A Reader's Guide to Writers' Britain [Paperback]

Sally Varlow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004 | Series: Readers Guide

Touring the places that were the homes or the inspirations of our greatest writers and the places where their characters walked, "A Reader's Guide" is both a travel guide and bedside companion. It seeks to bring every location to life with anecdote and incident: from the Oxford of three of the world's greatest authors of stories for the young - Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis to Wordsworth's Lakes, the London of Keats, Coleridge and Dickens, the South Wales of Dylan Thomas, Robert Louis Stevenson's Edinburgh and, not neglecting modern writers, the Newmarket of Dick Francis and the Tyneside of Catherine Cookson. These and hundreds more landscapes and towns are the subject of this illustrated guide which was complied with the cooperation of the tourist boards of England, Scotland and Wales.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Absorbing… concise… an excellent choice as a traveling companion or a reference tool.” -- LIBRARY JOURNAL

From the Publisher

Touring the places that captured the imaginations of Britain’s most enduring and popular literary figures, A Reader’s Guide to Writers’ Britain is both a splendid bedside companion and an indispensable travel guide. Every location is brought gloriously to life with anecdote and incident: Wordsworth’s Lakes, Dickens’ London, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Edinburgh, Dylan Thomas’ Wales. There are also places that inspired children’s authors, from A.A. Milne to Beatrix Potter, as well as present–day favorites, like Dick Francis and Ellis Peters. This newly updated guide features 600 contemporary and historical pictures, regional maps, and a generous section on museums and houses open to the public.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Prion Books (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853754951
• ISBN-13: 978-1853754951
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,754,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book for literature lovers, November 22, 2004

By 

Chrissy1018 (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Reader's Guide to Writers' Britain (Paperback)

I bought the British edition of this book while visiting Jane Austen's house. Lavishly illustrated throughout in full color, it's a wonderful book to peruse. Background information is given on houses and places with literary connections throughout England, as well as biographical tidbits on the authors themselves.

It isn't a practical travel guide, being difficult to navigate and lacking reference materials such as maps, addresses and contact information of many of the places. However, it is a good place to get a general idea of places to visit, or just to educate yourself before a trip (or do some armchair travelling). It is also the most comprehensive and only recent book on British literary travel I've been able to locate. The only other title that comes close is ONCE UPON A TIME IN GREAT BRITAIN by Melanie Wentz, which focuses on children's authors.

Despite not being a travel guide, it is still a beautifully presented book packed with information and illustrations.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, January 26, 2000

By 

R. Groenhof (Drachten, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Reader's Guide to Writers Britain: An Enchanting Tour of Literary Landscapes and Shrines (Paperback)

I bought Sally Varlow's book in 1997 in a bookshop in Groningen, Holland. It gives me, everytime I read it, very much pleasure. The beautiful pictures and illustrations makes it even nicer to read it. Very recommendable!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anglophiles and Bibliophiles Rejoice!, March 5, 2008

By 

Karyn E. Johnson "curledup.com book critic" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Reader's Guide to Writers Britain: An Enchanting Tour of Literary Landscapes and Shrines (Paperback)

If you're a literature geek like me, and your travels involve paying homage to great writers, then you might want to consider picking up a copy of A Reader's Guide to Writers' Britain by Sally Varlow. I came across this gem of a book by happy accident, when I spied it on a bookshelf at the school where I work. I rushed right home that day and ordered it.

This extensive book mostly concentrates on England, which Varlow divides into regions in order to organize the vast amounts of material. She has one section on Wales and one on Scotland at the back of the book. The Gazetteer in the back of the book is also a great resource, as it lists places of interest that are open to the public, and the authors who are associated with those places.

The opening chapter on the The West Country and the tales of King Arthur is enough to get you immediately sucked in. This chapter was nice for me, because it allowed me to revisit Glastonbury, otherwise known as the mythical Isle of Avalon. I also got to reminisce about Bath, which was the setting for Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey", in addition to being a haunt of Austen, Wordsworth, Dickens, Pepys, and other notable writers.

London, of course, is another chapter that interests me, because of its significance to literature. In one relatively short chapter, Varlow is able to cover several hundred years and the many writers and locations that contributed to London's literary legacy. The obvious are included here: Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Bloomsbury Group, and Sherlock Holmes, but there are many other sites that people might overlook. Did you know, for example, that the London Zoo is a literary site?

Of course, I can't begin to explain everything that is so great about this book, as it would take up too much space. But this is the most informative and comprehensive book on literary places in Britain that I have ever seen. It will serve me well in planning my future excursions to England.

Even if you are never able to travel to Britain, this book does a great job of taking you there. Not only does it cover the places where the writers lived and worked, but it also covers the locations that were brought to life in their works. Photos, maps and illustrations are liberally sprinkled throughout. This is the ultimate resource for anyone who dreams of taking a literary pilgrimage to Britain.