ABSTRACT
Although I have known John Bossy for a long time, and might have prepared myself for the eventuality, I am surprised that he has recently retired from his university post. Apart from being as busy as ever with his writing, his appearance has changed so little since I first met him some thirty years ago. The hair may be a little sparser, but there is no hint of grey, and the figure, although undoubtedly more portly, is still to be seen encased in a comfortable old pullover, well-worn trousers and hardy plimsolls. Above all, the face, (and perhaps the spectacles), are much the same - a little more weather-beaten perhaps, but still looking out on the world with a mixture of puzzlement and knowingness. In the 1960s his appearance reminded me instantly of the British Museum Reading Room, the Institute of Historical Research, and more particularly, the pubs and restaurants of nearby Bloomsbury and Somers Town. The Reading Room, and so on are not quite the same, but John still is.
