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The other day, at our local bookshop, a young man came up to me and said: ‘Sir, tell me—what is the secret to happiness?’

It was hardly the time for homespun philosophy, as a pretty young thing was trying to take a selfie of the two of us, so all I could say was: ‘Signing books for young readers. It would make any writer happy.’

‘But I’m not a writer,’ he said, ‘I’m a psychiatrist.’

‘Well then, make your patients happy,’ was all I could say.

For over sixty years, since his award-winning debut The Room on the Roof was published, Ruskin Bond has charmed and entertained us with characters ranging from the animal world to humans to ghostly spirits, and his magic touch has often presented to us a world unhurried, tucked away in hills and valleys.

What does it mean to be an octogenarian loved by the young and old alike? To be synonymous with the smell of pinewood and rambling mountain paths? In short, what is it that makes him Bond?

This book weaves together a selection of Ruskin Bond’s essays and writings to bring to the reader the rich tapestry of his life, peppered as it is with delightful eccentricities and a geniality rarely found.

Stumbling Through Life brings you Bond like never before.