Page One
Page One: The Book Podcast. A podcast for people who like books and for people who like people.
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2021 Update
03/12/2021
2021 Update
While Page One continues its ever-extending mid-season break, Charles Adrian has popped back onto the mic to let listeners know about a podcast he is making with Lisa Findley called The Rom Com Rewrite. Rom com fans everywhere can find it on Spotify () and Apple Podcasts (). Incidentally, you can find a description of the seven major beats of rom com writing here: Also, while he’s here, Charles Adrian would like to recommend the beautiful, 4-part podcast The Fateful Tale Of Chesapeake Bay, which you can find on Apple Podcasts here: (and a quick google will take you to all the other places that you can find it). Also: Miriam Gould, who is one of the co-hosts, was previously a guest on Page One and you can find that episode here: More information about Page One is at
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192 - Year End 2020
12/22/2020
192 - Year End 2020
Taking another break from revisiting the books that he has been given by guests on the podcast, Charles Adrian revisits instead what he said in the previous episode about Scottish Country Dancing and talks about three books that he has very much enjoyed. More information and a transcript of this episode is at Correction 1: This episode was recorded on the 15th December, 2020, and not the 14th December as Charles Adrian says. Correction 2: Charles Adrian mistakenly pronounces Ivanhoe as Ivinghoe. The first is a novel by Sir Walter Scott; the second is a village in Buckinghamshire. Correction 3: The novelist Charles Adrian refers to as JY Yang in this episode has been called Neon Yang since September 2020. You can read the announcement on their Twitter here: The podcast will also be taking a break over festive season and will return with new episodes at some point in the new year. Also mentioned in this episode are Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, which is discussed in Page One 49 (), Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, which is discussed in Page One 16 () and Page One 159 (), and Scottish Fiddlers And Their Music by Mary Anne Alburger, which is discussed in Page One 126 () and Page One 191 (). Cameryn Moore, who is mentioned here, is featured in Page One 98 (). You can find some information on the Prison Industrial Complex and prison abolition in the UK from the Empty Cages Collective here: Diane di Prima, also mentioned here, is discussed in more depth in Page One 122 () and Page One 190 (). The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk is a standalone novel but The Black Tides Of Heaven by Neon Yang is at the beginning of the Tensorate series and A Hero Born by Jin Yong is the first part of The Condor Trilogy. You can read more about The Condor Trilogy on Wikipedia here: . Episode image is a detail from the cover of The Black Tides Of Heaven by Neon Yang, published by tor.com in 2017; cover art by Yuko Shimizu; cover design by Christine Foltzer. Episode recorded: 15th December, 2020. Book listing: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk The Black Tides Of Heaven by Neon Yang A Hero Born by Jin Yong
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191 - POIR 33
12/15/2020
191 - POIR 33
Marked as explicit because of strong language. Speaking minutes after he had finished recording the previous episode of the podcast, Charles Adrian revisits the last books that were given to him by guests on the 4th season of the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can find information about London’s National Theatre here: and about Liverpool’s Empire Theatre here: Also mentioned in this episode is Dracula by Bram Stoker You can find Phoebe Judge’s podcast Phoebe Reads A Mystery, series 6 of which is a reading of Dracula by Bram Stoker, here: You can find out more about Charles Adrian’s alter-ego Ms Samantha Mann here: and you can find her advice videos, which were filmed and edited by Polis Loizou, on YouTube here: You can watch a video trailer for the show Angels’ Share by Nico And The Navigators here: . It was made in collaboration with a group calling themselves Urban Strings. You can find out more about Scottish Country Dancing on the RSCDS website here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 124 (), Page One 125 () and Page One 126 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 17th November, 2020. Book listing: The Keep by Jennifer Egan (Page One 124) The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (Page One 125) Scottish Fiddlers And Their Music by Mary Anne Alburger (Page One 126)
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190 - POIR 32
12/08/2020
190 - POIR 32
Marked as explicit because of derogatory language. Fleeing from hammering and drilling sounds coming through the wall, Charles Adrian talks about books that were given to him towards the end of the fourth season of his podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can find a handy primer on the limitations of a first-past-the-post voting system, along with links to information about alternative systems, on the Electoral Reform Society’s website here: You can read about Caroline Lucas, who at time of recording this episode was the UK’s first and only Green Party MP, on Wikipedia here: Revolutionary Letters by Diane di Prima is also discussed in Page One 185. Rebecca Solnit, mentioned briefly here, is discussed more fully in Page One 135. The episode of the podcast Reply All that Charles Adrian mentions about the activist barricaded inside his apartment while the police massed outside is here: . The episode is from the podcast Resistance, which you can find here: The Sadean Women by Angela Carter is discussed more fully in Page One 123. Other books by Angela Carter discussed on the podcast are Wise Children (Page One 54), The Passion Of New Eve (Page One 76) and The Bloody Chamber (Page One 86, Page One 135 and Page One 141). The homepage of the Battersea Arts Centre is here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 121 () and Page One 122 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 17th November, 2020. Book listing: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (Page One 121) Revolutionary Letters by Diane Di Prima (Page One 122) The Sadean Women by Angela Carter (Page One 123)
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189 - POIR 31
12/01/2020
189 - POIR 31
Taking the time to indulge in some discussion of both the Gunpowder Plot and the differences between climbing and bouldering, Charles Adrian starts off the UK’s second national lockdown with three more books from guests on the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . A description of the Gunpowder Plot and its aftermath can be found on Wikipedia here: and a round-up of the differences between climbing and bouldering can be found on the Guardian here: . Arlie Adlington is featured in Page One 148, which you can listen to here: Another book by Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, is discussed in , which features Isbel’s sister Cat James, and in , which doesn’t. A Time Of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Furmor is discussed in and . Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is also discussed in (and particularly in the unedited version of that episode). Other books by Vladimir Nabokov discussed on the podcast are Lolita () and Collected Stories (). Another book by W. Somerset Maugham, The Narrow Corner, is discussed in . The Selected Short Stories Of “Saki” by “Saki” is discussed in and . You can read about the trials of Oscar Wilde for gross indecency on Famous Trials here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 118 (), Page One 119 () and Page One 120 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 5th November, 2020. Book listing: Travels With A Donkey In The Cévennes and The Amateur Emigrant by Robert Louis Stevenson (Page One 118) Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (Page One 119 and Page One 151) The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (Page One 120)
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188 - POIR 30
11/24/2020
188 - POIR 30
Marked as explicit because of strong language. Still living in a Tier 2 city, Charles Adrian talks about three slim books, all of which feature characters who are children. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can read about The Good Immigrant on Nikesh Shukla’s website here: . You can read Darren Chetty on the prevalence of white protagonists in Media Diversified here: and you can download Beyond The Secret Garden by Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O’Connor here: If you, like Charles Adrian, are confused about comic book terminology, there is an article about Trade paperbacks on Wikipedia here: ) If you are near Angoulême in France, meanwhile, and interested in comics and graphic novels, the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l’Image is well worth a visit: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 115 (), Page One 116 () and Page One 117 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 29th October, 2020. Book listing: Beside The Sea by Véronique Olmi (trans. Adriana Hunter) (Page One 115) Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman (Page One 116) Saga (Volume One) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Page One 117)
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187 - POIR 29
11/17/2020
187 - POIR 29
Talking about two books he remembers very little about and the only book he was given twice, Charles Adrian continues his journey through the books from Season 4 of his podcast and reminisces about a trip to Japan. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Correction: Tier 3 of the new restrictions that came into force in the UK on the 14th of October, 2020, is the highest tier, described as “very high risk. Tier 2 is described as “high risk” with tier 1 being “medium risk”. You can find an explanation of the three-tier system on the BBC here: You can find some information about the setting-up of the Podcasters’ Support Group in London on Helen Zaltzman’s website here: You can read about the spread of Anti-Vaxxer misinformation on social media during the 2020 pandemic in the Lancet here: , you can read about six common misconceptions about immunisation on the WHO website here: and you can read about possible strategies to counteract a reluctance to receive a possible COVID-19 vaccine in the Atlantic here: Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the UK from 4th May, 1979, until the 28th November, 1990. She was succeeded in office by John Major, who was Prime Minister from 28th November, 1990, until the 2nd May, 1997. Sum by David Eagleman was also discussed in Page One 34 and Page One 165. Also mentioned in this episode are Hell, Purgatory and Paradise by Dante Alighieri. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 112 (), Page One 113 () and Page One 114 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 16th October, 2020. Book listing: How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World by Francis Wheen (Page One 112) Sum by David Eagleman (Page One 113, Page One 34 and Page One 165) Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata (trans. Edward G. Seidensticker) (Page One 114)
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186 extra - Swimmer
11/10/2020
186 extra - Swimmer
Continuing to feed his own preoccupation with the poem Swimmer by Dennis Cooper, which he has already talked about in both Page One 185 and Page One 186, Charles Adrian hones in on the lines: “Monday Dave calls me/ at a party” and attempts to reconstruct their historical context. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper was previously discussed in Page One 111 () and Page One 185 () Episode image is a detail from the cover of The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper, published by Grove Press in 1995; cover design by John Gall, cover art by Nayland Blake. Extra recorded: 16th October, 2020. Book listing: Swimmer from The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper
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186 - Swimmer
11/10/2020
186 - Swimmer
Marked as explicit because of extensive discussion of death and suicide. Content note: there is a lot of talk of death and suicide in this episode. If you are in the UK and would like to talk to someone in confidence, you can reach Switchboard LGBT at or by phone on 0300 330 0630, and you can reach the Samaritans at or by phone on 116 123. Taking a very personal look at a poem that has been stuck in his head since the previous episode of this podcast, Charles Adrian talks about the poem Swimmer by Dennis Cooper and some of the things that it brings up for him. Clarification: In the coda to this episode, Charles Adrian talks about queer sexualities having been criminalised only a generation or two ago. He is talking, of course, very parochially, about the situation in the UK, where he lives. In many parts of the world, queer expression in all its forms remains criminalised. You can find a map of countries that criminalise LGBT people here: although this does not include countries in which attacks against LGBT people are either tolerated or actively encouraged by the state. You can read about the situation in Chechnya, for example, in the Guardian here: . More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can find Dennis Cooper’s potentially NSFW blog here: You can find Charles Adrian’s conversation with Uwern Jong here: and you can follow Griffyn Gilligan on Twitter here: The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper was previously discussed in Page One 111 () and Page One 185 (). Episode image is a detail from the cover of The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper, published by Grove Press in 1995; cover design by John Gall, cover art by Nayland Blake. Episode recorded: 13th and 14th October, 2020. Book listing: Swimmer from The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper
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185 - POIR 28
11/03/2020
185 - POIR 28
Marked as explicit because of sexual imagery. Beginning with a brief cloudburst and a coda to the previous episode designed to calm Charles Adrian’s esprit d’escalier, the 28th Page One In Review goes on to look at the first five books from the fourth season of the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . The Bees by Laline Paull, Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser and Unless by Carol Shields were all discussed at more length in Page One 184. Revolutionary Letters by Diane Di Prima was previously discussed in Page One 122. You can read an outline of the life of Mary Stewart, a.k.a. Mary Queen of Scots, on Wikipedia here: You can read about Dungeons & Dragons on Wikipedia here: You can read about Petrópolis, the Brazilian Imperial City, on Wikipedia here: Another book by Dennis Cooper, Guide, is discussed in Page One 72 (). The books discussed in the main part of this episode were previously discussed in Page One 107 (), Page One 108 (), Page One 109 (), Page One 110 () and Page One 111 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 6th October, 2020. Book listing: A Traveller In Time by Alison Uttley (Page One 107) Wolf In White Van by John Darnielle (Page One 108) Irma Voth by Miriam Toews (Page One 109) Insomnia and Song For The Rainy Season from Collected Poems by Elizabeth Bishop (Page One 110) First Sex (excerpt) and Swimmer from The Dream Police by Dennis Cooper (Page One 111)
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184 - POIR 27
10/27/2020
184 - POIR 27
Talking bee-realism, female friendship and the intoxication of undeserved power and position, Charles Adrian revisits the three books he was given by guests at the end of the third season of the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Correction: Contrary to what Charles Adrian says in this episode, The Bees by Laline Paull is not really a Sparticus story. Flora 717 is, in effect, an enslaved bee but she does not exactly gather an army to revolt against her hive and nor is she defeated ultimately. You can read about what is known of Sparticus in Live Science here: and about Cape honey bees (who, while more likely to be parasites than slaves, display traits similar to Flora 717) on Wikipedia here: . It is also possible that there is no type of bee that is, in fact, known to enslave other types of bee in the way that ants do. You can read about enslaved ants and cuckoo bees on the OUP blog here: Clarification: While Charles Adrian mentions radio waves as an example of damaging human intervention in the natural world, he is not a 5G truther; he is taking an example from the book (The Bees by Laline Paull) which may be based on contemporary research. You can read about a study into the effect of cell phone radiation on bee behaviour in the PMC here: and about 5G truthers in The Atlantic here: You can read about the waggle dance that foraging bees perform for other members of their colony on Wikipedia here: You can read about The Hero’s Journey on Wikipedia here: Also mentioned in this episode are Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, The Prisoner Of Zenda by Anthony Hope and Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov; Pale Fire is discussed in Page One 119 and Page One 151. You can read about the Schleswig-Holstein question on Wikipedia here: and in the Encyclopaedia Britannica here: Books discussed here were previously discussed in Page One 104 (), Page One 105 () and Page One 106 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 1st October, 2020. Book listing: The Bees by Laline Paull (Page One 104) Unless by Carol Shields (Page One 105) Royal Flash by George Macdonald Fraser (Page One 106)
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183 - POIR 26
10/20/2020
183 - POIR 26
Not, as promised, a short episode that would have allowed listeners to head out into the apple orchards early, Charles Adrian talks this week about three books that he does not remember so very well. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can read about a day Jean Hannah Edelstein spent in Kreuzberg, Berlin, only two years before Charles Adrian’s conversation with SooJin Anjou in the Guardian here: Correction 1: Groucho Marx died in 1977, not 1972 as Charles Adrian says in this episode. You can read about the life and work of Groucho Marx on Wikipedia here: Correction 2: Natalia Ginzburg’s father, Giuseppe Levi, was an anatomist and histologist. You can read the abstract on an article on Giuseppe Levi and his influence in the National Library of Medicine here: You can read about London’s Crossrail project on their website here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 99 (), Page One 102 () and Page One 103 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 21st September, 2020. Book listing: The Groucho Letters by Groucho Marx et al (Page One 99) Lessico Famigliare by Natalia Ginzburg (Page One 102) The Uninvited by Geling Yan (Page One 103)
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182 - POIR 25
10/13/2020
182 - POIR 25
Content note: There is some suicidal ideation described at around the 20 minute mark. This episode is marked as explicit on Apple Podcasts because of some derogatory language. Returning to normal service after last week’s break from Page One In Review, Charles Adrian takes his time to talk through three of the biggest books he has been given by guests on the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Amos Oz died on the 28th of December, 2018. You can find an article about him and his life-long entanglement with the developing Israeli state by Bernard Avishai in The New Yorker here: You can find out more about Jackson’s Lane Theatre and what they are currently programming on their website here: Correction: During the reading of Amos Oz’s A Tale Of Love And Darkness, Charles Adrian missed out the work ‘kind’ in the first description of the brown man, his rescuer. The sentence in question should begin: “A brown man with big bags under his kind eyes…” You can find out more about Vipassana meditation on their English language website here: You can find out more about Jack Munroe, aka The Bootstrap Cook, on their website here: Anna Sulan Masing was featured in Page One 27: You can read about Voices At The Table on their website here: and read a review of M. F. K. Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me by At The Table co-founder Rebecca May Johnson in the Times Literary Supplement here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 95 (), Page One 97 () and Page One 98 (). Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 10th September, 2020. Book listing: A Tale Of Love And Darkness by Amos Oz (trans. Nicholas de Lange) (Page One 95) Grace And Grit by Ken Wilber (Page One 97) Borderland from The Art Of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher (Page One 98)
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181 - Small Gods
10/06/2020
181 - Small Gods
Taking a few minutes away from recording Page One In Review episodes, Charles Adrian talks about a particular kind of convalescent literature. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . “Unlike wizards, who like nothing better than a complicated hierarchy, witches don’t go in much for the structured approach to career progression. It’s up to each individual witch to take on a girl to hand the area over to when she dies. Witches are not by nature gregarious, at least with other witches, and they certainly don’t have leaders./Granny Weatherwax was the most highly-regarded of the leaders they didn’t have.” from Weird Sisters by Terry Pratchett. You can read about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series on Wikipedia here: The first Page One In Review episode, which is Page One 157, was recorded on the 18th of March, 2020. Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith is discussed in Page One 76 and Page One 175, Germany by Neil MacGregor is discussed in Page One 177, The Cloudspotter’s Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney is discussed in Page One 27 and Page One 163, and Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary by M. R. James is discussed in Page One 36 and Page One 165. Also mentioned in this episode is London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Another book by Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor, is discussed in Page One 121. And there are mentions of books by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and P. D. James, The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks and the Xenogenesis trilogy by Octavia E. Butler (of which Imago is the third book). Other books by Terry Pratchett mentioned in this episode are The Colour Of Magic, Equal Rites, Mort, Reaper Man and Weird Sisters. Episode image is a detail from the cover of Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, published in 1993 by Corgi Books; cover illustration by Josh Kirby. Episode recorded: 9th September, 2020. Book listing: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
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180 - POIR 24
09/29/2020
180 - POIR 24
Getting his mind focused and in the right place, Charles Adrian talks about another ghost book and two books based on real life. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . In case you are interested, Charles Adrian talked about the hot weather in Page One 178 and about getting up early in the morning in Page One 172 (). You can read about The Ridgeway here: and about the reintroduction of Red Kites into the Chilterns here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 93 () and Page One 94 (). Episode image is a detail from an image by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 1st September, 2020. Book listing: How To Be A Bad Birdwatcher by Simon Barnes Yoruba Girl Dancing by Simi Bedford The Ivankiad by Vladimir Voinovich (trans. David Lapeza)
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179 - POIR 23
09/22/2020
179 - POIR 23
Marked as explicit because of strong language and discussion of sex Having taken a short change is as good as a holiday, Charles Adrian returns to his wooden IKEA steps to talk about the first three books given to him by guests on the third season of the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Correction: The word Charles Adrian was looking for in relation to the cover of The Clown by Heinrich Böll is ‘monochrome’. Also, it is, of course, Heinrich Böll who won the Nobel Prize in 1972 not this particular novel. You can find out more about The Radio Collective here: You can find Phoebe Reads A Mystery here: Here is Varna in case you would like to explore the area yourself: Galatz, which is the other place mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is now called Galați and is here: Correction: In 1993, when Nicholson’s London Mini Atlas was published, the East London line ran to Shoreditch at “Peak hours and Sunday mornings”. Also, Charles Adrian should have pointed out that Aldwych station, now disused, was still possible to reach on the Piccadilly line from Holborn at “Peak hours only”. You can find out more about Aldwych station on Wikipedia here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 90 (), Page One 91 () and Page One 92 (). Episode image is a detail from an image by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 27th August, 2020. Book listing: Cunt-Ups by Dodie Bellamy (Page One 90) The Clown by Heinrich Böll (trans. Leila Vennewitz) (Page One 91) London Mini Atlas published by Nicholson (Page One 92)
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178 - POIR 22
09/15/2020
178 - POIR 22
During a very hot spell in West London, with a glass of water at his side and a towel draped over his shoulder, Charles Adrian revisits the last three books given to him by guests during the second season of the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Books discussed here were previously discussed in Page One 87 (), Page One 88 () and Page One 89 (). The Cloudspotter’s Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, mentioned briefly here, is discussed more fully in Page One 27 () and Page One 163 (). Also mentioned in this episode is Les Caves Du Vatican by André Gide. The Guardian has a nicely out-dated article from 2014 about subtweeting and vaguebooking that entirely backs up Charles Adrian’s understanding of those terms: Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 11th August, 2020. Book listing: Journals 1889-1949 – André Gide (trans. Justin O’Brien) (Page One 87) Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (Page One 88) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Page One 89)
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177 - POIR 21
09/08/2020
177 - POIR 21
On a lovely sunny day in West London, Charles Adrian talks about two ghost books, a book that never was and two other books, one of which he does not want to read from and one of which he does. Keep listening to the very end of the episode to hear the sound that is keeping Charles Adrian awake. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can find Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher’s crowdsourced art project Learning To Love You More online here: ; Assignment #58 is this one: . You can find the web page for the reading of The Swim Team from No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July on Radio 4 Extra here: (at time of publishing, this programme is still not available to listen to) You can, however, listen to The Iron Curtain, which is an episode from the Snap Judgement podcast about a woman called Ulrike Poppe who accessed her Stasi files after the reunification of Germany, here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 82 (), Page One 83 () and Page One 85 (). The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, mentioned briefly here, was previously discussed in Page One 84. Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 5th August, 2020 Book listing: No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July (Page One 82) The Quest For Christa T by Christa Wolf (trans. Christopher Middleton) (Page One 83) Germany, Memories Of A Nation by Neil MacGregor Little Miss Hug by Roger Harvreaves (Page One 85) The Art Of Fielding by Chad Harbach (Page One 85)
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176 - POIR 20
09/01/2020
176 - POIR 20
At what might be the half-way point and more opinionated than usual, Charles Adrian talks about three books he was given by friends in Athens. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can find out more about the Jacques Lecoq school in Paris on their homepage here: There is a nice introduction to Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker on the British Library website here: Correction: the last quadrant of Charles Adrian’s summary of Pascal’s Wager (at 18:22) should read: “If I don’t believe in God and God doesn’t exist…” The discussion of Pascal’s Wager in this episode is, in any case, a little superficial. You can find a better summary on Wikipedia here: and a more extended analysis in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy here: Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet is discussed in Page One 55. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 79 (), Page One 80 () and Page One 81 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian. Episode recorded: 27th July, 2020 Book listing: The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally (Page One 79) Oscar Et La Dame Rose by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (Page One 80) Selected Poems by C. P. Cavafy (trans. David Connolly) (Page One 81)
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175 - POIR 19
08/25/2020
175 - POIR 19
Marked as explicit because of strong language His hair longer, perhaps, than it has ever been in his life, Charles Adrian talks art, bad people and bookshops. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Correction: during this episode Charles Adrian calls the Bill Drummond book For Sale $20,000 because that is what is written on the cover but its title is in fact $20,000. You can read more about Bill Drummond on Wikipedia here: and you can read about Duncan McLaren’s book Personal Delivery on his website here: . You can read all about the National Poetry Library – which is, in fact, on level 5 of the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre – on their home page here: Another book by Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr Ripley, is discussed in Page One 53. You can hear Helen Fielding, the author of Bridget Jones’s Diary, among other things, on BBC radio 4’s Desert Island Discs here: Ben Walters was also a guest on Bernadette Russell’s podcast How To Be Hopeful, which you can listen to here: Books discussed here were previously discussed in Page One 74 (), Page One 76 () and Page One 77 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 21st July, 2020 Book listing: $20,000 by Bill Drummond (Page One 74) Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith (Page One 76) Three Things You Need To Know About Rockets by Jessica A. Fox (Page One 77)
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174 - POIR 18
08/18/2020
174 - POIR 18
Charles Adrian talks art, artists and oranges as he reads from two more of the books given to him by guests on the podcast. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . You can read about Iain M. Banks’ Culture Series on Wikipedia here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 70 () and Page One 72 (). Also mentioned but not really discussed is Perfumes: The A-Z Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, which was previously discussed in Page One 71 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 13th July, 2020 Book listing: Against Interpretation And Other Essays by Susan Sontag (Page One 70) The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (Page One 72)
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173 - POIR 17
08/11/2020
173 - POIR 17
Recording this episode several days after he saw a very early morning full moon like a pale, translucent sticker on the lightening sky, Charles Adrian does not, as he promised he would, get as far as the first book on the second shelf of his bookcase. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . The full moon Charles Adrian saw the tail end of turns out to have been the Buck Moon, which you can read about on the NASA website here: You can find out more about the Almeida Theatre on their website here: You can read about Blackwell’s Bookshop, which was founded in Oxford in 1879 by Benjamin Henry Blackwell, on Wikipedia here: You can read about the canal that Charles Adrian might have cycled along on his way to record his conversation with Oscar Rickett on Wikipedia here: You can read about New Haven, Connecticut on Wikipedia here: Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 66 (), Page One 67 () and Page One 69 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 10th July, 2020 Book listing: Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (trans. Jessie Coulson) (Page One 66) Josephine: A Woman With A Past from The Lost Decade And Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Page One 67) The Troublesome Offspring Of Cardinal Guzman by Louis de Bernières (Page One 69)
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172 - POIR 16
08/04/2020
172 - POIR 16
Marked as explicit on iTunes because of strong language. Still recovering from an unusually early morning, Charles Adrian talks about the three last books he was given by guests on his podcast in 2013. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Jackie Collins, by the way, is the author of 32 novels; you can read about her on Wikipedia here: . Jackie O is the nickname given to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; you can read about her on Wikipedia here: . You can read about Jacqueline Susann, meanwhile, on Wikipedia here: You can read a pamphlet on gay oppression published in 1970 by The Red Butterfly in New York here: You can read about Jesuit conversion activity in different parts of the world on Wikipedia here: The books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 62 (), Page One 64 () and Page One 65 (). Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 29th June, 2020 More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: Once Is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann (Page One 62) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (Page One 64) When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman (Page One 65)
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171 - POIR 15
07/28/2020
171 - POIR 15
Marked as explicit on iTunes because of strong language and sexual content In an episode that takes full advantage of the northern hemisphere’s 2020 summer solstice, Charles Adrian talks erotic intent and how seeing and unseeing form part of political white supremacy. More information and a transcript of this episode is at . Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 58 (), Page One 60 () and Page One 61 (). You can read more about the summer solstice on Wikipedia here: You can see a trailer for Céline Sciamma’s Portrait Of A Lady On Fire here: You can read an interview with Chris Kraus, talking about I Love Dick twenty years after its first publication, in The Guardian here: , you can read Emily Gould talking about I Love Dick in 2015 in The Guardian here: and you can read a 2015 profile of Chris Kraus by Leslie Jamison in the New Yorker here: You can read a 2017 profile of Colin Kaepernick in the New York Times here: and a short history of taking the knee by Maham Abedi in Global News here: You can read about Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City on page and screen in Vulture here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 20th June, 2020 More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: I Like Dick by Chris Kraus (Page One 58) The City And The City by China Miéville (Page One 60) Tales Of The City by Armistead Maupin (Page One 61)
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170 - POIR 14
07/21/2020
170 - POIR 14
Reflecting on the toppling of some statues and the protecting of others, Charles Adrian shares what he remembers of three books given to him at the beginning of the second season of the podcast. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 52 (), Page One 53 () and Page One 54 (). Correction: Edward Colston’s Royal African Company was active in the 17th century and not the 18th. You can read Gurminder K Bhambra on Edward Colston and the glorification of the British Empire in the New York Times here: and Priyamvada Gopal on the relationship between statues and our idea of history in The Huffinton Post here: . You can watch Afua Hirsch talking to PoliticsJOE about Black Lives Matter and British history, including some reflection on the theatrical boarding-up of the Churchill statue in Westminster, on YouTube here: . Between recording and releasing this episode, the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol was briefly replaced by a statue of Jen Reid by Marc Quinn. You can read about it in the Guardian here: and you can read thoughts on it by Thomas J. Price in The Art Newspaper here: You can read more about the Rhodes Must Fall movement, meanwhile, in The New Statesman here: For some reflection on racism and anti-racism in Europe and the UK, you can read Musa Okwonga in Byline Times here: and Gary Younge in The New York Review Of Books here: You can read June Tuesday writing about J.K. Rowling and the so-called reasonable concerns in Medium here: , you can read Evan Urquhart on J.K. Rowling and her obsession with trans men in Slate here: and you can read an open letter from the charity Mermaids to J.K. Rowling here: And, in case you are worried about how the kids are doing, you can read Katelyn Burns’ profile of New York’s Gender And Family Project in The Guardian: The Page One podcast began as a project recorded at the Wilton Way Cafe for London Fields Radio, which is now called Fields Radio (). From the second season onwards, however, the podcast was produced independently by Charles Adrian. Correction: The film adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley Charles Adrian talks about seeing came out in 1999. You can read about the theatre adaptation of The Master And Margarita made by Théâtre de Complicité here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded 13th June, 2020 More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: Shopgirl by Steve Martin (Page One 52) The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Page One 53) The Master And Margarita by Mikail Bulgakov (trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) (Page One 54)
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169 - POIR 13
07/14/2020
169 - POIR 13
Episode marked as explicit on iTunes because of strong language. Content note: racism, gaslighting Recorded a little over a week after George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, MN (US), this episode touches inexpertly on some of the components of white supremacy. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 50 (http://www.pageonepodcast.com/season-1#/50-marcel-schwald/) and Page One 51 (http://www.pageonepodcast.com/season-1#/51-filippo-andreatta/). You can read Priyamvada Gopal’s Huffington Post article on Black deaths in police custody in the UK here: and find her on Twitter here: . You can read Roxane Gay’s New York Times article on racism in the US here: and find her on Twitter here: . You can listen to Guilaine Kinouani on the podcast Getting Better Acquainted here: and find her on Twitter here: You can read Alicia Liu writing about the limitations of empathy here: You can read about the 1944 film Gaslight on Wikipedia here: ) You can watch Claudia Rankine talking about and reading from her book Citizen on YouTube here: You can read discussion of police abolition in the US and the UK as part of a review by Peter Stäuber of Alex S. Vitale’s book The End Of Policing in Counterfire here: and read an interview with Alex S. Vitale in The Nation here: More information about police abolition in the US can be found by following links curated by The Marshall Project here: You can read about the prison abolition movement in the US in Teen Vogue here: and about the prison abolition movement in the UK in the Independent here: You can watch a very interesting discussion on prison abolition and its relationship to policing and the criminalisation of vulnerable communities between Reina Gossett and Dean Spade in four parts on YouTube starting here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 2nd June, 2020 More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: The Making Of Americans by Gertrude Stein (Page One 50) Signifying Nothing from Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace (Page One 51)
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168 - POIR 12
07/07/2020
168 - POIR 12
Marked as explicit on iTunes because of strong language. A week after Dominic Cummings gave an unprecedented press conference in the Rose Garden at Downing Street, Charles Adrian talks about three more of the books that he has been given by guests on the podcast. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 46 (), Page One 47 () and Page One 48 (). You can find out more about the Kennet & Avon Canal on the Canal River Trust website here: You can find out more about the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton here: You can read more about Morton Feldman on Wikipedia here: about Sonia Sekula here: and about Robert Guston here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 1st June, 2020. More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: The Biography Of A Locomotive Engine by Henry Frith (Page One 46) By Night In Chile by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) (Page One 47) Give My Regards To Eighth Street by Morton Feldman (ed. B. H. Friedman) (Page One 48)
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167 - POIR 11
06/30/2020
167 - POIR 11
Getting pretty much straight on with it, Charles Adrian goes back over three books that he was given by guests on his podcast. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 41 (), Page One 44 () and Page One 45 (). For a better synopsis of Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy, you can follow links on Wikipedia here: . The plot summary of River Of Smoke that Charles Adrian reads when he should be talking about Sea Of Poppies can be found here: . You can read more about Zamindars and the zamindari system on Wikipedia here: The Rossini piece that Charles Adrian mentions in relation to the Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg is Nico and the Navigators’ production of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solonelle which you can watch a trailer for here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 14th May, 2020. More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: Sea Of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (Page One 41) Das Spiel Ihres Lebens by anon. (Page One 44) Not After Midnight from Don’t Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier (Page One 45)
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166 - POIR 10
06/23/2020
166 - POIR 10
Still struggling to understand the new lockdown arrangements for England announced on the evening of Sunday the 9th of May, 2020, Charles Adrian reintroduces his listeners to four books given to him by guests on the podcast. Towards the end of this rather long episode, you might hear some banging in the background, which was coming through the wall from one of Charles Adrian’s neighbours. Apologies for this. Correction: When Charles Adrian talks about spondees in this episode, he should be talking about trochees. You can read about trochees on Wikipedia here: and about spondees here: . Also, the book by James Frey that Charles Adrian calls A Thousand Tiny Little Pieces is in fact called A Million Little Pieces. Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 38 (), Page One 39 () and Page One 40 (). Christy Malry’s Own Double Entry by B. S. Johnson is also discussed in Page One 106 (). According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, ‘sphacelate’ means ‘to become gangrenous’. OutThere Magazine: The Style Issue, the magazine both edited by and given to Charles Adrian by Uwern Jong, is discussed in Page One 29 () and Page One 163 (). You can read about the James Frey memoir controversy, which dates back to 2006, on Wikipedia here: You can find out more about Count From Zero To One Hundred by Alan Cunningham at the Penned In The Margins website here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 11th May, 2020. More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: Christie Malry’s Own Double Entry by B. S. Johnson (Page One 38) Count From Zero To One Hundred by Alan Cunningam (Page One 39) Fragenbogen by Max Frisch (Page One 40) Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King (Page One 40)
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165 - POIR 9
06/16/2020
165 - POIR 9
Standing at his bookshelf beneath a large, grey, spreading Nimbostratus cloud, Charles Adrian talks about two books from one guest on the podcast and one from another. The Cloudspotter’s Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney is discussed in Page One 27 () and Page One 163. Books discussed in this episode were previous discussed in Page One 34 () and Page One 36 . Sum by David Eagleman is also discussed in Page One 113 (). Charles Adrian forgot to mention that his conversation with Sarah Le Fevre (the one that survives, at least) was recorded at the British Museum in London. You can buy the Apollo typeface at fontshop.com here: You can read about the island of Sark on Wikipedia here: Episode image is a detail of a photo by Charles Adrian Episode recorded: 28th April, 2020. More information and a transcript of this episode is at Book listing: Sum by David Eagleman (Page One 34) Mr Pye by Mervyn Peake (Page One 34) Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary by M. R. James (Page One 36)
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