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Beverley Nichols's witty, self-aware memoir turns youthful impressions into a lively parade of writers, politicians, artists, and eccentrics, all filtered through a teasing eye determined not to grow dull. Beginning at twenty-five with the conviction that youth is the best time to record one's feelings before enthusiasm fades, he moves quickly into comic travel, sharp social observation, and affectionate satire. As a nineteen-year-old on a British university mission to the United States in the final months of the war, he introduces a memorable cast that includes the practical Ian Hay, the optimistic Sir Henry Jones, the relentlessly gloomy Professor J—, and the absurdly symbolic stuffed rabbit Cuthbert. In America, Nichols revels in the country's light, abundance, and wartime energy, then punctures public reputations with his eye for human oddity, from Nicholas Murray Butler's commonplace speech to the democratic charm of Taft and the integrity of Elihu Root. Washington brings a close encounter with Woodrow Wilson, whose quiet gravity and burden of responsibility leave a deep impression. The memoir later widens to Greece, where Nichols examines wartime austerity and the troubled position of King Constantine, defending his neutrality and strategic caution against charges of pro-German sympathy. Throughout, Nichols blends travel narrative, political portraiture, and irreverent humor into a vivid study of vanity, idealism, and human contradiction. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.