EPISODE · Feb 1, 2025 · 59 MIN
Sam Leith on childhood reading
Children’s world is by default a trippy one and books are rich fodder for the uninhibited mind. In “The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading”, Sam Leith, the literary editor of The Spectator takes us through the memory lane of authors who have defined the genre of children's books. The nature of childhood itself has changed over centuries and the books, too, were a reflection of those eras. In this podcast Sam, himself a father of two kids, has read a gazillion children’s books as part of his research for his tome. And upon each rereading, he finds new gems that were undiscovered when he had first read them as a kid. His work was also rated by The Economist as among the top five non-fiction books of 2024.
What this episode covers
Children’s world is by default a trippy one and books are rich fodder for the uninhibited mind. In “The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading”, Sam Leith, the literary editor of The Spectator takes us through the memory lane of authors who have defined the genre of children's books. The nature of childhood itself has changed over centuries and the books, too, were a reflection of those eras. In this podcast Sam, himself a father of two kids, has read a gazillion children’s books as part of his research for his tome. And upon each rereading, he finds new gems that were undiscovered when he had first read them as a kid. His work was also rated by The Economist as among the top five non-fiction books of 2024.
NOW PLAYING
Sam Leith on childhood reading
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Feb 4, 2026 ·18m
Jun 15, 2022 ·8m
May 25, 2022 ·20m
May 19, 2022 ·16m
May 15, 2022 ·34m