by SUE TOWNSEND

Oh, joy! The immortal Mole meets married life - as only he can. Sue Townsend's timeless creation rises again to face parenthood, middle age and the ups and downs of life with the ineffable Daisy Flowers.

For those who have yet to discover Adrian Mole, hilarity awaits. It doesn't much matter where you start; each volume stands on its own merit.

by ARI SETH COHEN

Taking a cue from his own remarkable grandmother, whose stylish wardrobe originally inspired him, the photographer, Ari Seth Cohen, began a blog featuring like-minded fashionistas of a certain age, scarcely realising that he'd struck a social nerve.

Many moons later, with the blog a proven warhorse with women of all ages, he has anthologised the most singular of his fashionable snapshots in a book. Advanced Style portrays the astonishingly varied street fashions of the over-60 set in suitably sophisticated surroundings, along with pithy comments, pocket biographies and even the wardrobes themselves.

If fashion knows no age, this overdue salute to seniors is both a joy and an amusement to behold, and as such is warmly recommended.

Diana Vreeland would be delighted.

Spring 2012

by ION TREWIN

The long-awaited biography of a brilliant diarist, politician and womaniser by his long-time editor.

Ion Trewin not only knew Alan Clark intimately, but remains his literary executor; and as such had unfettered access to a Pandora's box of politically hot potatoes at Saltwood, the Kentish castle that Clark called home, much of it miraculously still intact.

Clark was a political animal, the Pepys of his generation and a very naughty boy. It says a great deal for his long-suffering widow that his archives have been released at all, and it is greatly to his publisher's credit that the results are being published untarnished.

Gossip and political history at their best.

Bombs away!
 

by CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

Christopher Hitchens may well be suffering from terminal cancer, but he's firing on all cylinders en route. And if size were any gauge, this would be his magnum opus.

Hot on the heels of Hitch-22, his colourful, if somewhat selective biography, comes Arguably, which pulls no punches at all. In a massive 800-page tome, covering much of his output since 1994, a cornucopia of his opinionated, forthright prose has been extravagantly anthologised, covering every conceivable subject that has caught his fancy over the intervening years.

Polemicist  par excellence, with tongue to match, this legendary pugilist continues to turn out classics of their kind. Commendably edited, Arguably is vintage Hitch from start to finish, covering both the waterfront and the evolution of a highly agile mind. And, unlike many an essay we know, they're fun.

Using his Churchillian combination of wit, linguistic pyrotechnics and the long lost art of repartee, this remarkable book is not only consistently entertaining, but an entirely fitting monument to a British intellectual of the first order.

Enthusiastically recommended by an old fan.

by WOLCOTT GIBBS

Oh, frabjous day!  After a disgracefully long hiatus, Wolcott Gibbs riseth again from the dead. 

Essayist extraordinaire, critic and wit, this remarkable writer, who joined The New Yorker in  Harold Ross' s heyday in 1927, blazing the trail for such luminaries as James Thurber, E.B. White and Joseph Mitchell, had already contributed a million words to that magazine whilst still in his thirties, including a legendary swathe of theatre reviews, for which he was greatly respected.

Backward Ran Sentences, drawn from his immortal parody of Time magazine's Henry Luce ("Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind"), is a splendid cross-sectional view of his essays, covering New York nightlife, film, profiles, books and Broadway.

Impeccably written, and very well edited, this collection fills an enormous gap in the canon and should be greeted with delight. 

by P.G. WODEHOUSE

Classic PGW, sadly not for sale in Canada (officially, anyway), depicting the antics of one Cyril Fotheringay-Phipps, vulgarly known as "Barmy", in his costly pursuit of an actress.

One of at least 40 other titles in this splendid series of hardcover reissues, all of these are available in London and New York, but none, mysteriously, in the colonies. They are, however, readily importable, as your correspondent will happily attest, and form an indispensable collection of old faves and rareties alike.

Our stores will be delighted to acquaint their readers with the full range reissued thus far - Barmy included.  Warmly recommended, as always.

by HELEN WALASEK, ed.

For a century and a half, the late lamented "Punch" published a steady stream of political and social cartoons that satirised, amused and frequently infuriated its readers.

These have now been selectively anthologised (no mean task) by none other than the former curator of the Punch Library herself ; and at six hundred pages strong, two thousand of them have now been immortalised, not merely as a requiem to a remarkable magazine, but as the creme de la creme of its prodigious output.

Read in conjunction with the New Yorker's own anthology (also recommended), this makes for a study in contrast, but some equally entertaining reading.

by NEW YORKER, eds.

The New Yorker has a seemingly endless supply of material to draw upon for their legendary anthologies, not least dogs and cats.

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs, four hundred pages strong, with a forward by Malcolm Gladwell, is not only a feast of cartoons (Booths galore), but a splendidly curated collection of essays, stories, sketches, poems and drawings, all drawn from the prodigious vaults of that celebrated weekly and instantly recognisable.

Sections devoted to "Good Dogs", "Bad Dogs" and, of course, "Underdogs", are interspersed with pieces from the likes of Anne Sexton, Roald Dahl and the immortal James Thurber.

A Christmasy classic, if ever there was one. Need one say more?

Autumn 2012

by SIMON BRETT

The indefatigable Simon Brett, whose consistently enjoyable mysteries include no less than three series - the Paris mysteries, the Fetherings and now Blotto and Twinks - caps his colourful career with one of his best yet: a funny, Wodehouseian period piece set in the twenties, featuring brainless aristocrats, sardonic servants and dastardly deeds in the library.

Blotto and Twinks are a singular invention. Son and daughter of the house, the one brainy the other a well-meaning dimwit, decide to take over their opening case from the flat-footed local constabulary, exposing more murders, a kidnapping and one of the most delightful bits of British fluff your correspondent has handled in ages.

Dorothy Sayers, where art thou? 

by MARY HORLOCK

"My name is Catherine Rozier, please don't call me Cathy. If you do, I'll jump. Don't think I'm bluffing. It's a 3000 foot drop and even though I'm fat, I'm not fat enough to bounce. I'll dive head first into ye ancient Guernsey granite outcrops and then my mashed-up body will be washed out to sea. Of course if I get the tides wrong, I'll be stranded on the rocks with seagulls eating my eyes. I know for a fact they'll eat anything."

In this entirely delightful debut, Mary Horlock, who grew up on Guernsey and has that island down pat, describes the after-effects of a murder on both its adolescent perpetrator and her equally secretive family. Curiously reminiscent of Bryony Tallis's indelible voice in Atonement, and written in similarly pitch-perfect, teenage tones, The Book of Lies is a well on its way to becoming a minor classic in the UK, mixing a murder mystery with wartime history and a darkly humorous heroine.

Alan Bradley's admirerers will be delighted.

Wonderful stuff. More, please!

by NICOLA BARKER

Nicola Barker, whose seven previous novels include "Darkmans", which was deservedly a runner-up for the Booker Prize, has now branched off at yet another tangent, and written a typically unorthodox comic novel.

"The Burley Cross Postbox Theft" concerns the theft of 27 letters from an English country village's solitary postbox, and its effect on both its denizens and the detective concerned. Such Wodehouseian worthies as the Jonty Weiss-Quinns, Jeremy Baverstock, Baxter Thorndike and Mrs. Tirza Parry (widow), conspire to undo the deeds of the letters concerned, whose entertaining contents, fully revealed, baffle our detective and form the backbone of the book.

This is not everybody's cup of tea, and not overly mysterious, either; but as social satire, very funny and hard to beat. 

by SUSAN FINDEN

Cat books are sadly a dime a dozen; but news of the demise of Casper, the famous cat who commuted daily on Plymouth's No. 3 bus, amassing a fan club, a website and an international following en route, proved a "viral" event at the time and an exception to the rule, prompting thousands of emails and this most unusual book.

Written as an upbeat memorial, his bemused owner, Susan Finden, tells the colourful tale of this otherwise unremarkable beastie, whose affection for buses (and their indulgent drivers) is now the stuff of legend.

Hardly literature, and no Sheila Burnford ( whose immortal The Incredible Journey remains the one to beat), this is nonetheless a highly amusing account of one resourceful black and white cat, whose daily departures and homecomings made him the most popular commuter in Plymouth.

Pure froth, but delightfully illustrated and warmly recommended to any and all so inclined.

by WILLIAM STEIG

William Steig, the immortal creator of such children's classics as Doctor De Soto and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, contributed no less than seven decades' worth of  cartoons to The New Yorker, leaving behind a formidable array of unpublished drawings at his death.

His widow, Jeanne Steig, herself a respected artist, has culled a cool 450 of these into a single, splendid collection, peppering them with biographical snippets, anecdotes and commentary as only she can.

While a full biography has yet to be written - and one devoutly hopes it will be - this is a superb cross-sectional teaser, which immortalises a remarkable author and illustrator, whose ineffable sense of humour and expansive choice of subjects spanned the generations for almost three quarters of a century. 

Buried treasure of the first order - well edited and very funny, indeed.

by GABRIEL CHEVALLIER

The return of an old favourite.

Long out of print, Clochemerle satirizes the titanic confrontation of secular and religious forces in a small wine-growing village in Beaujolais. When the mayor decides he wants to leave behind a monument to his administration's achievements, he takes as his model the ancient Romans, who were famous for two things: hygiene and noble edifices.

He decides to unite the two concepts by constructing a public urinal in the centre of town. The chosen locale, however, is next to the village church.

Very French, very funny and very welcome.

by LUISA DILLNER, ed.

Cut from similar cloth to The Complete Book of Aunts (and not to be taken seriously, either), this equally splendid anthology of jokes, essays and anecdotes is heaped upon the famous and infamous alike.

Tongue-in-cheek throughout, this delightful tome is perfect for the guest bedroom or loo alike, and makes a marvellous stocking-stuffer for those so inclined.

by JACKIE BENNETT et al, eds.

A welcome reissue of a delightful anthology, this is a witty and often scathing collection of personal accounts by well-known women authors, who discuss how their convent educations affected their lives, from spirituality to sexuality.

Marvellously edited, it is a delight to have this back: funny, mischievous and on occasion downright naughty (q.v. the jacket), it remains a minor classic of its kind.

by JAMES HAMILTON-PATERSON

James Hamilton-Paterson has done it again.

Gerald Samper, an effete Englishman, foodie, and ghostwriter for celebrities, lives on a hilltop in Tuscany. His idyll is shattered by the arrival of Marta, a vulgar woman from the Soviet Republic. The neighbours' lives disastrously intertwine in this witty and merciless satire on the English obsession with Tuscany.

Another amusing classic from a lamentably under-estimated author, whose range is as broad as it is unorthodox..
 

by MAX HASTINGS

The amiable and much respected historian, Max Hastings, descends from several generations of colourful characters, not least his absurd but loveable father, Macdonald Hastings, and his equally well-known mother, the garden writer, Anne Scott-James. 

In this delightful memoir, where the author himself plays second fiddle, warm tribute is paid to his remarkable tribe, which is responsible for an astonishing 60-odd books between them through successive generations, including his own. His parents, to whom he was manifestly devoted, were clearly a bit of a handful; but Max himself, as so often is the case when Britain's finest founder, was redeemed by a memorable English nanny, who exerted a benevolent and lifelong interest in him, reflected in his famous career.

Funny, anecdotal and gossipy (the TV episode really did take place), this is a splendid example of how a family memoir should be written: with affection, humour and firmly  tongue-in-cheek. 

by CHERRY DENMAN

Funny, gossipy and anecdotal, this is a long-suffering wife's cheerful account of life with a British diplomat constantly on the move in ever more obscure outposts of the empire.

Light as a feather, and accompanied by highly appropriate cartoons of her own, this is one for the guest bedroom - having read it first yourself!  

by BRIGID KEENAN

When the Sunday Times fashion journalist, Brigid Keenan, married the love of her life in the late sixties, she had little idea of the rollercoaster diplomatic journey they would make around the world together.

This is the delightful, rueful and thoroughly enjoyable memoir of a diplomat's wife with a sense of humour, who gave up her career to follow her spouse to the world's furthest outposts for 30 indulgent years.

Perfect for stockings and warmly recommended.

by JEREMY CLARKSON

It is a constant source of bafflement to this correspondent that the irrepressible Jeremy Clarkson is not as thoroughly well known in the Americas as he is in the U.K.

Not even published, let alone appreciated in the States, his legendary humour marches on unabated in Britain, where his legendary essays on everything skewerable under the sun are published week in and week out  in The Sunday Times, to huge acclaim.

Never out of print, such classics as "Born to be Riled" and "Don't Stop Me Now" are now joined by "For Crying Out Loud". Covering the likes of binge drinking and political correctness, this is every bit as funny as its predecessors.

Eminently suited to the family loo - or, equally, the sickbed - this is British wit ant its finest, and most highly recommended. 

by DAVE et al NASSER

Acquiring a dog sight unseen is a hazardous game at best, but when a 17-pound puppy  lands on your lap, buyer beware.

Having made the useful discovery that he could bribe his brand new wife into moving to Tucson by simply giving her a dog, Dave Nasser went contrarian, deliberately choosing the runt of a litter of Great Danes on the Internet.

Enter Giant George, an outrageously bumbling beast - large of paw, limpid of eye and gentle of mien - who took over both their home and their hearts, spawning this delightful book.

Too big for the puppy run and too timid for the park, this amiable monster, who weighed an unbelievable 70 pounds when he was only 5 months old, proceeded to turn into an eye-popping 245 pounds of hound, breaking Guinness records and becoming world-class in the process. With no counter or sink sacrosanct, and no peace for the wicked, this gentle giant evolved into a local landmark that stopped traffic, staggered his vet and delighted his owners.

Perfect for the hospital bed or loo, this frothy bit of fun joins Casper, the Commuting Cat  as one of our pet faves.

Enthusiastically recommended, if a warning to us all!

Spring 2012

by ALAN TYERS

Victorian parenthood lends itself most horribly to a good deal of ribbing, not all of it good-natured. Gin and Juice is the perfect antidote.

In this highly amusing spoof on contemporary parenthood manuals, Alan Tyers has concocted a Victorian guide to surviving smalls. Complete with period illlustrations entirely out of context, and cartoons by the irrepressible Beach, this singular little tome features a spurious introduction by Queen Victoria - she the mother of seventeen children herself - in which she espouses such innovations as the naval method (lots of water at birth), the ghastliness of nannies, and the steam-powered breast pump ("no fatalities since April!").

Consistently funny, very original and a stocking-stuffer par excellence (it will actually fit), this most British of additions to the humour shelf makes the perfect gift for brand-new and seasoned mums alike - and not a few of their bemused husbands.

Spring 2012

by ROSEMARY, ed. JARSKI

An old favourite of ours, this is a unique and delightful anthology, containing over 4,000 humorous quotations and anedotes, from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde; P.G. Wodehouse to Blackadder.

Covering every subject imaginable, from God to dogs, this book lives up to its title and is a classic collection of British wit.

by JACQUELINE SIMPSON

There's a lot more to pub names than the dreaded Duke of York.

Armed with prodigious curiosity, a revealing index and a strong sense of humour, the well-known British folklorist, Jacqueline Simpson, of Lore of the Land fame (equally fascinating, one might add), has made an unexpected, but thoroughly welcome departure, by researching the fascinating origins of English pub names.

This is no catalogue raisonnee. Nor is it intended to be. Instead, divided by subject, it is a cross-sectional view of the sheer oddity of British nomenclature when carried to extremes. Green Men and White Swans includes such worthies as The Spotted Cow, of course, but also includes the rather less known Cat i'the Well, Brazen Head, and Whiffler (the last shamelessly close to your correspondent's heart, having grown up with one in Suffolk).

Very evocative, light as a feather and altogether revealing. Hats off to all concerned. 

Summer 2011

by L.C. TYLER

The British "cozy" never seems to go out of style. On the contrary, it appears to be enjoying a recent renaissance, not least at the hands of one L.C. Tyler, whose familiar heroes, Ethelred and Elsie (as in L.C.?) make a welcome third appearance.

Featuring a motley cast of characters, of whom even Poirot would be proud, The Herring in the Library is once again set in a stately home, involving murderous doings too rich for the heads of the local constabulary.

For those who like their thrillers leavened with a strong shot of humour a la Simon Brett, this should fill the bill in spades.

Frivolous, frothy and fun.

Summer 2011

by ALEKSANDRA MIR

Cooks, both professional and amateur, tend to take themselves rather too seriously nowadays, and this book is a breath of fresh air.

The best way of learning, unlike Wall Street, is to make mistakes; and in this delightful concoction, the bemused editor has converted a thousand-odd culinary caveats , largely from amateurs like herself, into a hilarious, eminently dabbleable tome which will amuse cooks and non-cooks alike.

Drawn from her own, highly popular website, these brief, but pithy commentaries are amusing, enlightening and surprisingly reassuring. Thoroughly recommended.

by JEREMY CLARKSON

Another Clarkson classic.

Jeremy Clarkson looks at the planes, trains and automobiles that "have that certain something", and tells the fascinating stories of the geniuses and visionaries that built them, poking holes in their creators at every opportunity.

Drawn, as usual, from his weekly articles in The Sunday Times, these essays remain the epitome of British wit: rapier-sharp, well-aimed, stylish and irreverent.

The perfect book for boys of all ages, and so say all of us.

by DEBORAH & PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR DEVONSHIRE

iN 1956, the Duchess of Devonshire, youngest of the six Mitford sisters, invited the late lamented Patrick Leigh Fermor to stay at Lismore Castle in Ireland, spawning a lifelong friendship and a steady correspondence for the rest of their lives.

Debo, the unashamed Philistine (albeit with a couple of books under her own belt, not least  "Wait for Me"), and Paddy, the celebrated travel writer, wrote highly entertaining letters to each other for half a century - he from Greece, she from Chatsworth - before being finally anthologised; and this is the cheerful result. Ably edited by another member of that astonishing tribe, Charlotte Mosley, this is a book to dabble in, chuckle over and wonder at; and for those of us fond of reading other people's personals, a minor classic of its kind.  

by RICK JOLLY

The current fascination for military and naval nostalgia continues unabated.

Jackspeak, already a classic of its kind and now into its third (greatly expanded) edition, is a definitive collection of naval slang compiled by the legendary  "Doc" Jolly, a retired RM-surgeon who spent a quarter of a century in the service (he commanded the medical base on the Falkland Islands during the hostilities, receiving medals from both protagonists) and another quarter of a century refining the text.

In its latest, ever more colourful, incarnation, this hilarious little thumper, a full 550 pages long, features no less than 4,000 alphabetical entries, accompanied by period drawings by Tugg, the immortal cartoonist from Navy News.

From assy to yomp, a period piece; the bible on the subject; and fascinating throughout.

by BORIS JOHNSON

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is becoming almost as controversial as his predecessor, Ken Livingstone, but for completely different reasons. Gregarious to a fault and outrageously behaved, he grows nonetheless more popular with every passing year, aided and abetted by his ubiquitous bicycle, a colourful stint in Parliament, and the literary reputation that precedes him.

In this year of years for that town of towns, he has burst forth with his own variations on a theme: the most entertaining collection of potted biographies thus far. Deploying his trademark style and humour to maximum effect, Johnson's Life of London is a highly eclectic, and very personal, view of characters old and new that he feels have left their mark there over the years. From Turner to Wilkes, Churchill to Chaucer, and even - God help us - Keith Richards,  the essays are the same: anecdotal, consistently funny and brilliantly written throughout.

Perfect for the bedside table, don't be surprised to hear your guests chuckling away as they tumble off to sleep.

Great fun from start to finish.

Spring 2012

by JAY McINERNEY

Jay McInerney is not only well known for his novels, but also for his knowledge of wine.

From A Hedonist in the Cellar  to Bacchus and Me, and now, delightfully, The Juice, he shows an increasing mastery of a topic that is notoriously tricky to write about; but which, in the right hands, is a joy to absorb, as it were. 

In a well-curated collection of his recent work - much of it drawn, improbably, from The Wall Street Journal, where he has resided for over a decade - his wit and delight are on full display. In such essays as "The Retro Dudes of Napa", "Oh No! Not Pinot Grigio!" and "Writer, Importer, Gentleman Spy" , his ability to educate and talent to amuse remain peerless in equal measure.

Free of pomposity and light as a feather, this is not a book to read in one gulp but, much like its subject, to savour.

Perfect for gits and great fun to read, it comes warmly recommended (hic!).  

Spring 2012

by WILLIAM COOK

Auberon Waugh, Evelyn's eldest, was very much cut from his father's cloth. Witty, portly and fun, he left an indelible impression on those fortunate enough to know him, together with a huge literary output of his own.

Beloved as the "founding father" of The Literary Review,  which serves to this day as the bible of British book reviews at the Hoare house (he is still sorely missed by that marvellous monthly), his essays, reviews, aphorisms and anecdotes have been ingeniously culled and anthologised, in chronological order, to form a kind of biography of this endearing, gregarious and colourful man.

William Cook has edited this entertaining book much as his subject might have: thoroughly, knowledgeably and well. A fitting memorial to a remarkable character, whose legacy lives on.

by RONALD, ed. IRVING

Groucho Marx's immortal remark that "I was married by a judge: I should have asked for a jury" is joined by a string of equally humorous, rueful and historic legal anecdotes in this splendid compendium, which was first published in England and is now belatedly here.

It was well worth the wait.  Ronald Irving has compiled a stout stocking-stuffer of a book that lends itself equally to bedside or loo and is pure entertainment.

Peppershot with cartoons and eminently giftable, The Law is a Ass, indeed - right down to the  jacket.

by RONALD SEARLE

The late lamented Ronald Searle, whose immortal cartoons are surely only matched by Giles, used humour even in circumstances most dire.

When his wife, Monica, contracted cancer in 1969, and was subjected to a relentless series of chemotherapy sessions (from which she subsequently recovered), he created a succession of drawings, one per appointment,  to cheer her up when she got home.

These ineffable cartoons - typical, fizzy and affectionate - form the basis of this improbable little curio, the title of which, of course, is itself a spoof on Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.   

British nonsense, most emphaticall, but a wonderful gift to its original recipient and a perfect stocking-stuffer, forty years on.

by DELIA EPHRON

The screenwriter of such eminent forgettables as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and You've Got Mail  is fortunately also an accomplished novelist - and, by definition, a funny one.

Three women walk into a bar; but not just any bar, and not just any women. One is a recovering alcoholic, another a small-time klepto, and the third the wife of a holy roller minister, fleeing her stifling background. All are on the run for relatively harmless transgressions, when their car expires outside a run-down bar, with little to recommend it other than its mascot: an affectionate, elderly circus lion named Marcel.

The tale of how this improbable trio finds redemption in the least likely of places, turning both the bar and their own unhappy lives around, is an extremely amusing set piece. Very American, but typical of its colourful creator, whose enviable track record goes from strength to strength.

Great as a gift, light as a feather and firmly tongue-in-cheek (including the splendidly Photoshopped jacket). 

Spring 2012

by JOHN SUTHERLAND

John Sutherland, Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London, belies his wordy soubriquet, and is to the world of English letters what the late lamented John Leonard was to American: erudite, funny and immensely entertaining.

In his latest work - a magnum opus if ever there was one - he has managed to compress no less than 294 literary biographies within the confines of a single, 800-page whopper. With typically catholic taste, ranging from classics to clunkers, "king of the pulps" to penny dreadfuls, this remarkably durable character has somehow managed to encapsulate the best and the worst of an enormous range of novelists in less than three pages apiece, teasing the mind and whetting the appetite in the most unexpected directions.

Yale University Press has pretty catholic taste itself; but in this masterpiece of literary entertainment, it has really outdone itself. Lives of the Novelists will be resting securely on your correspondent's bedside table (if it doesn't cause its collapse) for a very long time to come.  

Endlessly amusing and absolutely peerless. 

Spring 2012

by WILLIAM IAN MILLER

This marks the first time in literally 40 years that we've been foxed by a book's sub-title, which simply doesn't fit. it is nonetheless the sub-title that says it all.

Losing It...In which an Aging Professor Laments his Aging Brain, which he Flatters Himself formerly did him Noble Service, and in which he Makes Moan of Aches and Flaccidities, but does soon Forsake his Dull Self for More Interesting Ones in History & Ancient Fiction is one of those hilarious oddities which Yale University Press, God bless them, pop into their erudite mix at  the most improbable moments.

This hilarious gallymaufry of essays, in which said Professor embarks on a far-ranging dissertation on aging; philosophy; aches and pains; baby boomers; resentment of one's heirs; the settling of old scores; and rueful reflection in general, is written with glee, tongue firmly in cheek, and makes for wonderful reading.

Nora Ephron, meet your match. Most enjoyable from start to finish (and makes a splendid gift).
 

by DAVID WALLIAMS

It remains incomprehensible to us, as booksellers, why this beguiling tale has not fared better than it has.

Mr Stink is pure Roald Dahl (to whom the author, David Walliams, has rightly been compared): one of those ineffable creations for 8- to 12-year-olds that comes out of a clear blue sky, sparking giggles in all directions. Published to instant acclaim in Britain in 2009, it continues to sell like a rocket over there, but at a positvely glacial pace out here, largely through word-of-mouth.

The story is simple enough.  Lonely girl meets local tramp, who smells like a polecat, but has a heart of gold, a sweet smile and a very soft spot for children. Realising he has nowhere to stay, the child, who bonds with him instantly and whose name is Chloe, promptly hides him in the garden shed, where the aroma inevitably exposes him to her posh and snobby parents.

The story of how this social disaster slowly turns the tables, engaging all around him,  is one of the funniest books we've handled in years. With illustrations by none other than Quentin Blake (speaking of Roald Dahl), this has rightly been dubbed a classic in the UK, and we devoutly hope it becomes one here.

A grand read-aloud, this is unreservedly recommended - to children and parents alike!

by TERRY DARLINGTON

The hilarious and true story of a retired English couple's intrepid attempt to cross the English Channel by narrowboat, against the advice of all authorities, before sailing down the Rhone to Carcassonne in the south of France.

Two indomitable pensioners and their whippet dog on a romantic but delightfully lunatic adventure - comic travel writing at its best.

by NOEL COWARD

Barry Day, whose devotion to the Coward cause is legendary, has at last been able to anthologise the remarkably varied oeuvre of this splendid entertainer, in a definitive, 600-page thumper that includes essays, prose, plays, fiction, verse, lyrics and anecdotes.

It not only fills the gaps in the rich range of Cowardiana already available, but finally permits one-stop shopping for Noel Coward's legion of friends and admirers anxious to own a cross-sectional view of his work, but not necessarily the whole shooting match.

Hand-picked and consistently excellent throughout.

by ANNIE TEMPEST

Those who recall the immortal Osbert Lancaster, and/or subscribe to the equally durable "Country Life", will identify immediately with Annie Tempest, whose inimitable cartoons more than match her predecessor's, and have done so for years.

They come, admittedly, at a price; but bearing in mind they are, unusually, in colour - and, by definition, aimed at the posher end of the market - the print run is necessarily limited.

So, gather ye laughter while ye may: this is a splendidly snobby send-up of Ascot, Belgravia and British society in general, which the late lamented Punch would itself have been proud to publish.

 Very funny, socially astute and London through and through. 

by STEPHEN FRY

With all due respect to Jeremy Clarkson, someone got there first. Stephen Fry, whose peerless essays precede JC's by a comfortable decade or two, is, if anything, even funnier, and certainly as sharp, as his equally legendary contemporary. It is, therefore, a delight to observe that the Fry collection is not only still in print (like Clarkson's, God be praised), but has undergone a marked improvement in its formerly drab appearance.

None more so than in Paperweight, which first came out in 1992, but even beats, in our modest opinion, the autobiographical Moab Is My Washpot. Brilliant, self-deprecating, and Wodehouseian in their humour, these essays are as timeless today as they were in their prime. Such immortals as Trefusis and the Monocled Mutineer and The Wimbledon Horror live on in all their glory, along with a clutch of other classics that bring convulsions at every turn.

"House favourites" is a horrible term, but for want of a better one, so be it. Both these authors are national treasures, and it's the devil to decide who's best.

by HUGH WARWICK

There will always be an England.

This is a totally endearing study of that ineffably British creature, the lowly hedgehog, in whose honour - even now - country traffic literally grinds to a halt, surveys are made and societies formed (including the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, of whom the author is a charter member).

Complete with highly suitable illustrations (Eernest Shepard, where art thou?), and a cheerfully humorous approach, this is an ideal stocking-stuffer for fans of all ages.

by JILL ABRAMSON

Books on dogs are a dime a dozen and rarely written well; but when they are, they're a joy.

The Puppy Diaries, kept by none other than the executive editor of The New York Times, is just such a book. Written as the result of a hugely successful column she write for that paper's website in 2009, in which she detailed the rollicking ups and downs of puppyhood, Jill Abramson 's then nine-week-old golden retriever, Scout, became the innocent instigator of an electronic onslaught from all quarters of the country that escalated into the most visited photo album of the year.

Part biography, part reportage and part how-to, this affectionate account of a puppy's first year is destined for many a stocking at Christmas time and an absolute delight.

With a jacket like this, how can it miss?   

by CALVIN TRILLIN

The irrepressible Calvin Trillin, whose humour over the years has been peerlessly consistent, has beaten The New Yorker to it and finally anthologised himself..

Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin is a hand-picked indulgence of such classics as "All Puffed Up" ("I haven't quite figured out how cigar smoking got taken over by Wall Street types who wear red suspenders") to Sarah Palin ("On a clear day, I see Vladivostok") and his beloved Alice ("Now that it's fashionable to reveal intimate details of married life, I can state publicly that my wife, Alice, has a weird predilection for limiting our family to three meals a day").

Prime Christmas material, this is vintage fare from an old hand, and quite the funniest collection of essays we've handled in ages.

by RALPH STEADMAN

Ralph Steadman, whose trademark cartoons have enlivened the pages of the British press for, lo! these many years, remains an acquired taste for some, but a hoot to his many admirers.

Here he turns to one of his pet passions, as it were (another being wine, vide the immortal Grapes of Ralph) with a hilarious salute to dogs, in all their shapes and sizes. Caricatured to a faretheewell, these splendid spoofs draw inevitable comparisons to those of Ronald Searle, but are every bit as funny.

British humour at its best, this is vintage fare from a seasoned hand, and great fun from start to finish.  

by NICHOLAS HASLAM

Nicky Haslam, society decorator, globetrotter, and Old Etonian extraordinaire, launched this hilarious autobiography on an unsuspecting public in 2009, to deserved, if bemused, acclaim.

Cecil Beaton could not have done better. Name-dropping from every pore, master of anecdote, his friends and acquaintances legion, this astonishingly well-written and naughty work is one of the best insider accounts of high society's foibles your correspondent has ever read, and worthy of a long life in paperback.

Gossip of the most sophisticated order: uproariously funny and warmly recommended.

by CLARISSA DICKSON WRIGHT

The Jeremy Clarkson of cooks.

For those who enjoyed "Spilling the Beans", her other splendid collection of culinary essays and anecdotes, Clarissa Dickson Wright, who was one half of the "Two Fat Ladies" and an endearing (and enduring) eccentric in her own right, has done it again.

Her first installment sold a cool quarter of a million copies in the U.K., much to that country's credit, and there's every reason to believe that history will repeat itself.

Upbeat, funny and singularly British.

by WILIAM WOODRUFF

There will always be an England.

This is the remarkable memoir of William Woodruff’s impoverished childhood in a declining Lancashire cotton town.

Poignant, funny and told with no trace of self-pity, it is a marvellous social as well as family history and has surprised us all by being consistently popular for years.

by SARAH MNOOKIN

Madison Avenue would not be Madison Avenue without Bergdorfs at its helm.

With this delighful festschrift, compiled from from customers and staff alike, we finally have a salute worthy of this iconic store, whose stately elegance, both inside and out, has presided over the street for well over a century.

Opening with a handsome history of the building itself (and its famous rooftop flat), the book is in equal measures froth, gossip, humour and reminiscence. With fashion to the fore, and names dropped in all directions, it is long overdue, highly entertaining, and cheerfully recommended.  

Autumn 2012

by MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD

For those who enjoy their social satire served up in a New England setting, strongly laced with humour, this one can hardly be bettered.

Maggie Shipstead 's beguiling debut concerns a wealthy family converging on their summer retreat - a pristine island off Cape Cod - for the weekend wedding of their very pregnant daughter. In the  musical chairs that ensue, both social and sexual, the author pokes fun at the deliciously scandalous behaviour of the privileged - guests and hosts alike - with dead-on humour and a gimlet eye.

Strongly reminiscent of Amor Towles' Rules of Civility, but perhaps even better written, this entertaining romp is just what the doctor ordered.

One for Joanna Trollope. Pure froth from start to finish, but a treat all the way.

Summer 2012

by SIMON GRAY

When he turned 65, the playwright Simon Gray began to keep a diary: not a careful honing of the day's events with an eye to literary immortality, but an account of his thoughts as he had them - honestly, turbulently and digressively expressed.

Three volumes later - the others being "Year of the Jouncer" and "The Last Cigarette" (he died of smoking) -  we have a literary monument of unusual range and variety. Few diarists have been as frank about themselves, and even fewer as entertaining.

A bedside treat. Great fun to dabble in, and even better as an (eminently affordable) set.

by ALAN BENNETT

Alan Bennett is a British national treasure.

Once again championing the lower orders (in which he seems to specialise), "Smut" belies its title. Comprising two long short stories, "The Shielding of Mrs Forbes" and "The Greening of Mrs Donaldson", either of which might have served as well, but both of which are minor classics, this is vintage fare and right up to snuff.

Social commentary, disguised as fiction, written with customary verve, humour and charm.  P.G. Wodehouse, where art thou?

by ROSAMOND BERNIER

Editor-at-large for Vogue from 1945 on (where she was offered three jobs at once), the grande dame of New York culture, Rosamond Bernier, knew many of the leading lights in fashion, music, art and design during her long career, befriending many of them for life and outliving most.

With privileged access to the likes of Picasso, Miro and Matisse (who took one look at her floor-length, orange Balenciaga and told her to "wear a yellow scarf with it"), this legendary lady - Philadelphia-born, British-educated, and Sarah Lawrenced for good measure - has amassed a formidable array of cultural anecdotes over the years, the more treasured of which have finally found their way into print..

Ever discreet (she was married to John Russell, after all, and founded L'OEIL), this delightful  "scrapbook memoir" takes a rather less brash approach to that of Diana Vreeland, whose gossipy classic, D.V.  (itself now handsomely reissued, and ever recommended), was also anecdotally based; but Some of My Lives lives up to its sub-title entirely and is considerably more artsy . it is not, however,  intended to be a fully-fleshed biography - that, sadly, will have to wait - but is a fascinating, snippety glimpse of life at the cultural top by a 95-year old in her prime.

One for Gully Wells. Warmly recommended - and not just to arts freaks.

Autumn 2012

by RONALD SEARLE

As cartoonists go, Ronald Searle is a national treasure. Along with the late lamented Giles, and to a lesser extent, Thelwell, he retains an indelible hold on the British psyche and rarely puts a foot wrong.

"Something in the Cellar" is his timeless twist on the world of wine, reissued in all its glory after a long hiatus. It remains not merely a splendid spoof on those who take their wine a bit too seriously, but a genuine delight in its own right.

British humour at its best (and a splendid gift for aficionados capable of laughing at themselves).
 

by ANDREW et al PARRIS

In Parting Shots, the first salvo in what we devoutly hope might become a series, Andrew Parris anthologised a highly amusing collection of so-called valedictories - that time-honoured tradition in Foreign Office diplomacy whereby British ambassadors are permitted to let off steam with rare impunity by addressing their colleagues openly as they quit their posts.

That delightful tome, which is still in print and remains a classic of its kind, is now followed by a further collection of letters, this time largely devoted to First Impressions - an equally sacrosanct tradition, in which ambassadors relatively new to their posts are permitted to circulate similarly frank and engaging screeds to each other following their first three months in office.

The Spanish Ambassador's Suitcase is a peerless collection of such exchanges, emanating from such outposts as Moscow, Laos, Budapest and the Baltic States. In a judicious blend of both the serious and the flippant, but uniformly well written, this is a further classic in the making and enthusiastically commended.

Bedside reading at its best.

Winter 2012

by CHARLIE CROKER

Those who recall the immortal "French Widow in Every Room" will welcome "Still Lost in Translation" with open arms.

Charlie Croker's hilarious collection of mangled signage (the earlier "Lost in Translation" is curiously not for sale in North America) extends to foreign hotels, beaches and bars, and ranges from "Please press hard on cock for water" to "PHYSIO THE RAPIST"  and "Beach of Irregular Bottoms".

But the best, as far as your correspondent is concerned, remains "Any guest wishing to take a bath please make arrangements to have one with Mrs. Harvey."

Guest bedside reading (best guestside?) and a stocking stuffer par excellence.

by LUKE DEMPSEY

Three amiable madmen - one newly divorced, all obsessed with birding - take a coast-to-coast trip in search of feathered friends with unintentionally hilarious consequences.

As recorded by one of them - the publishing director, improbably, of Ballantine Books - this is Bill Bryson with knobs on. Great fun not only for aficionados, but also for literary travellers who don't take themselves - or this - too seriously.

by JAMES THURBER

James Thurber, like H.L. Mencken, is long overdue for revival.

A single collection is unlikely to achieve this, but as anthologies go, The Thurber Carnival  is unlikely to be bettered.

A classic from the day it was first published in 1945, and redolent of The New Yorker  throughout (try "The Night the Bed Fell" for starters), these immortal, humorous pieces remain happily in print sixty years on, to the lasting delight of all who encounter them.

Priceless, timeless and, as always, recommended.  

by JULIA STUART

This whimsical confection concerns one Balthazar Jones, who lives - as Beefeaters still do - in the Tower of London, together with his wife; a 180-year-old tortoise named Mrs. Cook; and a motley assortment of characters, ranging from Ruby, the Rack & Ruin's barmaid to the tattooed ticket collector, Mr. Catnip, and the Reverend Septimus Drew.

All earn their keep from London's tourist attraction to end them all; are mutually dependent; and uniformly delightful. But none foresees the Queen deciding to house her collection of animals given to her by foreign dignitaries inside those hallowed walls.

One for the McCall Smith crowd. Total nonsense and great fun from start to finish.

by ROSE MACAULAY

As opening lines go, "'Take my camel, dear,' said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return for High Mass" is well nigh immortal, enshrined, as it is, in the annals of British humour.

Ever since this priceless period piece was first published (in 1956, and never out of print since), The Towers of Trebizond  has endeared itself to legions of readers, largely by word of mouth.

Set in the outer reaches of Turkey, a group of unorthodox travel companions wends it way from Istanbul to Trebizond in true Chaucerian tradition, encountering all manner of  questionable characters en route.

As your correspondent's father was wont to say, "The line is thinly drawn between comedy and farce".  Herewith, a prime example of both.

by ANDREW MARTIN

In the recent run of books on London (Johnson's Life of London and Londoners, to cite two prime examples), one of the odder entrants in a surprisingly varied horse race is a colourful study of the much maligned (and aging) Tube.

Written by one who knows his subject, Andrew Martin specialises in mysteries set on trains (Death on a Branch Line, Last Train to Scarborough), but here turns his hand to the real McCoy: an entertaining social history of the London Underground, which, despite its name, is in fact 55% above ground. Would one be electrocuted for urinating on the power rail? Which gaps should one be especially mindful of? And which stations stilll use lifts?

Anyone who can make sense of the Northern Line is to be congratulated right off. But to visit every station? Blimey!  With tongue in cheek and a suitably retro cover, this is great fun from start to finish for closet aficionados and expats alike.  

by GERVASE PHINN

From his many years working as a Yorkshire school inspector, Gervase Phinn has put together this hilarious compilation of nativity play anecdotes, including children forgetting their lines, ad-libbing, falling off the stage, picking their noses and showing their knickers.

This is very much a house favourite, and borders on a Christmas classic. (It is also eminently suited to Christmas stockings and is your correspondent's annual party piece.)

by ALAN BRADLEY

A travelling puppet show descends on an unsuspecting country village in 1950s England, precipitating an untimely demise in the midst of the proceedings.

Enter our fearless 11-year-old heroine, Flavia de Luce, whose humour and intelligence once again trump that of the plodding police.

Alan Bradley has done it again. This is every bit as funny as its predecessor ("Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie") and bodes well to forming a memorable series.

by WILL GOMPERTZ

Will Gompertz is hardly a household name in North America, but as the BBC's arts editor, and prior to that a director of the formidable Tate Modern, he is the British equivalent of Robert Hughes and a literary force to reckon with.

What Are You Looking At? is a light and lively history of modern art, aimed squarely at the five million people who patronise the Tate each year and at least as many again who loathe everything it stands for. He tells the stories behind such icons as Andy Warhol 's soup cans, Damien Hirst 's pickled shark, and the infamous urinal that changed the course of artistic history; but goes back to their roots, citing the equally charged reception that first greeted impressionism and many a subsequent school of art.

 Written with both wisdom and humour, this is the book that Bill Bryson should have written, but didn't.

Warmly recommended to converts and heathen alike.

Autumn 2012

by P.G. WODEHOUSE

In a country consumed by hockey and baseball, cricket is hardly the flavour of the sporting month; but for those with an affection for that hallowed game, and for its lifelong fan, P.G. Wodehouse, a rare treat awaits - on both fronts.

Wodehouse at the Wicket is an anthology of  PGW's essays, articles and fictions on this most gentlemanly of games, written throughout the course of his very long life. As such, it is a tantalising glimpse of another side of his colourful character: long known, much respected, but all too rarely celebrated.

Frothy perhaps, and firmly tongue-in-cheek, but vintage Wodehouse for his legion of admirers, and warmly recommended.

Summer 2011

by SUE TOWNSEND

It is hard to believe that The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 is already 30 years old, still less that it has sold over 20 million copies. But so it is, and so it has.

Perhaps to mark the occasion, its ineffable author has written something quite different. The Woman Who Went to Bed For a Year recounts the tale of a hitherto normal housewife who, realising she's been taken for granted for years, goes to bed and resolutely stays there the day her children leave home.

In the fallout that follows, she becomes a neighbourhood cause celebre, relishing the effect she has on her husband in particular (whom she discovers has been having an affair), but also on her window cleaner and a handsome local handyman named Alexander.

This is vintage Sue Townsend. Written firmly tongue-in-cheek, with her trademark down-home humour, it marks the felicitous return of one of our favourite authors. But it was well worth the wait, and - dare one say it? - not a bad idea, either. 

Spring 2012

by DAISY ASHFORD

"Mr Salteena was an elderly man of 42 and was fond of asking peaple to stay with him." Thus begins that immortal confection, The Young Visiters, written by the 9-year-old Daisy Ashford in 1890.

Never out of print since it was first published, and with an introduction by the highly admiring J.M. Barrie (who was mistaken for the author at the time), this delicious period piece, its original spelling untouched, is a comic masterpiece, and remains a classic send-up of Victorian high society .

Wonderful for a loo or a bedside table and warmly recommended.