AS his 50th birthday dawned, Peter Dunne had a life-changing conversation with a friend and realised that, while may not have invented the Internet or found a cure for cancer, he had nonetheless fathered three remarkable children.

Inspired by that fact, he set out to leave a trail of metaphorical breadcrumbs for them, so that if they ever needed to know what their father might have had to say on a particular subject, it would be set down for them.

The result, The 50 Things, published last week by Trapeze, is a blueprint for liberal, thoughtful living in the modern world. From Comparison to Compassion, from Democracy to Sacrifice, The 50 Things explores the social mores and morality of our time and tries to answer the eternal questions. Wonderful to dip into, an anecdote in the entry expounding how essential laughter is, is itself so laugh-out loud you'll be urging everyone to read it, while his thoughts on grief will have you crying with him.

Peter Dunne has worked in the film industry for over thirty years, holding senior marketing positions at major studios before turning to specialist consultancy work in family entertainment and animation. "If turning 50 was a shock, then finding I had 50 things to say was equally surprising," he revealed in an interview with The Bookseller, "but by far the biggest revelation of all is that, after all this time, I am now a Trapeze artist."

"Humane, funny and above all loving, I wish I had written it to my children," said Fiona Bruce.

The 50 Things by Peter Dunne is published by Trapeze.