The Pleasure of Reading: 43 Writers on the Discovery of Reading and the Books that Inspired Them - Softcover

Antonia Fraser is well known as a historical biographer whose books include Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, Mary, Queen of Scots, The Gunpowder Plot, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She also writes the Jemima Shore crime novels and in 2010 published an acclaimed memoir of her life with her husband Harold Pinter, Must You Go? She has been President of English PEN and Chairman of both the Society of Authors and the Crimewriters' Association. She lives in Holland Park, London.

Victoria Gray is a trustee of Give a Book, a charity founded in honor of her late husband, the playwright and diarist Simon Gray. She lives in London.

"What emerges most clearly from these accounts is that for these writers, reading was an escape from the various straitjackets of their quotidian existence. As much magic carpet as passport, it showed them the possibilities of life and art and we, their readers, are immeasurably enriched by what it unlocked, inspired and unleashed in them." ―Washington Times

"Do I need to say that the resulting anthology, now expanded from the original British edition of 1992, makes for nearly irresistible reading?" ―Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"This delightful essay collection introduces the reader to novelists, playwrights, and all kinds of authors who tell us how and why they love reading, and which books are their long-time favorites . . . [D]efinitely a keeper!" ―Hudson Valley News

"A wonderful book for those of us that are addicted to print. A compendium of mostly British authors which lead you through their lives of reading. Sue Townsend mentions that she didn't learn to read before the age of eight and that her teacher was a nasty drunk with a face like a dyspeptic badger!" ―Jack Coleman, on Good Reads

"Really enjoyed this book :) And it brought back so many memories of my early years of reading . . . reading a book in bed under the covers at night by torch light . . . ALWAYS having a book to hand and being told to 'Put that book down!' . . . getting annoyed if ever a Birthday or Christmas Day passed WITHOUT A NEW BOOK arriving!!!" ―Alayne, on Good Reads