The “Countdown” lexicographer picks her favourites. She’ll be talking about her new book, “The Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together”, at Wimbledon BookFest on 25 October.
Oxford English Dictionary
Unsurprisingly, this has to be the top of my list. It may sound predictable, but the OED is anything but. It has comedy, passion, drama, and thousands of tales of the unexpected.
Le Grand Meaulnes
Henri Alain-Fournier, 1913
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This was the first book to stop me in my tracks – I was about 14 and completely receptive to a story set in the twilight world between childhood and adolescence. It is wistful, melancholy, achingly romantic and full of longing. I found it so magical that I’m almost scared of picking it up again in case the spell is broken.
In the Shadow of Man
Jane Goodall, 1971
This book changes your view on what it is to be human. Of all the creatures on the planet, the chimpanzee is the one that most closely resembles us, and Goodall has dedicated her life to understanding this beautiful animal. This is a book that continues to teach us that, as humans, we are no more entitled to our glorious planet than the chimps Goodall so lovingly protects.
Thursday’s Child
Noel Streatfeild, 1970
As a child, I cherished this book, which is about a foundling who escapes her orphanage and finds work as a legger on a canal. I loved its spirit of adventure, and for years afterwards I wanted to live on the canal. For some reason the young me was drawn to stories involving orphans: I think I liked the romance of making one’s way in the world with no one to guide you, except perhaps the occasional mouse.
Writing on the Wall
Madeleine Pelling, 2024
I’ve recently enjoyed this fascinating account of how ordinary citizens have carved and scribbled their thoughts across the surfaces of our cities for centuries. Graffiti is probably the most democratic form of writing we’ve ever had.
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