"Tributes are tricky things. Too fawningly sentimental, they render the subject fantastical; too rigorously factual, they read like an obituary. This celebration of Jan Morris avoids the dilemma beautifully by inviting 21 equally felicitous writers to comment on a life packed with interest and a talent too large to be confined to a mere 120 pages... Essays from Alan Whicker, Simon Winchester, Peregrine Worsthorne and others brim with admiration and insight, but what stands out on the page at every turn are examples from Morris's unsurpassable work."
Stephen Pritchard, The Observer: Paperback of the Week.
"Friends and colleagues write affectionately about a great Welsh writer who inhabits that delectable border between journalism and literature."
Iain Finlayson, The Times
Jan Morris is one of the world's leading writers. In this tribute to her on her eightieth birthday, a number of well-known people from the world of travel writing, journalism, broadcasting and publishing celebrate the writer, as well as the person, in specially written essays. Through anecdotes and personal memories, they illuminate with warm affection her work and influence, her personality and her extraordinary life. Insights are also provided through the eyes of a painter, photographer, historian, and mountaineer.
A thoughtful introduction by Paul Theroux accompanies essays by George Band, Arturo Di Stefano, David Fieldhouse, Don George, David Holden, David Hurn, Pico Iyer, Julian Loose, Robert McCrum, Geoffrey Moorhouse, Patrick Nairne, Jim Perrin, Hilary Rubinstein, Ned Thomas, Colin Thubron, Erica Wagner, Alan Whicker, Simon Winchester and Peregrine Worsthorne.