On the Trail of the Last Human Cannonball

Byron Rogers' latest collection of travel pieces follows the formula of his book An Audience with an Elephant: in search of-and finding-a remarkable array of quirky, whimsical and singular individuals. But as well as such characters as the pensioner on a Saga holiday who decided to swim across the Amazon, this book sees for the first time Rogers meeting a number of undeniably famous people: Hollywood stars, legends of children's radio serials he had idolized in childhood-even rock stars like Mick Jagger. But, as one might expect, Rogers' encounters with a celebrity have their own unexpected outcomes. Burt Lancaster rants to him about trans sexuality. Rita Hayworth is most worried about her neighbor's TV aerial. A retired star of the silent screen turns out to live in Henley-on-Thames.