Betjeman's England


Book Description

For more than half a century Betjeman's writings have awakened readers to the intimacy of English places - from the smell of gaslight in suburban churches, to the hissing of backwash on a shingle beach. Betjeman is England's greatest topologist: whether he's talking about a townhall or a teashop, he gets to the nub of what makes unexpected places unique. This new collection of his writings, arranged geographically, offers an essential gazetteer to the physical landmarks of Betjeman Country. A new addition to the popular series of Betjeman anthologies, following on from Trains and Buttered Toast and Tennis Whites and Teacakes, this is a treasure trove for any Betjeman fan and for anyone with a love for the rare, curious and unique details of English life.




Coming Home


Book Description

This text gathers together a selection of John Betjeman's writings spanning four decades, discussing buildings, townscape and landscape, together with appreciations of writers, artists and architects, ranging from Evelyn Waugh, Pugin and T.S. Eliot, to R.S. Thomas, Etchells and Jacob Epstein.




Trains and Buttered Toast


Book Description

Eccentric, sentimental and homespun, John Betjeman's passions were mostly self-taught. He saw his country being devastated by war and progress and he waged a private war to save it. His only weapons were words--the poetry for which he is best known and, even more influential, the radio talks that first made him a phenomenon. From fervent pleas for provincial preservation to humoresques on eccentric vicars and his own personal demons, Betjeman's talks combined wit, nostalgia and criticism in a way that touched the soul of his listeners from the 1930s to the 1950s. Now, collected in book form for the first time, his broadcasts represent one of the most compelling archives of 20th-century broadcasting.







John Betjeman


Book Description

This bibliography describes all John Betjeman's known writings, including his own books, contributions to periodicals and to books by others, lectures, and radio and television programs. Other categories include editorships and interviews, as well as a section devoted to writings about him. Manuscripts and drafts of his works are described in detail.




Summoned by Bells


Book Description

Tells the story of a boy's growth to early manhood, seaside holidays, meddling arts, school bullies and an unexpected moment of religious awakening.







Betjeman’s Best British Churches


Book Description

A beautiful and practical up-to-date guide to over two thousand of Britain’s best parish churches.




Betjeman and the Anglican Imagination


Book Description

The book centres on the most significant influence in the development of Betjeman's poetic imagination and that element of his life that he took most seriously: the Church of England. Elegantly and perceptively written, John Betjeman and the Anglican Imagination leads readers through the rollicking and humorous world of Betjeman's writings to gain a clear, grand picture of the turbulent faith behind one of Britain's most popular recent poets.




Illustrated Poems of John Betjeman


Book Description

This volume presents a selection of Betjeman's poems. They deal with love of many sorts, with people of all kinds observed with comedy and pathos, with the places he made his own and with the church whose foibles he pinpointed so exactly.