First Childhood - Hardcover

Reviews

'Autobiography of the very finest quality. Having enjoyed in the course of reading it the loudest and longest laughs I have enjoyed in the last two years I am quite incapable of making any critical observations. I found the book enchanting from cover to cover.' Compton Mackenzie, Daily Mail

'FIRST CHILDHOOD and A DISTANT PROPSECT are quietly remarkable volumes of autobiography. Both books are alive with unforgotten terrors and unforgiven indignities.' Alan Hollinghurst, TLS

'Not only witty and amusing, but contains things to ponder over in plenty behind the mere youthful years. The portraits of his friends are complete portraits, skectched brilliantly in a few strokes.' Tatler

'What a great work! FIRST CHILDHOOD may well be his masterpiece: funny, rueful, self-deprecating and aswarm with larger-than-life grotesuqes, it is in the same league as Gwen Raverat's Period Piece or James Lees-Milne's Another Self.' Jeremy Lewis

'A minor masterpiece' Patrick Taylor-Martin, Literary Review

'Seldom can anyone have written a whole book about the first nine years of his life! It is so well done, so evocative of the joys and miseries of early childhood... He grew up to be the most distinguished of amateur painters and musicians, but probably he will be best remembered for his autobiographies. I look forward to the next.' Nigel Nicolson

'A wonderful read' Derek Jacobi