I can't envisage stopping writing.

I feel slightly uneasy at the way historians are consulted as if history is going to repeat itself. It never does.

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.

I believe passionately in preemptive pessimism, especially before a book comes out. I expect the worst both from reviewers and sales, and then, with any luck, I may be proved wrong.

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

I just love the days when you come out of the archives with half a dozen excellent descriptions or poignant accounts of personal experiences.

To begin impatiently is the worst mistake a writer can make