He loved travel and fresh air. After studying at Oxford, he wanted to become… a mountain guide. Sport was in his blood. He couldn’t stand lazing around on the beach, but he loved washing his shirts by hand in the bathtub and ironing them on a balcony overlooking the Pacific.
A distinguished historian, author of the groundbreaking Rising ’44, and one of the foremost experts on Eastern Europe—a sharp observer of the world around him—Norman Davies tells his story for the first time in such a personal way: about his family, growing up in Bolton, his career as a teacher, ties with France and Poland, cars, football, difficult decisions, and bold ambitions. All in his signature, erudite style—rich in anecdotes, grounded in broad historical context, marked by sharp realism, and sprinkled with a touch of English humour.