“Nancy Mitford to dinner – talking of the horrors of her country childhood – the boredom, the waiting around for something to happen.” .Charles Ritchie 11 August 1947. #nancymitford #charlesritchie

“In the high leaves of a walnut,.On the very topmost boughs,.A boy that climbed the branching bole.His cradled limbs would house. On the airy bed that rocked him.Long, idle hours he’d lie.Alone with white clouds sailing.The warm blue of the sky.”.Laurence #Binyon, b. 10 Aug 1869

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“Flowers grow as poppies in the corn without conspicuous plan and so do people.” .Richard Jefferies, 9 August 1884. #richardjefferies

“I felt that I must have some adventure… took a bus to Hackney Wick. But before I got to the Wick I saw buses going in the opposite direction to the Blackwall Tunnel, which I had never seen. So I got off, and took one of these latter…”.An intrepid Arnold Bennett, 8 August 1926

“The shame of enjoying literature is of old, but not venerable, standing. It made it as socially awkward to be caught reading a novel as to be caught daydreaming or, if one reads through to the elements, masturbating.” Brigid Brophy, died 7 August 1995. #brigidbrophy #reading

“Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” .Robert Hughes, died 6 August 2012. #roberthughes

“They carry back bright to the coiner the mintage of . man,. The lads that will die in their glory and never be old.”.Words by A.E. Housman, set by George Butterworth, killed in action 5 August 1916. #georgebutterworth #aehousman #ashropshirelad

“Feel the war exists on my account. If I died it would stop, but it is here to give me experiences if I choose to receive them.” .E.M. Foster, 4 August 1914. #emforster #firstworldwar

“I had never yet been in love with anyone of my own sex. Then one evening, in a talk with a student of Classics, I discovered that Greek love, as I had read of it in Plato, was a continuous and still existing fact.” Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, died 3 August 1932. #lowesdickinson

“Everybody’s journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.” .James Baldwin, born 2 August 1924. #JamesBaldwin #queerhistory #America

“The boy stood on the burning deck,.Whence all but he had fled;.[. ].Yet beautiful and bright he stood,.As born to rule the storm;.A creature of heroic blood,.A proud, though childlike form.”.Felicia Hemans celebrates Giocante #Casabianca, who died 1 August 1798. #hemans #poem

“I am living at present in Lambeth, doing my best to get at the meaning of that strange world, so remote from our civilization…” .George Gissing, 31 July 1886. #georgegissing #lambeth

“In secret pleasure, secret tears,.This changeful life has slipped away,.As friendless after eighteen years,.As lone as on my natal day.”.Emily Brontë, born 30 July 1818. #emilybronte #poem

“Eat a most curious Succade: & saved it’s seed. The beetles begin to hum around at the Close of day. Trench’d one row of Celeri to try if it can be saved.”.Gilbert White, 29 July 1765. #gilbertwhite #gardening

“I am thirty this day. I felt a certain irritation upon receiving congratulatory letters from the Hutton girls, for one thing I can never remember theirs. They told me of poor Kathleen Hutton, dead at nineteen.”. Beatrix Potter, 28 July 1896

“The young man rushed into the red-gold over-ripe corn and shouted to the girls, ‘Now, you just turn your backs.’ He fumbled about, evidently pulling down his trunks and drying between his legs. but I saw them both turn round and stare too.” .Denton Welch, 27 July 1943

“At dusk we viewed the view and the searchlights. Hardy, standing outside one the windows, had to put a handkerchief over his head.” .Arnold Bennett dines with Thomas Hardy and J.M. Barrie, 25 July 1917. #arnoldbennett #thomashardy #jmbarrie

Many congratulations to Jeff Young on winning the 2025 #TLSAckerleyPrize for his wonderful memoir ‘Wild Twin’. And thanks to all three shortlisted authors for writing such marvellous books and making last night’s prize event such a success. Please buy and read all three books.

“People will say anything to appear interesting.” .Olivia Manning, died 23 July 1980. #oliviamanning

RT @michaelscaines: Tomorrow night at @Foyles – @PParkerWriting in conversation with the shortlisted authors for this year's @TheTLS Ackerl….