Melvyn Bragg on learning to read, comics, Chekhov, solitude and more.

Melvyn Bragg talks about his earliest memories of books, growing up in the 1940s, how he become obsessed with reading, Chekhov, Shakespeare, P. G. Wodehouse, experience, solitude and more. Bragg is one of many contributors to The Pleasure of Reading, published in aid of the literacy charity Give a Book. Other contributors include Margaret Atwood, J. G. Ballard, A. S. Byatt, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Gray, Germaine Greer, Alan Hollinghurst, Doris Lessing, Candia McWilliam, Edna O'Brien, Ruth Rendell, Tom Stoppard, Sue Townsend, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Jeanette Winterson, Emily Berry, Kamila Shamsie, Rory Stewart, Katie Waldegrave and Tom Wells. Order your copy: http://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/on-our-shelves/book/9781408859629/pleasure-of-reading-43-writers-on-the-discovery-of-reading-and-the-books-that-inspired-them Find out more about Give a Book: http://www.giveabook..org.uk ABOUT THE LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, just a Rosetta Stone’s throw from the British Museum, the London Review Bookshop has established itself as an essential part of the capital’s cultural life. Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books, it’s a place for people who love books to meet, talk, drink excellent tea and coffee, consume delicious cake, and of course, browse. Our selection of more than 20,000 titles ranges from the classics of world literature to the cutting edge of contemporary fiction and poetry, not forgetting a copious display of history, politics, philosophy, cookery, essays and children’s books. And our lovely shop, designed by Amanda Culpin of utility provides the perfect setting in which to explore them all. THE CAKE SHOP Surrounded by books and fragrant with tea, the London Review Cake Shop is the modern answer to London’s long-lost literary coffee-houses. Accessed through the Bookshop via a corridor in the history section, the Cake Shop offers a small but vibrant menu, a wide selection of fine teas and a superior espresso. Above all, it provides a haven for reading and reflection. The London Review Bookshop and Cake Shop are open Monday- Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6.30 p.m. The Bookshop is also open on Sunday, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. 14 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL. Tel. 020 7269 9045.