The BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs invites castaways to choose eight pieces of music, a book (in addition to the Bible – or a religious text appropriate to that person's beliefs – and the Complete Works of Shakespeare) and a luxury item that they would take to an imaginary desert island, where they will be marooned indefinitely. The rules state that the chosen luxury item must not be anything animate, nor anything that enables the castaway to escape from the island, for instance a radio set, sailing yacht or aeroplane. The choices of book and luxury can sometimes give insight into the guest's life, and the choices of guests between 1961 and 1970 are listed here.
1961 DateCastawayBookLuxuryMoreinfoVictor GollanczThe Year of Grace by Victor GollanczMeerschaum pipe moreKenneth HorneAnthology of English versePiece of crystal moreBeverley SistersBook of Soccer by Billy Wright, The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon and The Science of Life by H. G. WellsRolls-Royce, water skis and piano moreTed WilliamsHorse and HoundCigarettes moreCyril MillsLes Miserables by Victor HugoBed moreMary UreThe collected plays of John OsbornePainting by Rembrandt in the National Gallery moreAntonioDon Quixote by Miguel de CervantesCrucifix and family photo album moreJimmy EdwardsLady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. LawrenceEuphonium moreJune BronhillThe poems of Ogden NashSuntan oil moreJames MasonFinnegans Wake by James JoyceBagpipes moreCarmen DragonBook on astronomyTelescope moreMichael WildingEncyclopædia BritannicaGolf clubs and balls moreKenneth McKellarEncyclopædia BritannicaTuning fork morePeter ScottThe drawings of Leonardo da VinciUnderwater mask moreBarbara JeffordHistory of the English Speaking Peoples by Winston ChurchillPiano moreBrian ReeceNavigational manualStill moreAdam FaithBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyCold cure, pack of cards and writing materials moreFinlay CurrieThe Dictionary of National Biography17th-century miniature by Peter Oliver moreRalph ReaderGoodbye Mr Chips by James HiltonTypewriter and paper morePietro AnnigoniInternational timetable of ships and trainsDrawing materials and pillow moreKenneth WilliamsThe collected works of George Bernard ShawMichelangelo's Apollo moreKingsley AmisThe collected poetry of Robert GravesAmerican whiskey moreJulian BreamCollection of 16th and 17th-century English poetryGuitar, manuscript paper and pens moreRichard MurdochHistory of the worldGolf clubs and balls moreDr W Grey WalterEverybody's handbook for survival on a desert islandComputer moreAnn HaydonThe plays of Johann Wolfgang GoetheInsect repellent moreRoy HayCandide by VoltaireAsparagus seed moreAnna MasseyBook on mathematicsFamily photographs and tape recorder moreJoe DavisWhitaker's AlmanackGolf clubs and balls moreNelson RiddleThe collected poetry of Robert FrostPiano moreYvonne MitchellCompilation of works of philosophyWriting materials moreGerald DurrellEncyclopædia BritannicaWriting materials moreJack FingletonThe Imitation of Christ by Thomas à KempisGolf clubs and balls moreDiana DorsAnthology of poetryWriting materials moreEdward WardEncyclopædia BritannicaCarving tools moreJohn SlaterPlays and Prefaces by George Bernard ShawStill moreCoral BrowneThe Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar WildeSable coat moreCommander Sir Stephen King-HallParliamentary Practice by Erskine MayGoya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington moreTommy ReillyPicture of the English countrysideHarmonica moreCanon Noel DuckworthThe Imitation of Christ by Thomas à KempisRadio receiver moreHattie JacquesOxford Dictionary of QuotationsPhotograph and recording of her family moreSir Gerald BeadleLife of Samuel Johnson by James BoswellClaret moreWee Georgie WoodMemoirs of a Midget by Walter de la MareWriting materials moreRupert DaviesCandide by VoltaireLump of jade moreVirgil ThomsonEncyclopædia BritannicaMusic manuscript paper, pencils and rubber moreJoan CollinsTeach yourself manual of the principal foreign languagesTelevision set morePaul GallicoAlice in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollWriting materials moreSir Michael BalconOxford English DictionaryWine moreBob HopeGone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellA little money moreGracie FieldsThe Forsyte Saga by John GalsworthyReproduction of Renoir's The Picnic more
1962 DateCastawayBookLuxuryMoreinfoJames GunnLarge anthology of poetryPainting materials moreHughie GreenAn American Tragedy by Theodore DreiserLooking glass moreStuart HibberdAnother World Than This by Vita Sackville-WestRecorder moreKen SykoraScience for the CitizenGuitar moreSir John GielgudOxford Dictionary of QuotationsWatercolour of Versailles by Raoul Dufy moreKay CavendishEncyclopædia BritannicaFlower seeds and armchair moreStanley HollowayMrs Beeton's Household ManagementParking meter and plenty of change moreFrank ChacksfieldThe Pickwick Papers by Charles DickensCine camera moreH E BatesEnglish lyricsBanjo moreIrene HandlReproductions of her favourite picturesPencils and paper moreColonel A D WintleLarge blank bookDog whip moreLouis KentnerOblomov by Ivan GoncharovPencils and paper moreRaymond GlendenningPears CyclopaediaWatercolour paints moreFrank Launder and Sidney GilliatA child's guide to boatbuilding and Short Stories by O HenryWriting materials and reclining chair moreLeslie PhillipsThe rudiments of several useful languagesChess board with jade pieces moreBilly ButlinShort Stories by O HenryDrawing board, paper and pencils moreRobert MorleyThe rules of patienceTwo packs of cards with photographs of his family on the backs moreChristina FoyleThe Diary of a Nobody by George GrossmithHer commonplace book moreLeslie CrowtherThe Second World War by Sir Winston ChurchillSport suit moreSir Fitzroy MacleanAs many works as possible by Robert Louis StevensonStill moreSidney NolanChinese language courseSnorkel mask moreSir Alan CobhamHistory of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston ChurchillJamaican cigars moreEric HoskingField guide to the island's birdsCamera and film moreAlistair CookeChrestomathy by H L MenckenTape recorder moreGiovanni MartinelliInferno by Dante AlighieriBronze statuette of David by Verrocchio moreJohn AllegroSome novels by P G WodehouseRolls-Royce engine moreFranklin EngelmannEnglish dictionaryPainting materials moreStephen SpenderHistory of the Renaissance by Jacob BurckhardtPainting materials moreBruce ForsythThe Rubaiyat by Omar KhayyamGolf clubs and balls morePaul RogersChambers' EncyclopaediaPenny whistle moreMerfyn TurnerA history of WalesPicasso's The Child and the Dove moreCharlie ChesterThe Forsyte Saga by John GalsworthyTypewriter and paper moreLionel TertisBooks by H Rider Haggard, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules VernePortrait of his wife moreEdith DayEssays by Ralph Waldo EmersonRadio receiver moreMario del MonacoEnglish grammarRaphael's The Marriage of Maria moreR F DelderfieldThe French Revolution by Thomas CarlyleTypewriter and paper moreStanley UnwinGrove's Dictionary of Music and MusiciansPainting materials moreL. Hugh NewmanPlays and Prefaces by George Bernard ShawBed morePeter JonesBook on astronomyTelescope moreAntony HopkinsPiano sonatas by BeethovenPiano moreGwen Ffrangcon-DaviesThe Swiss Family Robinson by Johann WyssSkin food moreFanny and Johnnie CradockSmith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology and History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston ChurchillTypewriter and paper and golf clubs and balls morePamela Hansford-JohnsonÀ la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel ProustVan Eyck's Adoration of the Immaculate Lamb moreGeorge ShearingMasterman Ready by Frederick MarryatMetal construction set moreDr Robert StopfordOxford Book of English VersePainting materials moreJack WarnerA Tale of Two Cities (in English and French) by Charles DickensSoap morePeter SaundersWho's Who in the TheatreElectric blanket moreAnna RussellEncyclopædia BritannicaMobile from the Museum of Modern Art moreAcker BilkThe Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahameApple seeds moreA G StreetLadies Whose Bright Eyes by Ford Madox FordPainting of the south Wiltshire countryside more Lord George Sanger Seventy Years a Showman (autobiography of his great-great-grandfather) Tea moreClarkson RoseHistory of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston ChurchillWriting materials moreGeorge MitchellThe Ring Cycle (The Score) by Richard WagnerMusic manuscript paper and pencils more
1963 DateCastawayBookLuxuryMore infoDorothy SquiresVaughan Haddock's Book of Modern VersePiano moreBasil BoothroydOxford Dictionary of QuotationsCurrent popular newspaper moreRichard LewisHistory of Art by H W JansonFilm projector moreNoël CowardThe Human Situation by MacNeill DixonPainting materials moreSir Learie ConstantineThe Old Curiosity Shop and David Copperfield by Charles DickensCricket bat moreMichael BentineEncyclopædia BritannicaPainting materials moreQuentin ReynoldsThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward GibbonTypewriter and paper moreCyril OrnadelThe TalmudPiano morePercy ThrowerGardening encyclopaediaFlower seeds moreArthur HaynesFrench language courseUkulele moreDudley PerkinsThe Complete Works of John MiltonPiano moreLeslie Gilbert IllingworthInstructions for making a stillPainting materials moreSir Harry Whitlohn (fictional; April Fool's Day prank)Telephone directoryMountain moreTed WillisWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyConcertina moreDavid FrostThe collected works of Geoffrey ChaucerPotato crisps moreMarjorie ProopsLarousse GastronomiqueLooking glass moreGeorge ChisholmAnthology of humourTrombone and hair restorer moreProfessor L Dudley StampEveryman's EncyclopaediaWine moreFrank WorrellWork on anthropology by Max GluckmanFilm projector and cricket films moreRowland EmmettThe Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert BurtonHis daughter's teddy bear moreBirgit NilssonThe Second World War by Sir Winston ChurchillSwedish crossword puzzles moreBarry BucknellAnthology of world poetryToilet set moreEva BartokThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryPainting materials moreJoe LossSelection of personal lettersRadio receiver moreBeryl ReidThe World Encyclopaedia of CookeryLipsticks moreBoyd NeelAlice in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollWhisky moreJuliette GrécoAtlasWriting materials moreGeraint EvansAnthology of 20th century verseMouth organ moreVivienneAlice in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollPainting materials moreCarleton HobbsThe Forsyte Saga by John GalsworthyRadio receiver moreIan FlemingWar and Peace (in German) by Leo TolstoyTypewriter and paper moreSir Charles MacleanVolumes of the Illustrated London NewsPiano moreGraham HillVolumes of short stories by Ernest HemingwayArmchair moreDr Reginald JacquesThe Nine Tailors and Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L SayersMusic manuscript paper and pencils moreSophie TuckerThe Conversion of Chaplain Cohen by Herbert TarrmoreRaymond BaxterEncyclopædia BritannicaRodin's Danae moreNorman Del MarLe Petit Larousse IllustrePiano moreGroup Captain Leonard CheshireBreviaryPhotograph of the face on the Holy Shroud at Turin moreBernard CribbinsTarka the Otter by Henry WilliamsonMichelangelo's Pieta morePat MossJames Bond novels by Ian FlemingBed moreAdmiral Sir Michael Maynard DennyThe Ship by LimbergBinoculars morePatrick MooreThe Norton Star AtlasTelescope moreJoan BennettMy Family and Other Animals by Gerald DurrellSuntan lotion moreStephen PotterBook about sea birds and wadersField glasses moreGordon PirieGray's AnatomyMotor car moreRon GrainerTechniques and Civilization by Louis MumfordFlame opal moreT R RobinsonVolume of illustrations of the English countrysideMarine chronometer moreMillicent MartinThe Way of Life by LaoziFour poster bed moreHarford Montgomery HydeLife of Johnson by James BoswellBrandy moreCoco the ClownDictionaryWriting materials moreCyril Smith and Phyllis SellickOxford Book of English Verse and Encyclopædia BritannicaPicture of their children and microphone and amplifier more
1964