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James Lees-Milne Complete Diaries
Caves of Ice: Diaries, 1946-1947
Caves of Diaries 1946-1947 James Caves of Diaries 1946-1947 Michael FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped. Published by Michael Russell, 2004. Octavo. Paperback. Book is very good. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 308229 Biography & Letters We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!
- GenresBiography
Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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About the author
James Lees-Milne
81 books20 followersJames Lees-Milne (1908-1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 12, 2022
This is the diary of James Lees-Milnes when he was 38 and 39 (1946-1947). This is his third volume of diaries, the first two being Ancestral Voices: Diaries 1942-1943 (originally published 1975) and Prophesying Peace: Diaries 1944-1945 (originally published 1977). I gave those volumes 3.5 and 4 stars, respectively. I would give this volume (originally published 1983) 4 stars. I have 9 more volumes to go which will have me reading his diaries well into next year. Thank God because I really like them.
I have mentioned before that he is somewhat critical when summarizing his interactions with people, especially people he has not met before., He generally describes their physical appearance and if there is something amiss about that, be rest assured he will point it out in his diary. If the person(s) acts a bit strange, that will be duly noted, also. If he likes you, he still might describe you in less-than-kind terms but he will hasten to add that he liked the person, so I guess that made things all right.
Entries describe what he did that day. Since he is a Secretary of the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, there are many many many descriptions of properties and country houses that he sees to assess if they are appropriate for the National Trust. The National Trust is an organization that is involved in the transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust, and after World War II (the time period that this diary covers), many country houses were taken over by the trust (the wonders could not afford the upkeep of the huge houses as well as pay taxes on the property as well as hire maids and servants and butlers and such to take care of the landed gentry who owned it).
Descriptions of the houses can get old after a while, but I tended to read over those sections rather quickly unless something about his description caught my eye. But the diaries are so much more — if they weren’t I’d never be reading the diaries in the first place. He describes the weather, the political climate (and often whether he agrees or disagrees), the personalities and physical appearance of the people he meets, what he ate that day, what he drank that day, who his friends are, conversations he had with people, etc. etc. etc.
He’s one quirky, intelligent, sardonic, wry, humorous, curmudgeonly dude!
I typically read 10 pages of entries 3 to 4 days week. This volume took me a month of leisurely reading to get through. I tend to read fast, but with these volumes I just take my time.
I took 6 pages of notes on this one...just several entries I’ll write down here to give you a feel for how and what this person writes...
• The caretaker at Mersham made me quite sick by insisting upon showing us the amputated stump of his arm. ... (The next day) I had a fried goose egg which almost made me as sick as the stump did yesterday.
• Ivy and Margaret took me to tea with Elizabeth Bowen... She is a very handsome woman only her teeth are rather yellow; she smokes a lot. She stumbles with a slight, breathless stammer over unexpected words. Speaks deliberately, with conviction and is observant; and sharp as a razor under layers of charm... I liked Elizabeth Bowen immensely.
• I dined with James and Maurice who had cooked an all-vegetable meal, and for some reason was in a dark humor. People look ugly when in an ill humor.
• Mama telephoned last night warning me not to motor to Worcester today on account of the bad floods. She said that their cottage was under water and in Oxford the swans were swimming into people’s bedrooms, which she thought rather sweet— of the swans presumably.
• Hoffmannsthal is a bore, shouting in broken English. He told a terrible story of Lord Anglesey’s death which was entirely due to the doctor’s negligence and stupidity. Lord A was perfectly well but because he had nothing to do for two weeks decided to have a simple operation for prostate gland. They put the wrong tubes into him and simply left him to be tortured to death.
• He has moreover a thin, flat behind which implies shallowness of character.
• He conveyed to me the impression of a great man striving to be something which he isn’t.
• Instead of looking younger, she looks 102.
I have mentioned before that he is somewhat critical when summarizing his interactions with people, especially people he has not met before., He generally describes their physical appearance and if there is something amiss about that, be rest assured he will point it out in his diary. If the person(s) acts a bit strange, that will be duly noted, also. If he likes you, he still might describe you in less-than-kind terms but he will hasten to add that he liked the person, so I guess that made things all right.
Entries describe what he did that day. Since he is a Secretary of the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, there are many many many descriptions of properties and country houses that he sees to assess if they are appropriate for the National Trust. The National Trust is an organization that is involved in the transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust, and after World War II (the time period that this diary covers), many country houses were taken over by the trust (the wonders could not afford the upkeep of the huge houses as well as pay taxes on the property as well as hire maids and servants and butlers and such to take care of the landed gentry who owned it).
Descriptions of the houses can get old after a while, but I tended to read over those sections rather quickly unless something about his description caught my eye. But the diaries are so much more — if they weren’t I’d never be reading the diaries in the first place. He describes the weather, the political climate (and often whether he agrees or disagrees), the personalities and physical appearance of the people he meets, what he ate that day, what he drank that day, who his friends are, conversations he had with people, etc. etc. etc.
He’s one quirky, intelligent, sardonic, wry, humorous, curmudgeonly dude!
I typically read 10 pages of entries 3 to 4 days week. This volume took me a month of leisurely reading to get through. I tend to read fast, but with these volumes I just take my time.
I took 6 pages of notes on this one...just several entries I’ll write down here to give you a feel for how and what this person writes...
• The caretaker at Mersham made me quite sick by insisting upon showing us the amputated stump of his arm. ... (The next day) I had a fried goose egg which almost made me as sick as the stump did yesterday.
• Ivy and Margaret took me to tea with Elizabeth Bowen... She is a very handsome woman only her teeth are rather yellow; she smokes a lot. She stumbles with a slight, breathless stammer over unexpected words. Speaks deliberately, with conviction and is observant; and sharp as a razor under layers of charm... I liked Elizabeth Bowen immensely.
• I dined with James and Maurice who had cooked an all-vegetable meal, and for some reason was in a dark humor. People look ugly when in an ill humor.
• Mama telephoned last night warning me not to motor to Worcester today on account of the bad floods. She said that their cottage was under water and in Oxford the swans were swimming into people’s bedrooms, which she thought rather sweet— of the swans presumably.
• Hoffmannsthal is a bore, shouting in broken English. He told a terrible story of Lord Anglesey’s death which was entirely due to the doctor’s negligence and stupidity. Lord A was perfectly well but because he had nothing to do for two weeks decided to have a simple operation for prostate gland. They put the wrong tubes into him and simply left him to be tortured to death.
• He has moreover a thin, flat behind which implies shallowness of character.
• He conveyed to me the impression of a great man striving to be something which he isn’t.
• Instead of looking younger, she looks 102.
August 7, 2023
The third volume of his diaries, and anyone who has read the first two will know what to expect. These are post war diaries; in between the wars he was a part of the bright young things set, so there are plenty of names sprinkling the entries about figures from that set, although Nancy Mitford, who features quite prominently in the first volume, has now moved to Paris, so doesn't crop up in person. There are also plenty of gossipy entries about authors of the time; he lunches a lot with the likes of Elizabeth Bowen, Ivy Compton -Burnett, and Rose Macaulay amongst others.
Most of the entries are about his work for the National Trust, travelling around Britain and visiting various houses they own, meeting the owners/custodians, and writing the guide books. I love visiting MY houses, and 'going' to them with him, and his obvious expertise, was really interesting.
I'm looking forward to volume 4.
Most of the entries are about his work for the National Trust, travelling around Britain and visiting various houses they own, meeting the owners/custodians, and writing the guide books. I love visiting MY houses, and 'going' to them with him, and his obvious expertise, was really interesting.
I'm looking forward to volume 4.
April 28, 2022
What a terrible and wonderful snob JLM was!
I love his diaries, they not only offer me a wonderful social history but I hear about all the incredible places that he visited and all the handsome young men he "dined" with.
Excellent reading and a wonderful slow read too as reading a couple of entries a day gives you enough entertainment for a month!!
I love his diaries, they not only offer me a wonderful social history but I hear about all the incredible places that he visited and all the handsome young men he "dined" with.
Excellent reading and a wonderful slow read too as reading a couple of entries a day gives you enough entertainment for a month!!
July 6, 2025
Another reading of the awful snob JLM, and I loved it!
His views on the people of the West Midlands, though, still gets my feathers ruffled!
Always a great read.
His views on the people of the West Midlands, though, still gets my feathers ruffled!
Always a great read.
December 29, 2018
I very much enjoyed dipping in and out of these diaries. Milne is a witty diarist who gives a fascinating insight into the upper-middles classes in the 40s and earlier days of the National Trust. Of course he’s also a pompous snob, but that can be rather humorous!
January 17, 2021
I have a friend that adores James Lees-Milne’s diaries and re-reads them regularly. I can see their value as a cultural and social record of the second half of the twentieth century, but, having now read a couple of the early volumes they are not my idea of reading for pleasure. Lees-Milne, at this point in his career, is working for the National Trust, travelling all over the country (his ‘motoring’ exploits are quite phenomenal; at a time when motorways or even dual carriageways were unheard of, he heads off in all directions, covering hundreds of miles every week). The chief interest of the diaries is in the way they capture this unique moment in British history; the rapid post-war decline of the landed gentry and the demolition, sale or (for the lucky ones) transfer to the care of the National Trust, a subject covered in depth and with the benefit of historical hindsight in David Cannadine’s excellent The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy.
Lees-Milne is a trying companion however: snobbish in the extreme, a champion name-dropper, viscerally repelled by the lower and middle classes and with few flashes of self-awareness. His diaries continue in multiple volumes through to the late 1990s, but I will leave him in 1947.
Lees-Milne is a trying companion however: snobbish in the extreme, a champion name-dropper, viscerally repelled by the lower and middle classes and with few flashes of self-awareness. His diaries continue in multiple volumes through to the late 1990s, but I will leave him in 1947.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews