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The story of how 007 creator Ian Fleming came to write Chitty-Chitty-Bang-BangChitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, our fine four-fendered friend, turns 60 on October 22nd. Mary Miers relives the adventures of the magical flying car and reveals the little-known story of its creation by Ian Fleming, as the writer turned his attention from the world of 007 to a children's tale.
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London as you've never seen it — and as you'll never see it againThe East End of London has changed rapidly in recent years, but photographer Paul Trevor chronicled it from the 1970s to the 1990s. His images have been collected in a new book, Market Day.
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'It may be vain to think that the past was a cleaner, quieter and kinder place, but it felt pretty decent when you knew your GP and your GP knew you, and milk in glass bottles was delivered every morning'Carla Carlisle is homesick for the olden days, when we didn’t know we had it so good.
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Poems about pies, the foul-mouthed parrot upstaging Margaret Atwood and starting World War III via Desert Island Discs: Ian McMillan on the Country Life PodcastPoet, broadcaster and writer Ian McMillan joins the Country Life Podcast.
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The 'holy grail' of JRR Tolkien's letters are up for sale, showing his anger at his editors and the 'priggery' of Sherlock HolmesBayliss Books are selling the biggest collection of Tolkien first editions and personal letters to come up for sale in twenty years. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.
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'The Swiss Army Knife of foods': Untangling the truth and lies around milkMilk's reputation has seen plenty of ups and downs in recent years, but the farmer, chef and writer Matthew Evans is trying to put the record straight. Scottish farmer — and regular Country Life columnist — Jamie Blackett takes a look at Evans's new book, 'Milk: The truth, the lies and the unbelievable story of the original superfood'.
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Patrick Galbraith: We are a brilliant and terrible species who messed it up a long time ago — and that means we have to do things we don't want toOur columnist laments the painful decisions on culling wild animals which he argues have to be taken if we're to manage the countryside and maintain biodiversity.
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The Badminton Horse trials at 75Country Life's Kate Green joins the podcast to talk about the tale of how the world's best three-day eventing competition came to be.
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'From the first page until the last, I was in another country, another world... It was like falling in love''There is beauty and there is poverty, order and corruption' — Carla Carlisle on Karen Blixen and Kenya.
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Think what you got for Christmas was bad? The worst presents in literature will cheer you up...A diamond-encrusted tortoise, a humble pencil case tied up with string and a cursed jewel: Felicity Day unwraps some of the best and worst presents given in literature
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The Wisdom of Sheep, by Rosamund Young: An exclusive extract for Country LifeRosamund Young, best-selling author of 'The Secret Life of Cows', has a new book out book called 'The Wisdom of Sheep & Other Animals'. We have an exclusive extract for Country Life readers.
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Carla Carlisle: 'Seamus Heaney deserves a sainthood, as well as his Nobel Prize'Carla Carlisle applauds The Letters of Seamus Heaney and shares how she couldn't wait until Christmas to devour the collection from the late Irish poet
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Are these the seven best independent bookshops in Britain? A writer makes her caseOur desire to buy online may have blighted many high streets, but, happily, plenty of independent bookshops are still thriving against the odds. Catriona Gray picks seven of her favourite stores off the shelf.
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Carla Carlisle on Martin Amis: The 'passionate, graceful, fierce' writer who scared us, challenged us, and brought us understandingCarla Carlisle pays tribute to the late Martin Amis, who died last month.
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J.R.R. Tolkien: The life and times of the lord of the booksFrom a sentence born of an exhausting teaching job, J. R. R. Tolkien crafted a series of fantastical novels that, 50 years on from his death, still loom as large in our imagination as Sauron’s all-seeing eye, says Matthew Dennison.
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Carla Carlisle: 'Edit your one and precious life. Prepare for Judgement Day. Do it Now.'Carla has been having a bit of a New Year clear-out — albeit one which started last August, and which is NOT going particularly well...
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Jason Goodwin's books of the year 2022Our columnist Jason Goodwin shares the books that have entertained and enlightened him this year.
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Sir Walter Scott's delightful thatched home just outside Edinburgh has come up for saleBarony House has changed a lot since the days when the great writer lived here, but it's not hard to see how he was inspired by these beautiful surroundings.
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Christmas gifts for children that don't need screens or take batteriesDon't just pick up the latest plastic toys with lights and noises – take a look at these gifts which kids will love just as much as you do.
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In Focus: How Roald Dahl's love of the countryside shaped his life's workThe countryside filled the Matilda author Roald Dahl with joy and proved a constant source of inspiration, as Matthew Dennison reveals in a new biography of the prolific storyteller.
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The American airman's portrait of 1940s England that portrays a world that's already disappearedA chance encounter with a book stall opens the eyes of our columnist Agromenes as he sees England through the eyes of an American airman.
