Newcastle University

How important are books ... How important a part do books play in your life, then?

I can’t imagine a life without them. You know, I think it’s ... You know, not to be able to read and not to have books around and even not to have a little pile of books [where] you think, I must read those sometimes – sometime – and not to be able to sort of pick one up in the library and ... or in a bookshop. Yes, I suppose it’s a crucial part ... a sort of essential part of life, really, in an odd kind of way. [laughter] Yes. Yes. I can’t imagine life without them. [laughter] Will that suffice?