Reaching past the children's stories that made the author so famous and trapped him in a reputation he didn't want, his plays and essays in 'Punch' largely forgotten, a golden early life that later soured; inscribed by the author on the title-page, 'from Ann Thwaite May, 1990'; laid in is an autograph note, signed from the author to Michael Holroyd, 'I thought you and Maggie [Margaret Drabble] might like a copy of this though heaven knows if you'll ever find time to read it.'
