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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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A Modern Pied Piper

For generations of children, Michael Morpurgo has been a kind of Pied Piper. No one is sure exactly how many books he’s written, but there are over 150 of them, and they are said to have sold, in total, more than 35 million copies. Many have become classics – Private Peaceful, which follows a First World War soldier through the last night of his life before he is executed for cowardice; Kensuke’s Kingdom, the story of a small boy washed up on an island in the Pacific; Why the Whales Came, set in the Scilly Isles in 1914.
SF magazine subscribers only
Incorrigible and Irresistible

Incorrigible and Irresistible

On our course we were studying Rochester, as published in the Muses Library edition, and while we were certainly impressed by the rage and ingenuity of his satires, most of us had fallen slightly in love with the limpid beauty of his lyrics – especially ‘Absent from thee I languish still’ and ‘All my past life is mine no more’. It was a little mysterious that this early collection should be kept under lock and key but, as I was briskly informed, this was an unexpurgated and obscene book, definitely not suitable for impressionable undergraduates. And, actually, would I go away now and only come back with written permission from my tutor? That is, if I really needed to return.
SF magazine subscribers only
Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette

I met Davidson in 1994 when Kolymsky Heights, his last and arguably his finest, was published. He was slight and unassuming, with expressive dark eyes that widened when I showed him my early proof copy and said how much I’d enjoyed it. How did he come to be familiar with the ‘howling wastes’ of Siberia, virtually closed to outsiders for decades, so chillingly evoked in the book? It was all based on factual research, he said simply; he had never set foot there.
SF magazine subscribers only
28th November 2018

‘What a delightful 60th issue of Slightly Foxed . . . ’

‘What a delightful 60th issue of Slightly Foxed, especially the art work by Posy Simmonds. Enjoyable to see the dogs portrayed, Stanley looks to be a dog with attitude. I also enjoyed and can identify with fellow subscriber Janet Morgan's views about Facebook. I should have liked to have attended the recent celebrations at the London Library Reading Room but at least this year I was able to come to the Readers’ Day which I enjoyed. Thank you for the hard work it must have been to organise. The venue was delightful too.’
- J. Isaacson, Dorset
From readers

‘Thanks for the podcast . . .’

‘Thanks for the podcast. I have even managed to download it (actually as easy as falling off a log). With regard to Georgette Heyer, I find her regency novels full of wit and humour, which when I read them as teenager I missed. Best wishes for future podcasts.’

‘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!’

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