Original article published Daily Express, 6th Novermber 2009.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/138438/Steve-Harley-My-six-best-books

STEVE Harley, 58, shot to fame in the Seventies with his band Cockney Rebel, topping the charts with Make Me Smile.

To find out more about the singer’s 2010 album and tour visit his website www.steveharley.com

Notes from Walnut Tree Farm

by Roger Deakin

A charming diary charting a period in the writer’s life, packed with observations and curious asides. It’s educational and is a wonderful book for all those interested in wildlife.

Encyclopedia of Jewish Humour: From Biblical Times to the Modern Age edited by

Henry D Spalding

A hilarious collection of Jewish humour, drawing on a lot of traditional Yiddish and New York jokes and stories. An endless source of laughter, this is great book to dip into to cheer yourself up.

Collected Poems of TS Eliot: 1909-62

A lot of Eliot’s poems might be deep and unsettling but he’s got a fantastically musical ear for rhyme and it’s worth reading whether or not you know what he’s going on about half the time. Includes The Waste Land.

The Waves

by Virginia Woolf

I’ve read this book by the fascinating but flawed Woolf at least a dozen times over the years. It’s sheer poetry. In my mind she was the most gifted writer of her generation. All hail the Goddess of Literature!

Men and Horses I Have Known

by George Lambton

I’m a big race-horsing fan. I’ve got a few horses of my own and just love everything about the racing world. This book, originally published in the Twenties I believe, takes a look at this world and is the perfect book for any racing buff.

Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America

by Jonathan Raban

A wonderful book of travel writing charting the author’s arrival in New York by boat from Liverpool and his subsequent adventures in the States. Another writer with a lovely turn of phrase, I love the way he looks at everything through astonished, childlike eyes.