Footnotes : A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers

A Guardian Travel Book of the Year and Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards

Through past and present, the country and the city, Peter Fiennes takes a literary journey through the British Isles, following in the footsteps of twelve inspirational writers and bringing modern Britain into focus by peering through the lens of the past. The journey starts in Dorset, shaped by the childhood visions of Enid Blyton, and ends with Charles Dickens on the train that took him to his final resting place in Westminster Abbey.

From the wilds of Skye and Snowdon, to a big night out in Birmingham with J. B. Priestley and Beryl Bainbridge, Footnotes is a series of evocative biographies, a lyrical foray into the past, and a quest to understand Britain through the books, journals and diaries of some of our greatest writers. As Fiennes travels the country and roams across the centuries, he asks: 'Who are we? What do we want? They seemed like good questions to ask, in the company of some of our greatest writers, given these restless times.'

'As enjoyable a guide to the relationship of writers to the landscape of Britain as one could hope to read: beautifully written, moving in its reflections, and often very funny.' Tom Holland