Look Closer

How to Get More Out of Reading

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Fern Press
17 February 2026

Memoirs; Literature: history & criticism

A joyful and enlightening masterclass in how reading attentively can change our lives

As an English literature professor, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst has delighted in sharing his love of reading with his students. Bringing together more than twenty years of teaching, Look Closer explores the iconic works of literature that have formed, sustained and entertained him, from timeless classics like Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice to modern masterpieces such as Normal People and The Handmaid's Tale, as well as children's books, poetry, plays, short stories and comics. It is a masterclass in how to be human.

By revealing the simple techniques to slow down, take note and bring a text to life, Look Closer is the culmination of a life spent reading. This book is for anyone interested in how literature works and makes clear why reading is more relevant than ever in these turbulent times. Funny, illuminating and personal, Look Closer ultimately shows us how great writing can change a person's life. It is a celebration of the simple joy of reading, and how becoming more attentive readers can open up worlds and bring us closer to ourselves in delightful and unexpected ways.

By: Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
Imprint: Fern Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9781911717317
ISBN 10: 1911717316
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 17 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His books include Becoming Dickens, which won the Duff Cooper Prize, The Story of Alice, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, and Metamorphosis. He writes regularly for publications including The Times, the Literary Review and the Spectator. Radio and television appearances include Start the Week and The Culture Show and he has also acted as the historical consultant on TV adaptations of Jane Eyre, Emma, Great Expectations, the BBC drama series Dickensian and both of the Enola Holmes feature films for Netflix. He has judged the Booker Prize and the Baillie Gifford Prize, and in 2015 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews for Look Closer: How to Get More Out of Reading

A glittering gem of a book. This is a prism through which other books can be read more sharply, more meaningfully. I will be buying it for everyone I know who loves books -- Natalie Haynes Absorbing, inspiring, open-hearted and welcoming, Look Closer is the best book about reading I have read for a very, very long time. Brilliantly clever without being even remotely academical or scholarly in its manner, this funny, warm and all-embracing book is for anyone and everyone’ Stephen Fry -- Stephen Fry