Philosophy, Writing, Curiosity

Will Buckingham has written a moving memoir of finding solace, after the death of his life partner, in travelling and talking in lands such as Myanmar that are culturally distant from his native England.

An elegant and moving exploration of what it means to connect with strangers turns into an elegy for a much-missed way of life... while Hello, Stranger is a beautiful meditation on the pleasures and pains of a world to which many of us yearn to return, it may also be an elegy for a world that is lost to us for some time to come.

A wonderful mix of history, anthropology and psychology... a marvellous, restrained study of humanity... In this era of walls and hatred of the other, it’s a necessary work.

A well-constructed, eloquent celebration of the traditions and rituals of hospitality and of opening your door to unknown guests.

Humane and heart-warming.

A glorious book, fabulously learned and funny, and filled with all manner of stirring stories.

A treasure trove of all the possibilities strangers can be to each other. Read, learn and savour.

A book that gives you the motivation and reason to break out of your long isolation.

A literary, philosophical, historical, and intellectual exploration of strangeness and hospitality.

Fascinating… As a memoir, ‘Stealing With the Eyes’ is powerful. Buckingham has a wonderful eye for detail, and the tale he has woven is gripping.

Buckingham provides a map for others to follow, showing that when we show kindness to strangers, we may be entertaining angels unawares.

Moving in the realms of personal travelogue and the novel, Stealing With the Eyes is a curious and always entertaining book, driven by lively dialogue with occasional dips into beautiful observations that verge on epiphany.

This book is such a delightful read, with exciting adventures involving a journey out to sea in a bathtub, great whales and desert islands and even sea monsters... The Snorgh and the Sailor was just a little bit wonderful.

Outstanding – adventurous and quirky.

I wish I had this book when I was a kid! It brings you on a fun adventure through the universe and sneaks in some fascinating science along the way.

This is a book that is memorable for all the right reasons. The story is gripping and highly original, and it is beautifully written.

Do not mistake this for a mere retelling. This is masterful storytelling.

A well-written, lyrical tale.

An examination of philosophy and stories that will leave you waving, not drowning...

This is a charming book that celebrates the power of the imagination and the thrill of adventure

Buckingham's stories are glimpses into worlds familiar yet somehow distant, their landscapes and cultures verging on the mythical.Eclectic, with a healthy dose of humor, the stories of Sixty-Four Chance Pieces act as provocations to consider the nature of our respective political, social and personal realities.

A meandering search for meaning through a broad expanse of cultural material from Baal to Billie Holiday... This Book of Changes has made me rejoice that I am living in an age that has produced such brilliantly unconventional, refreshing, and fulfilling books.

A beautifully written evocation of a journey into the village communities of eastern Indonesia, and a remarkable meditation on the uneasy business of travelling to foreign lands in search of stories.

Simply written, with a subtleness that adds sophistication to a picture book, Buckingham has shown that he has a tender touch… There is just a hint of poignancy in this beautifully illustrated book… It’s a book to treasure.

The book is unconventional in form: written in colloquial English with little jargon. It tells many stories: about talking fish, million-year-old princesses, and the need to lower your mast as you near the horizon, lest your boat get stuck between the sky and the sea. _Finding our Sea-Legs_ is also unconventional in content. It is one of very few books about a key problem in contemporary philosophy: the tension between the urgency of ethics and their inherent ambiguity.

An enthusiastic, vivacious and daring contribution to the dialogue between ethics and literature, and between philosophy as broader discipline and literary studies.