Letters From London

With the same brilliant style and idiosyncratic intelligence that have marked all his novels—and with a bold grasp of intricate political realities—Julian Barnes's ironic glance turns home. Letters from London takes in everything from Lloyd's of London's demise to Maggie's majesty to Salman Rushie's death sentence. Formidably articulate and outrageously funny, Letters from London is international voyeurism at its best—a peek into the British mindset from the vantage point of one of the most erudite and witty British minds.

A sparkling collection of essays that illustrates the infinite variety of contemporary life in London—from the bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending, "an exceptionally accomplished [and] ingenious stylist" (The New York Review of Books). "A splended collection of journalism ... uniformly fine, closely observed and informative." —The Wall Street Journal With brilliant wit, idiosyncratic intelligence, and a bold grasp of intricate political realities, the celebrated author of Flaubert's Parrot turns his satiric glance homeward to England.

A sparkling collection of essays that illustrates the infinite variety of contemporary life in London—from the bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending, "an exceptionally accomplished [and] ingenious stylist" (The New York Review of Books). "A splended collection of journalism ... uniformly fine, closely observed and informative." —The Wall Street Journal With brilliant wit, idiosyncratic intelligence, and a bold grasp of intricate political realities, the celebrated author of Flaubert's Parrot turns his satiric glance homeward to England.

Reveals CLR James' first encounter with the colonial metropolis and the values that had already shaped his intellectual development in Trinidad. A resurrected 'classic', this book provides a hitherto inaccessible picture of the young man during his formative period.

The Leopard, published posthumously in 1958, was one of the most important works of fiction to appear in the Italian language in the twentieth century. Between 1925 and 1930, its author, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, wrote a number of letters to his cousins Casimiro and Lucio Piccolo in which he describes his travels around Europe (London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin). The letters, here published in English for the first time, display much of Lampedusa's distinctive style present in his later work: not only the razor-sharp introspection, but also a wicked sense of humour, playful in its description of the comédie humaine.

In the early nineteenth century, when the Hudson’s Bay Company sent men to its furthest posts along the coast of North America’s Pacific Northwest, the letters of those who cared for those men followed them in the Company’s supply ships. Sometimes, these letters missed their objects – the men had returned to Britain, or deserted their ships, or died. The Company returned the correspondence to its London office and over the years amassed a file of “undelivered letters.” Many of these remained sealed for 150 years and until they were opened by archivist Judith Hudson Beattie, when the Company archives were moved to Canada. These letters tell the fascinating stories of ordinary people whose lives are rarely recounted in traditional histories. Beattie and Helen M. Buss skilfully introduce us to both the lives of the letter writers and their would-be recipients. Their commentaries frame, for contemporary readers, the words of early nineteenth century working and middle class British folk as well as letters to “voyageurs” from Quebec. The stories of their lives – fathers struggling to support a family, widowed mothers yearning to see their sons, bereft sweethearts left behind, and wives raising their children alone – reach out over two centuries to offer rare insight into the varied worlds of men and women in the early nineteenth century, many of whom became settlers in Washington, Oregon, and the new British colony of Vancouver Island.

"Embark on an intriguing journey from London to Land's End with the keen observations and vivid storytelling of Daniel Defoe in 'From London to Land’s End.' Penned in the 18th century, this travel narrative captures Defoe's exploration of the southernmost point of England. As Defoe traverses the diverse landscapes, interacts with local communities, and shares anecdotes from his journey, 'From London to Land’s End' is more than a travelogue—it's a literary expedition that unveils the cultural and geographical richness of England. Join Daniel Defoe on this literary journey where each page brings forth a new facet of his observations and insights, making 'From London to Land’s End' an essential read for those captivated by historical travel narratives and the charm of English landscapes."