
Warning
When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple
Jenny Joseph(Author)
Souvenir Press Ltd
Published on 18. November 2021
Book
Hardback
32 pages
978-1-78816-818-2 (ISBN)
Description
'Utterly charming and uplifting' The Good Book Guide
Voted Britain's favourite poem, 'Warning', written in 1961, is known and loved the world over for its message of old age as a time for indulgence and fun.
In the poem's respectable middle-aged woman, as she imagines herself in old age as a cheeky rebel with outrageous clothes and dotty behaviour, poet Jenny Joseph has created a character whose thoughts have been quoted at conferences and funerals, used to cheer up sick friends and remembered with pleasure by children and adults alike around the world.
Here, 'Warning' appears as a beautiful updated edition with new illustrations; the perfect gift for a friend or relative who wants to grow older free from expectations, with a joyful and rebellious spirit.
Voted Britain's favourite poem, 'Warning', written in 1961, is known and loved the world over for its message of old age as a time for indulgence and fun.
In the poem's respectable middle-aged woman, as she imagines herself in old age as a cheeky rebel with outrageous clothes and dotty behaviour, poet Jenny Joseph has created a character whose thoughts have been quoted at conferences and funerals, used to cheer up sick friends and remembered with pleasure by children and adults alike around the world.
Here, 'Warning' appears as a beautiful updated edition with new illustrations; the perfect gift for a friend or relative who wants to grow older free from expectations, with a joyful and rebellious spirit.
Reviews / Votes
A poem that was to inspire two generations of women to contemplate behaving badly * Mail on Sunday * The most popular poem in Britain * Guardian * Inspires us to embrace the freedoms of old age, and some dubious sartorial choices -- Allie Esiri * Woman and Home * Continues to inspire with its humour... speaks to the devil in us all... Utterly charming and uplifting * Good Book Guide *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 152 mm
Width: 119 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
106 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78816-818-2 (9781788168182)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2021
Souvenir Press Ltd
€4.49
Available for download
Persons
Jenny Joseph was an English author of poetry and prose, first published in the 1950s by John Lehmann. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and her awards included a Gregory Award, a Cholmondeley Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship. 'Warning' was twice voted Britain's favourite modern poem in BBC polls in 1996 and 2006. Jenny Joseph died in 2018, aged 85.
Lydia Coventry is an illustrator, designer and maker who works across various mediums from pen and ink drawings and graphic illustration to jewellery and paper craft. She studied Illustration at the University of Plymouth and lives in London. Follow her on Instagram @lydiacoventry.
Lydia Coventry is an illustrator, designer and maker who works across various mediums from pen and ink drawings and graphic illustration to jewellery and paper craft. She studied Illustration at the University of Plymouth and lives in London. Follow her on Instagram @lydiacoventry.