IN A Mouthful of Air (Vintage $94), the late Anthony Burgess presents a survey of how the English language has reached its present form and how it is likely to develop further.
Peter O'Toole proves he's more entertaining as a writer than an actor in Loitering With Intent (Pan $102). This, the first volume of his autobiography, is a joyous romp from infancy to the time he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), taking in his thoughts on Adolf Hitler on the way.
Actress Sarah Miles also proves she can wield a pen to some effect in A Right Royal Bastard (Macmillan $288), the first of her autobiographical works. The title springs from the fact she was ''illegitimate, descended from royalty (also from the wrong side of the blanket) and a pain in the arse''.
Julia Clements has spent a lifetime introducing the joys of flowers and flower arranging to people around the world. She talks about her labour of love in My Life With Flowers (Cassell $255).
Vietnamese Buddhist monk and scholar Thich Nhat Hanh has produced two new works: Present Moment, Wonderful Moment (Rider Books $68), which is a volume of ''mindfulness verses for daily living and meditation; and Transformation and Healing ($95), a ''sutra on the four establishments of mindfulness''.
In Advance Force: Pearl Harbour (Pacific Monograph $199), Burl Burlingame reveals a little-known aspect of the Japanese attack on the US in World War II - the underwater assault by submarine. As well as detailed accounts of Japanese preparations for the attack on December 7, 1941, the book contains scores of photographs, illustrations and maps from the time.
