A delightful narrative of a lifelong engagement with literature. This "small history" takes on a very big topic: the gloriously extensive literature from Greek mythology to graphic novels, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter. Beloved author John Sutherland, who has researched, taught, and written about almost every area of literature, guides both young readers and adults in their journey on a fun trip "through the wardrobe" to show how literature from around the world can transport us and help us understand what it means to be human.

Along the way, he introduces us to a wide range of works, enlivening his offerings with humor as well as knowledge from Beowulf and Shakespeare to T. S. Eliot and George Orwell, and from the provocative jokes of Anglo-Saxon runes to the Da Vinci Code. For younger readers, Sutherland provides an appropriate introduction to literature, promising to be as interesting as it is educational. For more experienced readers, he promises something equally engaging.