I first stumbled across I Capture the Castle in a second-hand bookshop in Johannesburg some years ago. That is, while I was exploring the musty, labyrinthine mishmash of towering tomes, I tripped straight over a fallen clothbound edition of Dodie Smith’s seminal novel and, while still lying on the floor, read the blurb. Before I knew it, I’d limped to the counter, handed over my rand, and hobbled out with the book.?