Book Two in Jane Gardam's Old Filth Trilogy
The New York Times called Sir Edward Feathers one of the most memorable characters in modern literature. A lyrical novel that recalls his fully lived life, Old Filth has been acclaimed as Jane Gardam?s masterpiece, a book where life and art merge. And now that beautiful, haunting novel has been joined by a companion that also bursts with humor and wisdom: The Man in the Wooden Hat.
Old...

The barren, beautiful Cumbrian fells provide the bewitching setting for the adventures of Bell and Harry, two children who find enchanting wonder at every turn as they explore the area that Bell's grandfather calls the hollow land. There are ancient mysteries to explore and uncover, like the case of the Egg Witch, and everyone is curious about the Household Name, a wildly famous Londoner moving into the jewel of the territory, Light Trees Farm.

While Old Filth introduced readers to Sir Edward Feathers, his dreadful childhood, and his decades-long marriage, The Man in the Wooden Hat was his wife Betty's story. Last Friends is Terence Veneering's turn. His beginnings were not those of the usual establishment grandee. Filth's hated rival in court and in love is the son of a Russian acrobat marooned in the English midlands and a local girl. He escapes the war and later emerges in the Far East...

From the inimitable Jane Gardam, whose Old Filth trilogy cemented her status as one of England's greatest living novelists, comes a collection of short stories that showcase her subversive wit, gentle humor, and insight into the human condition. Gardam's versatility is on full display, while her sublime grasp of language and powers of observation remain as provocative as ever.

Originally published in Great Britain in 1978, the novel describes Margaret Marsh's coming of age one summer between the world wars. Caught in the backwash of a fervently religious father, a mother bitterly nostalgic for what might have been, the tea and sympathy of some thoroughly secular neighbors and the bawdy jokes of her nanny Lydia, Margaret's world hurtles toward a shattering moment of truth. Drama, tragedy, and a touch of farce lend themselves...

Jane Gardam's beloved Old Filth Trilogy-including her masterpiece, Old Filth, The Man in the Wooden Hat; and Last Friends-are here presented in one volume. Emotionally distant but highly successful Edward Feathers, aka Old Filth, a man who his beautiful wife Betty, and his devilishly handsome professional rival (and Betty's onetime lover) Edward Veneering are the anchors of this series, with each novel focusing on a different character. Feathers...

Jane Gardam's marvelous stories of young girls on the threshold of womanhood-God on the Rocks and Crusoe's Daughter-have delighted fans and critics alike. These modern classics are now joined by a novel that is equally fresh and genuine, comic and touching. Jessica Vye introduces herself with an enigmatic pronouncement: "I ought to tell you at the beginning that I am not quite normal, having had a violent experience at the age of nine." A revered...

The Whitbread Award-winning author of the Old Filth trilogy captures a moment in time for three young women on the cusp of adulthood. Yorkshire, 1946. The end of the war has changed the world again, and, emboldened by this new dawning, Hetty Fallows, Una Vane, and Lieselotte Klein seize the opportunities with enthusiasm. Hetty, desperate to escape the grasp of her critical mother, books a solo holiday to the Lake District under the pretext of completing...