A Scholar's Tale

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A Scholar's Tale is written by Richard Grassby and published by . It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1520650426 (ISBN 10) and 9781520650425 (ISBN 13).

Born in Darjeeling under the Raj, the author (and subject) moves to England and then Wales during World War II, to Oxford and the north of Scotland in adult life, and to New York City and Washington D.C. in middle age. Educated at a boarding school and at Oxford, he pursues an academic career in England before branching into business in the United States. His story, with pauses for reflection, is recollected here purely from memory, without the aid of documents. It is an oral history by someone who explains how and why he became a professional historian. The primary objective is to demonstrate the utility and satisfaction of a life of scholarship, both as a tutorial Fellow of an Oxford College and as an independent scholar living in metropolitan New York. But additional preoccupations and activities receive their due - journalism, dealing in art and antiques, cattle farming, trading on Wall Street, training dogs and hawks. His researches and hunting interests take him all over Europe, North America and the Near East. He alternates between country pursuits and life in a big city, both of which are described in detail. An extensive tour of the whole United States in the summer of 1960 not only captures the country at a turning point, but exposes many hilarious and bizarre incidents. A long spell in hospital leads to psychotic delirium and reveals the narrow line between creative art and madness.