19 OCTOBER 1996, page 47

Living And Partly Living

Colin Thubron BAD LAND by Jonathan Raban Picador, £15.99, pp. 326 F rom a mosaic of diaries, photos, personal conversations and research, Jonathan Raban has resurrected in Bad......

A Hermit With A Handful

Teresa Waugh THE WITCH OF EXMOOR by Margaret Drabble Viking, 116, pp. 276 A ppealingly named The Witch of Exmoor, Margaret Drabble's new novel is not about a witch at all.......

Make Me Good But Not Yeti

Tom Hiney ESAU by Philip Kerr Chatto, £15.99, pp. 356 T here is a healthy fashion at the moment for informative novels. It is the shared propensity of such bestselling writ- ers......