Greetings from Hoxton Square, where the first snowdrops have reared their heads, and we’re looking ahead to the many joys of spring, and not just of the seasonal variety, for the good cream pages of our 66th limited-edition hardback memoir (Joanna Rakoff’s My Salinger Year) are rolling off the printing press up at Smith Settle as we type.
Here in the office, we’re all extremely practical by nature but with a healthy smattering of sentimentality and cynicism too, leading this week to a discussion around the coffee pot of whether Saint Valentine’s Day is a commercialized ploy, a Chaucerian invention, or simply a day to celebrate loving and being loved in all its forms. A conclusion was not reached but we did agree we ought to send our readers a note in good time for 14 February with a few present ideas for the romantically-inclined, together with an article from the archives to please all.
As subscribers to Slightly Foxed will know, all 1,500+ articles from the archive are available for you to read online and in the SF app too. These are not usually available to occasional readers but, in the spirit of literary love, herewith Frances Donnelly’s article on Anita Brookner’s surprise winner of the 1984 Booker Prize, Hotel du Lac, for all subscribers and non-subscribers to read in full.
And for those of you who would like to send a gift to a loved one in time for 14 February, do scroll on down for a few suggestions, including some of our more unusual titles for an unmawkish twist.
With best wishes from the SF office staff
Jess, Isabel, Rebecca & Izzy
Thank you for introducing me to Ludwig Bemelmans; and I have now added Hilary Mantel’s book: An Experiment in Love to my TBR when purchased list.
We are poor here, so not much hope for Valentine’s Day; a big hug to my husband is all, as he is better now, and that cold of his has left. Stay well, and thank you for adding to my wish list.