THE GOLDEN STEP

by Christopher Somerville

Date: 2007-11-30

The Golden Step will appear as a paperback in September 2008.

To buy the harback click here!

'Christopher Somerville's The Golden Step (Haus, ?12.99) is not only a beguiling and poetic account of Minoan and modern Crete, but the only book under review that could fit in a traveller's pocket.' Hugh Thomson, THE INDEPENDENT, 30 November 2007

‘Hot off the press at Haus Publishing is a new book by Christopher Somerville, The Golden Step, part of Haus’s Armchair Traveller series of superbly-produced, affordable hardbacks... We cross the magnificent Cretan mountains at Somerville’s side, meet the “real Cretans” and revel in village celebrations and impromptu taverna music sessions. Somerville’s evocative poems are seeded through a text as readable and pacy as a novel.’  DAILY EXPRESS, 18 August 2007

‘A finely written memoir... A more absorbing book about Crete - and indeed middle-age - is unlikely to come along for a while.’  DAILY TELEGRAPH, Travel, 21 July 2007

‘Somerville’s writing is fluid and well-informed, his descriptions are moving and evocative.’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 23 July, 2007

‘‘BBC walking legend Nick Crane rates Somerville as an inspiration and as someone who “people will look back on and think: here’s somebody that defined what recreational walking was like at the turn of the millennium”. This gem of a book only emphasises Crane’s astute judgement... A great armchair read for any given Sunday.’ WALK magazine, Sept. 07
http://www.walkmag.co.uk/books/general_walking/the_golden_step_a_walk_through_the_heart_of_crete/
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‘If you want a 'light read' - 'The Golden Step' is as entertaining and racey as a good novel - don’t be too alarmed by the fact the book has 318 pages, its size of 120 x 160 mm, is smaller than A5. Which brings us to the production value. You may judge this book by its appearance. If the author has done the publisher proud with his elegant prose, they have reciprocated with the book's design. ‘The Golden Step’ looks great! A hardback, with stunning dust jacket; a luxurious-looking map of the island, drawn on tracing paper (not detailed enough to follow the E4, but name one that is!), with pages sewn in to the binding, as opposed to glued. It fits comfortably into the side-pockets of any of my rucksacks, and would equally slide into a jacket pocket, handbag or, better still, hand, where you may not be able to remove it!. By way of criticism, I have none’  

Stelios Jackson - July the 8th, 2007
http://www.west-crete.com/book-of-the-month.h