Lesley Smith interviewed Samuel Fanous

Politics tutor Professor Lesley Smith looks at examples of the handwriting of extraordinary people through the ages held at the Bodleian Libraries and explains what it tells us about them.

Smith picks out examples such as Elizabeth I attempting to win over her stepmother, Alan Bennett working out the character of Mr Toad, and Henry Moore advising soap and water for cleaning sculpture. Others with fascinating stories to tell in their manuscripts include the likes of Jane Austen, Walter Raleigh, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

‘Like the fine manuscripts it explores, this book rewards all who read it. There is no better way to get closer to people from the past than reading over their shoulders, and through their handwriting we feel an even more intimate connection across time.’ Janina Ramirez

Smith is fellow and tutor in politics at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. Here she talks to Dr Samuel Fanous, head of publishing at the Bodleian Library.