Paperback. White cover with black title.

Please view the photographs. An £8 reduction when collected from the FBA shop.

Review: This was probably my favourite book when I was little. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve read it- for me, the perfect blend of reality and fantasy. It’s also very funny and neatly written- by J.B.S. Haldane, a leading authority on genetics in his time, and a very famous scientist indeed. There are 6 stories in the book- A Meal With A Magician, A Day in the Life of a Magician, Mr Leakey’s Party, Rats, The Snake With the Golden Teeth, My Magic Collar Stud. If you buy any of the later editions, it’ll be illustrated by Quentin Blake.

The whole tone of the writing is confiding and breezy, with the author taking the craziest things perfectly in stride- a very calm, English attitude, and the settings are slightly quaint-seeming now, but again, very English and of their time. It nails perfectly the knack of referring to things that may be over the readers head without confusing them, so although there are some allusions in there you might not understand until you’re older, it never spoils the story. It’s also very short, which is a shame, as to my knowledge it’s the only fiction Mr Haldane ever wrote. A must-read, though.

 An original book from the library gathered by the famous Cambridge Don, computer scientist, food and wine connoisseur, Jack Arnold LANG. In 2008, Jack was one of the co-founders of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, alongside other members of the Department, and acted as the Foundation’s Chair. The project’s original goals were modest: to build and distribute low-cost computers for prospective applicants to our Computer Science degree. Initially the project was a “success disaster”, as Jack would say, as demand far outstripped the low-scale manufacturing plans. Ultimately the Raspberry Pi became the UK’s most successful computer with more than 60 million sold to date. Jack was drawn to the educational possibilities of the Raspberry Pi, its potential uses in emerging economies and the way it could support self-directed learning.