I was very pleased to find a copy of this book. I recommend it. I once worked for Punch in large smoke-filled offices in Knightsbridge, before my editor fell foul of the law and I hastily decamped for more secure pastures. The description is as follows:'This is a very dangerous book. It may well get banned. This book is about all the things that are bad for you. It is about eating food, drinking booze, chasing women, not going to bed, not getting up, driving fast cars, and generally behaving as if there were no tomorrow. But ending up with some good yesterdays, all the same. It is not to be recommended to celibate teetotal dieters who need nine hours kip per night. Unless they want to find out what they've been missing all these years.'
Bingo. I can well appreciate this kind of thinking. I am not being naughty, as I keep telling you, I am simply creating lots of good yesterdays.
This reminds me of Thackary's character, Barry Lyndon. He meant the gent to serve as a cautionary tale, but he actually created a sort of 18th century James Bond. I doubt that his contemporary readers took any moral lessons from the book, and even to the modern eye it's still great fun.
ReplyDeleteEverybody loves a rogue.
It sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteJust picked up a copy my good man, many thanks for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I look forward to perusing this tome.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of some of my other favourites, such as "The Unexpurgated Code" By JP Donleavy, & "Modern Manners" and "The Bachelor Home Companion" by PJ O'Rourke.
-Archibald