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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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A Handful of Dust
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(1934) Novel by Evelyn *Waugh in which Tony Last escapes from marital and financial troubles in England by making a journey up the Amazon. Deep in the interior of Brazil he falls into the hands of Mr Todd, illiterate but the proud owner of a set of Dickens which he inherited from his English father. He loves being read to and starts Tony off on Bleak House – the beginning of a life sentence as it turns out, for by a trick Mr Todd convinces the eventual rescue party that Tony is dead. The title comes from The *Waste Land – 'I will show you fear in a handful of dust'.
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