A TIME OF RENEWAL: Clusters of Characters, C.P. Snow and Cops

London: The Radcliffe Press, 1998. AW2 - A hardcover book in good condition in good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket has some wrinkling, chipping and crease on the edges and corners, fading on the spine, some sides and edges, old price label on the front flap, vertical fold/crease on the back flap, scattered light scratches, rubbing, and foxing, light tanning and shelf wear. Book cocked, some bumped corners, scattered light foxing and stains on the page edges and endpapers, light discoloration and shelf wear. 8.75"x5.75", 304 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Philip Snow's departure from his beloved Fijian Service on appointment as Bursar of Rugby School was heart-rending. A major factor in the decision was the chance of seeing more of his elder brother, CP Snow, who was always a keenly-felt influence, even when separated by thousands of miles of wide oceans. Philip Snow was himself a character in three of CP Snow's novels and this book contributes to the understanding of the novels and their characters. And the decision was increasingly justified as his elder brother's reputation grew, as a writer, as a minister in Harold Wilson's government and, in the House of Lords, as Lord Snow of Leicester. All this, and Rugby School, brought Philip Snow into the slipstream of acquaintance and friendship with figures of eminence in a variety of fields. Consequently, the book reads like a mini-Who's Who of the great, the good and the outstanding at home and abroad - in cricket, arts and letters, politics, the armed services, the law, academe, royalty… the variety is endless - over two or three generations. His judgement is sharp, shrewd, sometimes robust, but always fair and objective and the result is a series of finely-etched vignettes making up a fascinating social history of England from the 1950s. his friendships in Fiji endured as did his love of cricket, and these came together in his role as Fiji's representative on the International Cricket Council for over 30 years. The main theme, however, is his relationship with CP Snow and also with his brother's novelist wife, Pamela Hansford Johnson. He writes with insight and originality, and reveals important new material. The story is told with verve, sympathy and style.. Hardcover. Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.