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Charlie English
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Charlie English

Goodreads Author


Born
in York, The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter
charlieenglish1

Genre
Nonfiction, History, Travel

Member Since
March 2014


Charlie English is a British non-fiction author and former head of international news at the Guardian. He has written four critically-acclaimed books: The Snow Tourist (2008); The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu (2017, published in the US as The Storied City); and The Gallery of Miracles and Madness (2021). His latest, The CIA Book Club, has just been published. He lives in London with his family and a rather talented sheepdog named Enzo. You can reach Charlie through his website, or via X or Instagram at @charlieenglish1.

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Popular Answered Questions

Do you have another book planned, and if so, what is the subject matter?
Charlie English Hi Kerry, thanks for asking, and for reading and rating Book Smugglers.

I am thinking about another book, yes, but it's not definite yet so I can't re…moreHi Kerry, thanks for asking, and for reading and rating Book Smugglers.

I am thinking about another book, yes, but it's not definite yet so I can't really give details. As you can imagine, there's a lot of research to be done before it becomes clear if a particular story can sustain a whole book–but in this case I'm optimistic! Essentially it's another international story about culture under threat, and what happened to the people who created it.

Best wishes,

Charlie(less)
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Very informative book for someone like me who went in knowing nothing about the city, the region, its history, its people, etc. Did you consider having more maps? Some of the places noted in the text were not on the maps provided. And it was cumbersome to flip back and forth between a chapter and the map(s) in the front of the book.
Charlie English Hi Richard, thanks for reading the book! Am glad you found it informative. On the maps front: I hoped we'd got the significant places down, but do let…moreHi Richard, thanks for reading the book! Am glad you found it informative. On the maps front: I hoped we'd got the significant places down, but do let me know which ones you felt were missing. I guess we wanted to keep the maps in one place, rather than scattered throughout, but yes I'm afraid that means some flipping. Best wishes, Charlie E(less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.67 · 4,722 ratings · 718 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors
The CIA Book Club: The Secr...
3.60 avg rating — 3,001 ratings — published 2025 — 15 editions
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The Book Smugglers of Timbu...
3.69 avg rating — 1,066 ratings — published 2017 — 25 editions
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The Gallery of Miracles and...
4.11 avg rating — 489 ratings — published 2021 — 12 editions
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The Snow Tourist
3.65 avg rating — 211 ratings — published 2008 — 11 editions
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The CIA Book Club
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Il Book Club della CIA: L'o...
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The CIA Book Club by Charlie English
The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature
by Charlie English (Goodreads Author)
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Oct 03, 2025 12:42AM  · 1 like ·   ·  preview book
Charlie English wants to read
The Mission by Tim Weiner
The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner (Goodreads Author)
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Jul 25, 2025 10:06PM  ·   ·  preview book
Charlie English made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Remove book from author page topic
" Hi, is it possible please for someone to remove a book I didn't write from my author page?

The book is "Pregame Prayers and Tailgate Tales". The author ...more "
Apr 22, 2025 11:58PM
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Quotes by Charlie English  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Every Autumn now my thoughts return to snow. Snow is something I identify myself with. Like my father, I am a snow person.”
― Charlie English
tags: father, snow, winter
53 likes
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“In the nineteenth century, Fritjof Nansen wrote that skiing washes civilization clean from our minds by dint of its exhilarating physicality. By extension, I believe that snow helps strip away the things that don't matter. It leaves us thinking of little else but the greatness of nature, the place of our souls within it, and the dazzling whiteness that lies ahead.”
― Charlie English
tags: skiing, snow
11 likes
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“Intellectual freedom is essential to human society—freedom to obtain and distribute information, freedom for open-minded and unfearing debate, and freedom from pressure by officialdom and prejudices. Such a trinity of freedom of thought is the only guarantee against an infection of people by mass myths, which, in the hands of treacherous hypocrites and demagogues, can be transformed into bloody dictatorship.”
― Charlie English, The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Book Challenge: Stephanie's 2009 Book Challenge - Finished (almost) 7 275 Dec 31, 2009 10:13AM  
Goodreads Ireland: Andy's 2018 Challenge - Irish Meridians 15 36 Mar 08, 2018 08:18PM  
The Book Vipers: * Last book(s) you acquired 1293 512 Jan 29, 2020 10:25AM  
Non Fiction Book ...: CANCELLED The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu (Mar 1-31, 2020) 6 20 Mar 19, 2020 05:24AM  
Around the World ...: Det's 2020 TBR Takedown 6 56 May 25, 2020 03:30PM  
Mount TBR 2021: Alexandra : Pike's 6 31 Dec 09, 2021 04:42AM  
Libri dal mondo: Libri ambientati in Mauritania, Mali e Niger 3 20 Jun 27, 2022 02:24AM  
Book Nook Cafe: The Book Salon ~~ May 2025 807 67 Jun 09, 2025 07:42AM  

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Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

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