Praise for the earlier volumes in the series A master of the diary form, he combines the profound and the inconsequential with his pithy descriptions of personalities and places . . . For their range of interests and emotions, their piquant observation and judicious shifts of self-analysis, Lees-Milnes diaries deserve their august reputation
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
These diaries, superbly abridged by Michael Bloch, have a fin de Proust atmosphere of delicate regret, sprinkled with gossipy asides
Miranda Seymour, Guardian
Lees-Milne latecomers will find no better introduction to the diarist than this anthology of his earliest journals . . . Reading these is a mix of shame and delight . . . Hes the best company, beautifully frank, funny and addictive
Evening Standard
James Lees-Milnes beautiful style and pace remind one how it should be done . . . His passion for buildings and for literary heritage runs through the diary and yet is equalled by a passion for understanding character
Observer
These diaries offer a peerless portrait of stately homes and their owners at their lowest ebb . . . James Lees-Milne is the Man who Saved Britain
Max Hastings, Daily Mail
'A very good writer'
Contemporary Review