Haunts of the Black Masseur

[Sprawson] has an ornate style of prose, apparently smooth, but rippling with wit and candour… Haunts of the Black Masseur was a delight when I read it first time round and 25 years on, it strikes me as even better – Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *­Original and sparkling… A haunting, sensual, slippery read that will make you long for seaweed on your skin and sand between your toes. A must for swimmers – Rebecca Wallersteiner * The Lady *A wholly original idea…a brilliant translation of a singular passion – Alan Ross * Times Literary Supplement *A devoted and luminously romantic history of swimming * Guardian *An exhilarating plunge into some of the deepest pools inside our heads… Magnificently obsessive, this social and cultural history of swimming is the best book I read this year – J G BallardAn extraordinary book: I thought I wouldn’t care a fig for it but was suddenly and immediately enthralled. Exceptionally entertaining and compelling – Joanna LumleyOne wants to put it down - and jump straight into the pool * Independent *Inspired by his own obsession with immersion, Charles Sprawson has written a mesmeric account, both sensual and erudite, of individual and cultural preoccupations with water. * London Evening Standard *Magnificent * Observer *Fascinating * Sunday Times *

Charles Sprawson was an obsessional swimmer and diver who swam the Hellespont. He died in January 2020.