[1][failed verification] [2] He is best known for his non-fiction—mainly travel writing and memoir—but he has also written two novels and several other books, as well as short stories and newspaper articles.
Nick Lezard in The Guardian chose it as his Book of the Week, commenting "he has a way of telling a story, a pleasing tone, and a way of shoving in a lot of information - and philosophy, too, at one point - without a trace of lecturing.
The London Evening Standard, noting that the contents included "straw mattresses, fireworks, Bonfire Night in Lewes, pop music, floodlit football matches...the Northern Irish linen industry...ex-girlfriends...nightingales, death" concluded that Marchant "carries us through all this, with patience, good humour, self-lacerating honesty and an immense amount of charm.
"[6] Ian Marchant's 2011 programme for BBC Radio 4,[7] The Ghost Trains of Old England was featured on the station's Pick of the Week.
"[9] Some of his work includes: The drama White Open Spaces was staged at the Edinburgh Festival and nominated for an Arts Council Decibel Award in 2008.