The extraordinary man he was, brilliant, volatile, deeply prejudiced, deeply generous, emerges most clearly in his letters. There have been previous collec-tions but none so essential as this, including many previously unpublished documents, drawn from his long and controversial life. Among the editors is his own grandson, Dorian Grieve.

On the centenary of his birth in 1992, Carcanet launched the MacDiarmid 2000 programme, to bring all his major writings into print. This is the thirteenth volume.