Andbesidesfishingtherewasreading.

    I’veexaggeratedifI’vegiventheimpressionthatfishingwastheONLYthingIcaredabout.Fishiainlycamefirst,butreadingwasagoodsed.Imusthavebeehertenoreleveartedreading—readingvoluntarily,Imean.Atthatageit’slikediscanewworld.I’masiderablereaderevennow,infacttherearen’tmanyweeksinwhichIdohroughacoupleofnovels.I’mwhatyoumightcallthetypicalBootsLibrarysubscriber,Ialwaysfallforthebest-sellerofthemoment(TheGoodpanions,BengalLancer,Hatter’sCastle—Ifellforeveryohem),andI’vebeenamemberoftheLeftBookClubforayearormore.Andin1918,whenIwastwenty-five,Ihadasortofdebauchofreadingthatmadeacertaindiffereomyoutlook.Butnothingiseverlikethosefirstyearswhenyousuddenlydiscoverthatyouopenapennyweeklypaperandpluraightintothieves’kitsandeseopiumdensandPolynesianislandsandtheforestsofBrazil.

    ItwasfromwhenIwaseleventowhenIwasaboutsixteenthatIgotmybiggestkickoutofreading.Atfirstitwasalwaystheboys’pennyweeklies—littlethinpaperswithvileprintandanillustrationinthreecoloursonthecover—andabitlateritwasbooks.Sherloes,DrNikola,TheIronPirate,Dracula,Raffles.AndNatGouldandRangerGullandachapwhosenameIfetwhowroteboxingstoriesalmostasrapidlyasNatGouldwroteragones.IsupposeifmyparentshadbeenalittlebettereducatedI’dhavehad‘good’booksshoveddownmythroat,DisandThackerayandsoforth,andinfacttheydiddriveusthroughQuentinDurwardatschoolandUncleEzekielsometimestriedtoioreadRuskinandCarlyle.Buttherewerepracticallynobooksinourhouse.Fatherhadneverreadabookinhislife,excepttheBibleandSmiles’s