As the eldest daughter of a prolific letter writer, Jane Torday received hundreds of letters from her father over the years. From irreverent advice and hilarious family anecdotes to moments of great poignancy, Roger Mortimer's missives are a touching and witty portrait of his life and relationships over the years.

Dearest Jane begins with Roger's time as a young army officer in Egypt, and then as a POW in the Second World War, where his sense of humour endured despite the conditions. Jane accompanies her father's letters with her own memories and anecdotes, as we meet familiar characters such as Nidnod, Lupin and Lumpy, and learn more about the extended family, friends and pets who leap from the pages of his letters.

This is an arresting and extraordinary record, not only of Roger Mortimer's life but also of the history of an entire family between 1960 and 1991. Sparkling with the dry wit for which Mortimer's letters are famous, and accompanied by an affectionate personal portrait, this book will delight both old and new readers.

About the Author
Jane Torday is a freelance writer specialising in gardening, food, social and oral history, and family memoir. She lives in Northumberland. ROGER MORTIMER was born in 1909 and educated at Eton and RMC Sandhurst. In 1930 he was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards and saw action in Palestine eight years later. He fought with the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium in 1940 and was taken as a POW for the remainder of the war. He left the army in 1947 and became, among other things, racing correspondent for the Sunday Times for almost thirty years. He wrote several classic books on racing including The History of the Derby. He met Cynthia Denison-Pender in 1947 and was married the same year. They had two daughters: Jane and Louise, and one son Charles. Roger died in 1991. CHARLIE MORTIMER was educated at Wellesley House and, reluctantly, Eton. He was, among many other things, in the Coldstream Guards and for over two decades 'consigliere' to flamboyant antiques dealer the late John Hobbs. Currently he works as a director of Jamb Ltd and together with his partner Tim collects contemporary art which they then loan to institutions all over the world. He edited his late father's letters to him in the Sunday Times bestseller Dear Lupin, which was subsequently adapted into a West End play.

Reviews
Jane Torday and her father are perfect companions, and this is a life in letters as never before - often hilarious, occasionally objectionable, ever engaging, original and always honest. This book is like an old-fashioned Fleet Street lunch, and you will rise from the table both light-headed and wonderfully indulged -- Simon Garfield
A tender, hilarious, perceptive and sometimes painfully honest account of a daughter's love for her father, this latest addition to the Mortimer family correspondence comes from Dear Lupin's 'bossy elder sister'. Every family should have one. Jane Torday, though her book depends on the wit and wisdom of letters from her Dad, is a natural writer with a strong sense of narrative drive. As a portrait of a family - mother Nidnod, father Roger, siblings Lupin and Lumpy, it is sharply observed as well as memorably affectionate. Above all, it is Roger Mortimer who is the star of the show. His final request: 'I don't want a memorial service, just a quick fry up.' Fabulous stuff -- Elizabeth Luard
Readers will love [Jane Torday's] book ... Roger Mortimer was far too beautiful a writer for his best work to have stayed in a box * The Times *
Another golden hoard of correspondence from that epistolary genius... -- Roger Mortimer, Tatler
One of publishing's least expected success stories * Spectator *



Book Information
ISBN 9781472121127
Author Jane Torday
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Constable
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 348g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 128mm * 28mm