# Plenty of Grapes

> Plenty of Grapes and A Few More Grapes are personal literary anthologies by Richard Hilliard: curated collections of "other people's words" — writing that has moved, amused or intrigued him over a lifetime of reading. The collection spans nearly 3,000 years and ranges across poetry and prose, epitaphs and riddles, history and translation. This site introduces the books, shares sample excerpts, lists events, and explains how to obtain a copy.

## About the author
Richard Hilliard describes himself as a lifelong "magpie", quietly setting aside the pieces of writing that catch his eye. The first volume grew out of that habit; the second continues it.

## The books
- **Plenty of Grapes** (2018): A very personal anthology of other people's words, spanning nearly three thousand years and wandering across poetry and prose, epitaphs and riddles, history and translation. Highlights include a Hampshire memorial inscription, an eyewitness account of the Earl of Uxbridge at Waterloo, a mildly rude Anglo-Saxon riddle, James Michie's translation of Martial, and Baudelaire on a vampire.
- **A Few More Grapes** (2025): The sequel, a further gathering in the same spirit, ranging across the centuries and the forms, from the grave to the comic, from the celebrated to the entirely unexpected.

## Sample excerpts
The site features eight sample pieces that suggest the range of the collection: Katherine Stewkeley's Epitaph (1679), The Battle of Waterloo (John Robert Hume, 1815), Decline & Fall (Evelyn Waugh, 1928), Martial (translated by James Michie), Michaelmas Sessions 1833, The Onion (a tenth-century Exeter Book riddle), The Vampire (Baudelaire), and Amphibiology (Christopher Reid).

## Key pages
- [Home](https://www.plentyofgrapes.co.uk/): introduction to both volumes
- [Excerpts](https://www.plentyofgrapes.co.uk/excerpts): eight sample pieces from the collection
- [Events](https://www.plentyofgrapes.co.uk/events): past and upcoming talks and readings
- [FAQ](https://www.plentyofgrapes.co.uk/faq): common questions about the books and how to buy them
- [Privacy](https://www.plentyofgrapes.co.uk/privacy): privacy notice

## How to get a copy
Both books are sold directly by the author. To buy a copy or make an enquiry, email hilliardrg@gmail.com or use the contact form on the website. Readers are also welcome to suggest pieces for a future volume.

## Contact
Richard Hilliard, Wilton, Salisbury SP2 0BA, United Kingdom. Email: hilliardrg@gmail.com