This is a small-scale, beautifully-designed volume offers a wonderful range of vignettes - short pieces, essays, considerations and memoirs - drawn from her remarkable life.

Antonia Fraser is, of course, an extraordinary historian as well a remarkable stylist. Her powers of description match her dedication to rigorous truth-telling and her wonderful ability to tell stories - it feels as if you’re listening to her chat at a relaxed dinner party. She’s the kind of relative everyone would like to have, and her voice, which comes through so strongly, is at once friendly and tough.

For £10, the book would make a wonderful stocking-stuffer for readers of all stripes.