfect (Classic FM )
Product Description
First published in 1977, this classic reference work is a gazetteer of almost 2,000 places - villages, towns, cities, and landscapes - in Britain and Ireland detailing their connections with the lives of famous writers. It invites the reader to explore the places where their favourite writers - from Jane Austen to Philip Pullman - were born, lived, were educated, worked, and drew inspiration. The entries elegantly interweave information with anecdote and quotation, to build a vivid picture of the day-to-day lives of the writers. The Guide is the ideal resource and companion for any literay pilgrimage in Britain or Ireland, and for the armchair literary traveller. New to this edition are special feature entries on writers particularly associated with places, including the Brontes, Walter Scott, and James Joyce, contributed by high-profile authors including Margaret Drabble and John Sutherland. The Guide also provides an index of author names, with mini biographies, enabling the reader to track down all the places associated with their favourite writers. It is stunningly illustrated throughout, with colour plates, contemporary black-and white photographs, and beautifully illustrated maps of major literary cities such as Bath, Edinburgh, Dublin, and London, and boasts a fresh new design.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The new edition of The Oxford Guide to Literary Britain & Ireland is an indispensable travel companion, both for explorers and armchair travellers alike. Nearly 2,000 places - villages, towns, cities, and landscapes - are referred to, inviting readers to explore connections with their favourite writers, from where they were born and lived, to where they worked and found inspiration for their writing. In this new edition you can find living authors, as well as all the classics, so from Chaucer, to Jane Austen, to Philip Pullman, you can take a literary journey through history to the present day.
The book is neatly organised by region, and then indexed by writers and place names so it's quite easy to find what you're looking for. Glancing through the index an entry for Yarnton in Oxfordshire caught my eye, so I looked it up to find that one of A. E. Coppard's poems, `The Sapling' was written to commemorate his gift of an acacia to Agnes Evans of Yarnton, for her new house. You'll find lots of information about the literary greats but it's very refreshing to see mention of much smaller places and lesser-known connections too. For example in the Midlands, find out that Charles Dickens gave readings in Leamington Spa in 1855 and 1862, poet Philip Larkin was born in Radford, Coventry, and Spenser is believed to have written part of his famous The Faerie Queene in a room in Canons Ashby House, Northamptonshire. John Buchan, best known for The Thirty-Nine Steps, lived for some years at the Manor House in Elsfield, Oxfordshire and his grave can be found in the village churchyard. There are so many snippets to choose from, wherever you live or travel to.
The whole book is a pure joy to dip into, browse, and explore from region to region and I can recommend it.
The book is neatly organised by region, and then indexed by writers and place names so it's quite easy to find what you're looking for. Glancing through the index an entry for Yarnton in Oxfordshire caught my eye, so I looked it up to find that one of A. E. Coppard's poems, `The Sapling' was written to commemorate his gift of an acacia to Agnes Evans of Yarnton, for her new house. You'll find lots of information about the literary greats but it's very refreshing to see mention of much smaller places and lesser-known connections too. For example in the Midlands, find out that Charles Dickens gave readings in Leamington Spa in 1855 and 1862, poet Philip Larkin was born in Radford, Coventry, and Spenser is believed to have written part of his famous The Faerie Queene in a room in Canons Ashby House, Northamptonshire. John Buchan, best known for The Thirty-Nine Steps, lived for some years at the Manor House in Elsfield, Oxfordshire and his grave can be found in the village churchyard. There are so many snippets to choose from, wherever you live or travel to.
The whole book is a pure joy to dip into, browse, and explore from region to region and I can recommend it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found this guide a powerful introduction to Britain and Ireland from a literary perspective. Of course, I found myself looking up places that I thought that I was familiar with, only to find that my knowledge was only superficial, at best. This guide is extremely well written, and the layout of the book itself is most attractive. The research is immaculate, and I would be interested even in buying future editions!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Informative and indispensable for literature lovers and travelers
19 July 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
How often have you wondered about the literary association of places? Well, being an ardent lover of literature, I have often wondered about the places that inspired famous authors to write, or served as their abode as they created works of literary classics. In "The Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland", both armchair travelers and those who are keen to explore these places will find something to enthrall and inform.
The book contains references to about 2,000 places and this updated edition covers not only famous authors/poets long deceased but also contemporary writers. The format is quite user-friendly and well-organized by region. There is also an index of authors and place names which makes it easy and convenient for cross-referencing. There are lots of full color photographs, B&W photographs, and also illustrations to complement the text, making this both a literary and visual treat for lovers of literature.
I loved that the book not only focuses on well-known places like Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, Anthony Trollope's home, etc. but also on more obscure places that feature in much older works. Some of these places are but mere ruins, and some buildings are long gone, with only a field where a physical structure used to be. Anyone who loves literature will love browsing through and reading this gem of a book!
The book contains references to about 2,000 places and this updated edition covers not only famous authors/poets long deceased but also contemporary writers. The format is quite user-friendly and well-organized by region. There is also an index of authors and place names which makes it easy and convenient for cross-referencing. There are lots of full color photographs, B&W photographs, and also illustrations to complement the text, making this both a literary and visual treat for lovers of literature.
I loved that the book not only focuses on well-known places like Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, Anthony Trollope's home, etc. but also on more obscure places that feature in much older works. Some of these places are but mere ruins, and some buildings are long gone, with only a field where a physical structure used to be. Anyone who loves literature will love browsing through and reading this gem of a book!
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