Gift Guide 04


1. Karl BAEDEKER. Great Britain. London and its Environs. Leipzig, 1930. £120
This guide provides a fascinating look at pre-war London.
2. JOHN BETJEMAN. Selected Poems. Chosen and with a preface by John Sparrow. London,1948. £1,375
I particularly like the association with Brian Aldiss. one of the best science fiction authors.
3. H. Rider HAGGARD. She. London, 1887. £550
This is one of my favourite adventure stories and I believe it has been copied many times since.
4. Major Erik SEIDENFADEN. Guide to Bangkok with Notes on Siam. The Royal State Railways, Siam 1928. £300
Thailand is one of my favourite places in the world and this guide provides a good look at 1930’s Bangkok. I also like the connection to the cruise ship – the first one to have an outside swimming pool.
5. Harry St. John B. PHILBY. The Empty Quarter. London, 1933. £2,250
This journey through the desert in the 1930’s is remarkable and I think this is one of the best accounts of desert travels.
6. Evelyn WAUGH. Black Mischief. London, 1932. £2500
This is one of the best satirical novels ever published and I think it establishes Waugh as a genius. It is incredibly amusing and a book which is hard to put down.