It is always a source of great interest and pleasure for me when someone I am acquainted with, and have built up some degree of friendship with, surprises me by doing something remarkable and something that makes them stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons, as a person of substance, and it has therefore been with keen interest that I have recently devoured the kind of book that I would not normally…

By Frederick Dixon: I suppose I’m like most men in that shopping is not a favourite chore; as far as possible I try to decide exactly what I want, go in and get it and come out as quickly as possible. But, being a bookworm, I make an exception for bookshops and will browse at length before coming out, very often, with nothing. So the other day I found myself in my local Waterstones and noticed…

By Frederick Dixon: Having ten minutes to waste the other day I wandered into my local Waterstones to see if there was anything new. Indeed there was; Waterstones has an exciting new display about the forthcoming general election. A stand near the door displayed four books, identical in format but coloured blue, red, yellow or green and entitled respectively “Why Vote Conservative/Labour/Liberal Democrat/Green?” You may have noticed the glaring omission. Surrounding these four books were a number of other…

By European: Despite the universal derison of the literary establishment, which could never comprehend its inherently noble spirit, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was recently[1] voted the greatest work of fiction of the 20th Century by thousands of Waterstones’ customers. The accolade is well-deserved, for Tolkien’s masterpiece is a classic of heroic romance. Drawing inspiration from traditional European mythology and from his love for the English countryside, Tolkien created an imaginary world and invented…