The Five Foot Shelf
Seriously...21 Aug 2018

The Five Foot Shelf

According to Charles W. Eliot - President of Harvard and cousin of T.S. - everything required for a complete, liberal education could fit on a shelf of books just 5-feet in length. In 1909 the first volume of the Harvard Classics were published - and grew to become a 51-volume anthology of great works, including essays, poems and political treatises. But what if people today from all walks of life were asked to recommend books to be included on a five foot shelf? Which books do they think might be required for a complete home education? Ian Sansom has set a course for Wigtown - Scotland's National Booktown - to find out. Local craftsman Steve has been busy creating just the shelf for the job - exactly five foot long - and fashioned from elm wood and whiskey barrels recycled from a local distillery. Ian will be playing shopkeeper at the Open Book in Wigtown - a B&B meets bookshop which allows visitors to indulge their fantasy of running their own bookstore. With Ian parked behind the counter, all that's needed is for visitors to drop by and try to persuade him of the books they think deserve a rightful place on The Five Foot Shelf. But of course not everything will make it on and as custodian of the shelf, Ian can be ruthless. Well, kind of... No academics. No critics. No nonsense. The Five Foot Shelf is a guide for readers by readers about the books which matter to them. Producer: Conor Garrett.

Episoder(484)

Empire of Tea - Episode 1

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Across the Divide - Episode 1

Across the Divide - Episode 1

Families from the many sides of the Gaza/Israeli dispute share and reflect on their own personal histories and day-to-day existence.

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Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside - Vegans

Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside - Vegans

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding. Anna Jones is a farmer’...

24 Nov 202315min

The Reinvention of Italy

The Reinvention of Italy

Anne McElvoy goes on the road in Italy in the latest in her series exploring the convulsions of political and cultural change sweeping through Europe’s great nations. The election last September of th...

21 Nov 202329min

Military Ink

Military Ink

Glasgow’s west end is home to the Primrose Path Tattoo Society where ex-service men & women have gravitated to reflect, celebrate and sometimes come to terms with their lives in the military, all whil...

17 Nov 202328min

How to Spot Potential - Sporting Success

How to Spot Potential - Sporting Success

Kate Mason looks at how potential can be assessed in the world of professional football with Brentford FC player Michael Olakigbe and talent spotter Lee Dykes. From cycling, Dan Bigham tells us how th...

13 Nov 202315min

Archive on 4 - The Greyhound Diaries 2023

Archive on 4 - The Greyhound Diaries 2023

American singer-songwriter Doug Levitt expected his tour to last just the six weeks printed on the face of the Greyhound pass he bought. The idea was to compose a fuller portrait of the United States ...

10 Nov 202357min

How Safe is Maternity Care?

How Safe is Maternity Care?

In 2013, broadcaster and journalist Krupa Padhy, one of the presenters for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, lost her first child because of medical negligence in a London Hospital. Legal action was taken. ...

7 Nov 202337min

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