It was lovely writing about my childhood in Swansea. When I turned 18, I felt so young – I’d never lived away from home before. My world was so safe and secure and wonderful. But I’d been reading Kenn

Bob Cooper of Macclesfield, Cheshire remembers: From an early age, I have always loved reading and writing. My best subject at school was English to the detriment of maths, and I managed to become top

Best books… Richard Holmes The biographer chooses five ...

LIKE millions of youngsters, Simon Tolkien adored immersing himself in the hugely successful books “The Hobbit” and “The Lord Of The Rings”. The otherworldly wonders were a delight for a nine-year-old

TLS contributors choose their favourites

When I was 16 I knew I wanted to try and get into art college. So art was a fairly big preoccupation. I think I was also very interested in playing football on the street. I was maybe starting to get