The book of life : a compendium of the best autobiographical and memoir writing

'The three essentials for an autobiography are that its compiler shall have an eccentric father, a miserable childhood and a hell of a time at his public school, and I enjoyed none of these advantages.' PG Wodehouse. "The Book of Life" is an intensely captivating, diverse collection of the best-written memoir and autobiography through history. Organised into four parts this unusually enriching book begins in childhood and takes us on a thought-provoking journey through the length of a life.

Good-sized extracts from some of the world's most extraordinary personalities and writers give unparalleled insight into humanity through the ages and across continents.

From Charlie Chaplin's dandily dressed walks through Victorian London and Alan Bennet's wartime childhood in Yorkshire; through the day Muhammed Ali discovered boxing and Gandhi experimented with cigarettes to Primo Levi's capture by Fascist Militia at 21 and Katherine Hepburn's first film job at the same age; then onto Nabokov on becoming a late father, Darwin on his lifelong love - his work - and Nelson Mandela on being released from prison at 71. Through contrast and exquisite and frequently funny writing "The Book Of Life" forms an unparalled anthology within a highly popular genre.

This is a uniquely enjoyable immersion in some of the world's best, and most personal, writing.