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Books

Memoirs of an academic brawler  

A review of John Carey’s The Unexpected Professor. This reader and reformer was the perfect don for his time – which, of course, meant hating dons

22 March 2014

9:00 AM

22 March 2014

9:00 AM

The Unxpected Professor John Carey

Faber, pp.361, £18.99, ISBN: 9780571310920

It’s a misleading title, because there is nothing unexpected about Professor Carey, in any sense. He doesn’t turn up to parties uninvited, like some of his less organised colleagues. As for his appointment, he was tailor-made for the job. Right class (middle); right school (grammar); right military service (guarding sand); right religion (books).

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