JOHNSON'S COMMONPLACE BOOK

The tall, granite-faced General, immaculately turned out from the tip of his two-starred helmet to his polished, handmade cavalry boots,...

All London theatres are equipped with bars. They vary between the luxurious and the doleful. Some are large and well attended; others are...

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence and named after the city by her parents, who were travelling in Italy.  Her sister Parthenope...

"Why do nice women marry dull men?" I [the author] asked. "Because intelligent men won't  marry nice women" [replied Rose Waterford], who...

I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked: it was a wise man, and it is a...

Hundreds of your fellow creatures, dear lady, turn another way that they may not be tempted by the luxuries of Porridge Island to wish...

Jazz is the only form of music that musicians seem to be enjoying more than the audience. Anon

During lengthy rehearsals in an experimental Oedipus the King,  the director urged the cast to think of the single most terrifying thing...

Denis Lanesborough was in his prime a lively figure at dinner parties.  He would sometimes demonstrate his skill at cracking walnuts...

Alec, who had an artistic streak, could even spare the time to arrange the flowers, an operation he performed with admirable good taste. ...