Speaking to Sue Lawley in 1992, ‘Crash’ writer J. G. Ballard decided he’d like to learn a new skill: “I’d take my unicycle, which when I was 16 my girlfriend Claire bought me. She knows ...

I’d bring Bear Grylls’ autobiography Mud, Sweat and Tears. He is an expert at surviving in the wild, so I think I could learn a lot from his book about how to get off the island and get back ...