GUESS who? She is "traditionally built", fond of bush tea and full of wisdom...' Yes its Precious Ramotswe from the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Or who has a mouth which is "fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth"? Dracula, Count.

This is a great plum pudding of a book stuffed with inter-esting titbits, pithy summaries, tantalizing tastes of those novels you always meant to read.

There are 12 Charles or Charlies, 18 anons and 15 Smiths. Look up your own name, find inspiration for christening a baby, start and always win literary arguments, and amaze your friends with your widespread knowledge of fiction.

Frances Perkins