Nobbut a Lad

‘Give me the boy and I will show you the man’ the saying goes. In this warm, tender, wonderfully evocative and often hilarious memoir one of the best-loved men in Britain, Alan Titchmarsh, brilliantly recalls his childhood in 1950s Yorkshire. Growing up in the beautiful landscape that surrounds Ilkley in Wharfedale inspired Alan’s early passion for nature. In a time of post-war austerity, hard work and ‘making do’ was not just the lot of the grown-ups; for the young Alan it was also the simplest pleasures that were the best – whether it was climbing trees, fishing in streams, or riding wooden carts fitted with old pram wheels. With the sharpest eye for detail and vivid recall, he brings to life the various family members, school friends – and foes – teachers and local characters who became the powerful early influences of Alan’s life. A joy from beginning to end, this is a classic childhood memoir.