Love And Mr Lewisham: H.G. Wells

Love and Mr Lewisham is Wells' first stab at a mainstream novel. It contains a lot of autobiography and a measure of self-contempt. It begins in exuberant light comedy and closes in grimy realism - reflecting the central character's journey from romance to responsibility.  The stand-out character is Chaffery- the fraudulent spirit medium- a self-aware and cheerfully amoral man.

Pre-decimal

At the back of the Penguin Kipps there's a note explaining the pre-decimal British currency- sixpences, florins, guineas.  My first thought was, "surely everybody knows about that"- and then I did some calculations and realised you'd have to be pushing 50 to have ever worked with the old money. It's things like this that make me realise how venerable I am.