Writing the Thames - Hardcover

Hardyment, Christina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1851244506 ISBN 13: 9781851244508

Publisher: Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2016

Synopsis

From Arthur Conan Doyle to Charles Dickens, Colin Dexter to Kenneth Grahame, writers and artists have often taken inspiration from the Thames. Gathering poetry, artwork, and short excerpts from longer prose, Writing the Thames includes chapters on topics that dominate in literary and artistic depictions of the Thames, from historical events like Julius Caeser’s crossing in 55 BCE and Elizabeth I’s stand against the Spanish at Tilbury to the explorations of the topographers who mapped and drew the river to the many authors, including Thomas More, Francis Bacon, William Morris, and Henry James, who enjoyed riverside retreats. A chapter on boats features the frenetic rowers from Zuleika Dobson, a camping tale from Three Men in a Boat, and the story of William Hogarth’s impulsive five-day trip down the river with four inebriated friends. Some of the best-loved children’s literature has also been inspired by the Thames, including The Wind in the Willows.

Beautifully illustrated with seventy full-color illustrations, this book tells the river’s remarkable story through art, poetry, and prose, while celebrating the writers who helped form its enduring legacy.

About this title

About the Author

Christina Hardyment is a writer and journalist. She is the editor of Pleasures of the Table and Pleasures of the Garden and the author of Writing Britain.

Review

"From source to sea, [Hardyment's] tour navigates the literature inspired by the river: topographical books, natural histories, books by boatmen, guides for tourists, pastoral celebrations, and a survey of literary drownings.'"
  (Sunday Telegraph 2016-05-03)

"Hardyment has cast her net wide. Writing the Thames, [is] a zestful compilation with commentary. . . . Hardyment’s last word is a generous tribute to Peter Ackroyd’s vast survey, Thames: Sacred River. More manageable and less mystical, Writing the Thames lies far upstream of that swollen torrent of a book, in calm and sparkling waters."
  (Financial Times 2016-05-03)

"An attractive book on an attractive subject." (Country Life 2016-05-03)

About this edition

• Publisher: Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1851244506
• ISBN 13: 9781851244508
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288