Product Description

In this warm, wonderfully evocative and often hilarious memoir one of the best-loved men in Britain, Alan Titchmarsh, brilliantly recalls his childhood in 1950s Yorkshire. 

Alan Titchmarsh grew up, and developed his passion for nature in the wild and beautiful landscape of Yorkshire. A real treat for his millions of fans, the ever-popular presenter vividly depicts a childhood of simple pleasures like climbing trees and fishing in streams, in a time of post-war austerity. It was not a deprived childhood, yet neither was the garden eternally rosy and Alan’s colourful portrait of a bygone era brings poignant moments and others that leave you aching with laughter.

Alan’s sharp eye for detail brings to life various family members and their memorable quirks, as well as local characters, childhood haunts and significant events that have shaped his life. 

Filled with Alan's inimitable down-to-earth humour and heart-warming tales, this memoir is guaranteed to be every bit as well-loved as Trowel and Error, which has now sold over 400,000 copies, and become a classic of childhood memoir. (20061104)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28091 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review

'A gentle exercise in nostalgia.'

About the Author
Alan Titchmarsh is known to millions through the popular BBC TV programmes British Isles: A Natural History, How to be a Gardener, Ground Force and Gardeners' World. He has written more than forty gardening books, as well as six best-selling novels and his first volume of memoirs Trowel and Error - notes from a life on earth. He was made MBE in the millennium New Year Honours list and holds the Victoria Medal of Honour, the Royal Horticultural Society's highest award. He lives with his wife and a menagerie of animals in Hampshire where he gardens organically.

Customer Reviews

Candid, funny and a tad nostalgic
I'd only ever read a couple of Titchmarsh books about gardening and perhaps had him a little bit stereotyped, so I was wary of reading his autobiography. I am so glad I did. The book is a delightfully nostalgic collection of themed recollections starting from when he was just over one year old (he admits some memories may in actual fact be unconsciously constructed from later experiences). He describes life as a child in Ilkley in the 1940s and 50s, evoking many similar memories of my own of that time (though mine originate further north). Particularly poignant is his tale of a 5-hour journey in a steam train to London looking expectantly out of the window in the hope of seeing the famous 'Mallard', the fastest engine of the time (like many boys he was mad about trains). On arrival at London, disappointed not to have seen it he is walking down the platform with his parents only to find his train was actually being pulled by the Mallard. Titchmarsh is very popular for being honest and clean-living. Here we see the roots of the man and gain an insight to the influences that shaped him, including his Mum's 'standards'. His tales of relatives and neighbours are evocative and funny (didn't we all have some like them??), as is his description of Ilkley and the surrounding moors and villages. A great read for those of a certain age whether from Yorkshire or anywhere else.

If only there were more...
Alan Titchmarsh is one of those few people that touch others without even knowing it.
This book is extremely well written and being able to listen to Alan reading it, is a true bonus!
His gentle, Yorkshire dialect is soothing and takes me home whenever I listen to him.
The book is both humorous and in parts sad. The relationship between his parents is rare these days, but certainly wasn't back then.
Alan clearly had a wonderful childhood which shaped the boy that became the man.
He is as good a writer as he is gardener and we are lucky to have him.

Nobbut a Lad : A Yorkshire Childhood
Fantastic read - reminded me so much of my childhood. Didn't want to put it down!