Rebecca's Vest - Karl Miller

''Miller was in his mother''s womb when she left his father in London, bringing to an end a brief marriage. Rebecca''s Vest treats subsequent beginnings and phases of his life: orphan-like upbringing by female relatives in the heart of Midlothian; national service; Cambridge and the start of his career in London, which was to culminate in his founding editorship of the London Review of Books ... Karl Miller is as generously sensitive to the gifts and style of others as he is savagely precise about his own shortcomings.'' Mick Imlah

''Like walking barefoot on sharp pebbles - and worth every memorable, searing step.'' Valentine Cunningham

''A dry, witty, elegant book, Rebecca''s Vest stays in my mind while other books fade.'' Doris Lessing

''Fascinated by doubleness, the author of a highly original critical work on the subject, Miller calls himself a double man, but understates the case. There are more than two of him in there.'' Clive James