My kind of magic - Janie Hampton

Joyce Grenfell: My Kind of Magic is a charming collection of her favourite articles, poetry, drawings and writings of every kind, from treasured recipes to the places she was happiest in.



The best things in her view are often unexpected - blackbirds in January, the musty smell of old books or dusk in an East Anglian cornfield. For Joyce Grenfell these small flashes of joy and inspiration were scattered amongst the everyday. Her idea of comfort was "no draughts, no overhead lighting, hot water all the year round and no noises about it being 'the summer'". During her lifetime she amassed an eclectic collection that she planned one day to put together into a scrapbook; but she was so busy she never got around to doing it.



Now, finally, these pieces have been set down for the enjoyment of all. Her biographer, Janie Hampton, has woven together the little bits of magic from Joyce's life into a beautiful and endearing memento.