[15], 115 p. : ill. (some col.), facsim., ports. John Betjeman was born and brought up in North London. He began writing poetry at school and continued at Oxford, where he made the acquaintance of the poets W.H. Auden and Louis MacNiece. He developed a strong interest in architecture and was a founder member of the Victorian Society in 1958. In 1960 he was awarded The Queen’s Medal for Poetry and in 1972 he was appointed Poet Laureate. Betjeman was already a well-known figure due to his regular appearances on television and this appointment ensured his poetry, written in a humorous and accessible style, reached a very wide audience. This book is a presentation copy of John Betjeman's autobiography of his early life. The work is written in blank verse, and was originally published in 1960. This edition was published in 1976 and a limited 100 copies were specially bound in 1977 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. This is the copy that was presented to the Queen herself.