'I am not one who takes much notice of 'truisms' printed on tea towels but a gift of one that read, If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need, quoting no less than Cicero, underlined the idea that wisdom, or comfort or just plain enjoyment of something that tickles our fancy can be found in some very odd places. The accompanying illustration is just right, featuring—as it does—a minimalist garden built around an old tree that is providing a backrest for a person engrossed in a book. For me, the icing on the proverbial cake is a single magpie staring at the reader, prompting the idea that perhaps it is reading aloud to the viewer, sharing the wit and wisdom to be found in it: or perhaps it is a story involving a romance, or daring-do, or it may have any one of the attributes of the almost infinite number of books that are there to be found and read.' (Editorial introduction)
