Publication date!

Another day, another milestone. Not actually on the bike, but still a milestone…

If you enjoyed the Pilgrim Cello blog, then I hope you will enjoy the book! The official publication date isn’t until January, but by very special arrangement you can buy the book from Kennethwilsoncello.com in time to give it to everyone for Christmas. You can pre-order on the website, for delivery by the end of November.

I don’t know if you can tell that I’m making quite an effort not to fill this post with exclamation marks, because I’m really very excited about it. Somehow the production of a real book feels like a proper conclusion to all the earlier effort and exhaustion.

Of course, it doesn’t stop here. In a way, writing the book is the easy bit; now I have to go out there and sell it. That means endless brazen self-promotion – trying to get gigs at bookshops and literary festivals, art and music venues, and anywhere else that will have me. So if you’re connected with anywhere that might host a Pilgrim Cello performance, and where a few people might buy a book, please let me know!

In the meantime, please order all your Christmas presents from https://kennethwilsoncello.com/product/pilgrim-cello/

Here are a few short quotes designed to inspire your purchasing…

A modern pilgrimage of curiosity, gratitude, and grace.’
Dr. Shaun Cutler, Founder of the Cathedrals Cycle Route.

‘Part travelogue, part spiritual meditation – Kenneth Wilson has turned a very big adventure into a little gem of a book.’
Jack Jewers, author of The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys and Seething Lane: A Samuel Pepys Novel.

‘Elegiac, thoughtful, and filled with warmth. I loved following his extraordinary journey.’
Ava Glass, author of Alias Emma and The Traitor.

‘Kenneth Wilson is a marvel. Read this book and be truly amazed.’ 
Larry Culliford, author of The Big Book of Wisdom, and Happy as Larry: A psychiatrist’s quest for mental health and wellbeing.

‘Britain excels in producing eccentrics; but as far as I know, this is the first case of an eccentric equipped with a bicycle, a cello and a map of cathedrals. Another mad and intriguing adventure for the most intrepid cellist-on-a-bicycle in history.’
Steven Isserlis, CBE, Cellist, Gramophone Hall of Fame, author of The Bach Cello Suites.

‘I found Pilgrim Cello even more enjoyable than Highway Cello – which is saying something. An honest, beautifully-woven narrative that’s a compelling mixture of travelogue, history, philosophy, cycle paths and human interactions, both comic and poignant.’
Louise Voss, author of His Other Woman, The Venus Trap, etc.

‘Pilgrim Cello is a love letter both to English sacred space and to the stubborn human urge to seek meaning on the move… a book that goes beyond words.’
The Revd Dan Tyndall, former Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe Bristol and Honorary Canon of Bristol Cathedral.

‘Delightful. Witty and multi-layered; a page-turning read.’
Dr. Farhad Emad.

‘So much more than just a bike ride…’
Bob Morrow, USA

‘This is a wonderful book, about a remarkable pilgrimage. As a fellow long-distance cyclist, I’m full of admiration for the physical achievement of cycling so far with a cello. Adding to those days in the saddle with musical performances is even more astonishing.  But then being able to share those experiences with such intimacy and humour is perhaps the biggest achievement of all. Thank you for writing this book and bringing us on the journey with you.’
Jonathan Mayes, CEO, Cathedral Music Trust.

Thank you very much!