What excellent company you are!

I have been devoted to your podcast for over a year; it could be improved only by being more frequent. Every book I have ordered from you has been a delight; nothing disappoints. I receive your emails with pleasure, and that’s saying a lot. Slightly Foxed is a source of content . . . ’
K. Nichols, Washington, USA

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‘I have just listened to your first podcast . . .’

‘I have just listened to your first podcast and was delighted to hear that you re-read old favourites. The piece on Anne Fadiman sent me straight to Ex Libris which I re-read (not for the first time!) and I'm happy to say I knew exactly where to find it! Looking forward to December's podcast.’

‘Congratulations on the podcast . . .’

‘Congratulations on the podcast. I’ve just listened to the first episode on the way home from work & I’ve already ordered two of the books mentioned (Thousand Acres & Lees-Milne Diaries). I love Riddle of the Sands (the audio book read by Anton Lesser is terrific) & I have Ex Libris on the shelves so it's time for a reread.’

‘Apart from being inspiring it is also . . .’

‘I have just listened to your first podcast. It is truly inspiring and makes the listener feel that he/she is sitting round the kitchen table with you. Apart from being inspiring it is also so friendly that one feels that one is being welcomed into the Slightly Foxed family (including the three dogs who performed well in the recording). It also makes it clear that reading can be a real pleasure with the right guidance. If the selling of JM brought about the founding of Slightly Foxed then I made an excellent decision!’

‘I loved your podcast . . .’

‘I loved your podcast! I am not a listener, much more a reader, but how could I resist. Wonderful listening . . . I look forward to more. Very best wishes & congratulations.’

‘It was delightful to listen to the lively voices . . .’

‘Thank you. It was delightful to listen to the lively voices (dogs included) responsible for the wonderful magazine that is Slightly Foxed. It brings me a bit closer to a sense of acquaintance with you all. I know I will enjoy future podcasts. As a reader from the North American Midwest, I was pleased to head Jane Smiley mentioned. Perhaps Gail would also enjoy exploring some of our fine, but lesser-known authors. I would recommend Jon Hassler’s Staggerford or Grand Opening. Small town rather than rural, but still distinctly midwestern. All the best from Minnesota.’

‘I have just listened to your first podcast . . .’

‘Just wanted to say that I have just listened to your first podcast and loved it! Looking forward to December’s edition. Well done!’

‘Just a few lines to say how much I enjoyed . . .’

‘Just a few lines to say how much I enjoyed the first SF podcast. It immediately reminded me of a Summer’s day about five years ago when I arrived unannounced at your door in Hoxton Square, Gail answered and kindly invited me upstairs to see where it all happens. Hazel wasn’t present that day but I was introduced to other members of staff.  I don’t expect any of you there at the time would remember this occasion but as an ex-compositor, once actively engaged in helping to produce the printed word, first by hand setting in the old hot-metal days and then into the era of electronic typesetting. So when I listened to the podcast I pictured you all there talking to me, reviving a precious memory. The Winter edition will complete my ninth year as a subscriber to your, dare I say our, beautifully produced publication and look forward to future podcasts that I am sure will be as popular as the magazine.’

‘May I thank the members of staff, and the dogs . . .’

‘May I thank the members of staff, and the dogs who support the members of staff, for publishing Slightly Foxed, and for offering a podcast. I know that putting a podcast together is complex, and consumes much time.’

‘Well done, SF. This is just lovely . . .’

‘Well done, SF. This is just lovely. Thank you. I feel like I'm sat there with you.’

‘I’ve just listened to your first podcast . . . ’

‘I’ve just listened to your first podcast and found it very enjoyable and highly informative. Congratulations on hitting upon such a well-produced and wonderful idea! I shall certainly try and find time in my busy teaching schedule to listen regularly to the monthly episodes, here in the Netherlands.’

‘Adoring your début podcast . . .’

‘Adoring your début podcast in an overheated hotel room in Tunis. Completely wonderful and ridiculously good for morale before I head to beleaguered Tripoli. Jim is a Norfolk friend. Hurrah for you all and many salaams.’

‘To use the common parlance – lush! . . .’

‘To use the common parlance - lush!  I am already devoted.’

‘I don’t often listen to podcasts . . .’

‘I don’t often listen to podcasts, as they eat into reading time. However, I had a pile of ironing so thought I would give yours a try and I loved it. I even found myself joining in the conversation occasionally! And being able to put voices to names was also a pleasure. The ironing pile is growing again so please hurry up with the next one!’

Unpacking My Grandparents’ Books

It is one of life’s ironies that when we are young, and keen to establish our own identity and place in the world, we have little interest in the experiences of older generations; by the time we come to find their stories fascinating, it is often too late. I remember my paternal grandparents as a rather severe elderly couple who, on their annual visits from Frankfurt, seemed to cast a pall of gloom over the household. After my parents’ divorce we lost contact, so I had little idea of who they really were or what they had experienced in the course of their eventful lives. Then, a few years ago, I inherited a small collection of books that had belonged to them. Along with some old photo albums and other family mementos, they revealed a rich inner life.
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