Sybille Bedford, an intimate friend of the Huxleys through four decades, re-creates not only the private Huxley and the literary Huxley but the entire intellectual and social era to which he was central. Drawing on his letters and diaries, the memories of his intimates, and her own sharp and sensitive comprehension of Huxley's writings, Mrs. Bedford has written a masterful biography. Huxley becomes a living, deeply attractive presence, while his great contemporaries flash through these pages in memorable and moving encounters.