XI 272. The pages are lightly tanned, else clean, unmarked and solid. "The ponds of Hampstead Heath are small oases; fragments of wild nature nestled in the heart of north-west London. For the best part of his life Al Alvarez - poet, critic, novelist, rock climber and poker player - has swum there almost daily. Alvarez, now in his 80s, chronicles what it is to grow old with humour and honesty - from his relentlessly nagging ankle which makes daily life a struggle, to infuriating bureaucratic battles with the council to keep his disabled person's Blue Badge, the devastating effects of a stroke, and the salvation he finds in the three S's - swimming, sex and sleep." (Publisher) Can't recommend this book highly enough. A gem .