What would you find if you went back & reread all of your favourite books from childhood? Francis Spufford discovers both delight & sadness in this memoir. Re-reading & re-living these books & investigating their literary origins & rich histories Francis Spufford reveals what it was like to be an obsessive reader as a child. As the book unfolds so too he gradually uncovers his own childhood & his unique reason for taking refuge in stories from a world full of unbearable knowledge.