In all the years Nigel Moore practised estate management he tried to prove that an indomitable will and self-belief would see him through the vicissitudes of life. If this was not always possible, it was largely because of the determination of his support staff, and those he considered to be his friends, to undermine him at every opportunity _ or so he believed. If the various constituent members of this group were as incompetent as Moore believed, it is hardly likely that they would be able to be successful in their enterprise without the guidance he was always willing to offer. However, this volume of diaries is proof of the contention that it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep a good man down. Nigel Moore is proud to be a man who is as at home in the mosh-pit as he is in the pavilion at LordÕs: truly, a man for all seasons.