I think it's outrageous if a historian has a 'leading thought' because it means they will select their material according to their thesis

The British bombing of Caen beginning on D-Day in particular was stupid, counter-productive and above all very close to a war crime.

The duty of a historian is simply to understand and then convey that understanding, no more than that.

When I was younger I used to get my best writing done at night, but now it has to be during the day. I usually finish work at half past seven, then go back to the house to open a bottle of wine, have dinner, and then read or watch television.

It takes me three or four years to research and write each book and the individual stories stay with you for a long time afterwards.

It was only after five years in the army, when I was having to do a very boring job in a very boring place, that I thought: 'Why not try writing a novel?' partly out of youthful arrogance and partly because there had been a long line of writers in my mother's family.

To begin impatiently is the worst mistake a writer can make