

EP 5: What Books Got You Through Your Childhood? feat. John Mitchinson
Unexpected Book Discovery
- Martin Shaw found a book called "Folk Tales of Devon" in Minneapolis.
- It had a picture of his grandmother's dream house, sparking his interest in local stories.
Book's Journey
- Martin Shaw was told to read "Moortown Diaries" by Hugh Lupton.
- Shaw found a used copy, only to discover it belonged to Lupton himself.
Pandemic Reading
- John Mitchinson found a William Maxwell novel.
- Reading it during the pandemic gave it new meaning, connecting him to Maxwell's mother's death in the 1918 pandemic.













Martin Shaw talks to publisher, author, podcaster and smallholder, John Mitchinson about the most powerful, precious and provocative objects in the world – books. More than simply content, more than print on paper, books are repositories of knowledge and a portal to anyone and anything, anywhere. John and Martin discuss the feeling of finding a kindred spirit in a book and extending the life of a book beyond its pages, passionately articulated and shared in John’s (and Andy Miller’s) podcast, Backlisted. Martin says, ‘There is very little in the world for me that is more magical than books.’ This one’s for the bibliophiles out there.
Get 30% off Martin’s new book Smoke Hole at chelseagreen.co.uk using the code SHS30
Find Martin Shaw on insta @drmartinshaw; facebook @MartinShaw; www.drmartinshaw.com
Find John Mitchinson on insta @johnmitchinson; twitter @johnmitchinson
A huge thanks to Ben Addicott for helping to produce this podcast
Violin music by John Matthias
Smoke Hole is published by Chelsea Green Publishing UK