Keith Waterhouse Knihy

Román, ktorý je známy aj v zdramatizovanej podobe ako úspešná a vtipná hra. Za námet si autor vybral jeden deň zo života mladíka, ktorý sa nevie vpratať do sveta dospelých, ktorý je plný príkazov a zákazov. Billy pracuje v pohrebnom ústave a jeho problémy na pracovisku sa prelínajú s problémami v láske.

Keith Waterhouse is very particular about what lunch is not: 'It is not prawn cocktail, steak and Black Forest gateau with your bank manger. It is not civic, commemorative, annual office or funeral. It is not when either party is on a diet, on the wagon or in a hurry.' He is equally precise about what lunch is: 'It is a mid-day meal taken at leisure by, ideally, two people. Three's a crowd, four always split like a double amoeba into two pairs, six is a meeting, eight is a conference... A little light business may be touched upon but the occasion is firmly social. Whether they know it or not, for as long as they linger in the restaurant they are having an affair. The affair is lunch.' The Theory and Practice of Lunch is an authoritative and delightfully witty manual on the art of taking the most agreeable meal of the day, written by a shrewd observer of the passing show who listed his sole hobby in Who's Who as 'Lunch'.

Keith Waterhouse's comic masterpiece introduced us to Billy Fisher, a seventeen-year-old undertaker's clerk whose penchant for lying leads him into hilarious trouble with his family, employer, and three girlfriends. The original novel, a bestseller, garnered acclaim and inspired a classic film adaptation. In this 1975 sequel, Billy is now thirty-three, still trapped in a loveless marriage and a dead-end local government job. His escape comes through an affair with Helen, who is also unhappily married. However, his lies threaten to unravel his life once again. From vodka martinis charged to his expense account to a wise-cracking alter ego named Oscar, Billy's fabrications escalate, including a false police report about stolen golf clubs and an imaginary cat named 'Mr Pussy-paws.' As the town festival approaches, instead of planning, Billy scrambles to outsmart his wife, the police, and Helen's jealous husband. The story culminates in a disastrous and uproarious conclusion that has been described as 'side-achingly, laugh-aloud funny.' This edition features a new introduction by Alice Ferrebe.

Returning from a memorial service, June Pepper, middle-aged widow of a tabloid editor cut down in his prime, follows her husband's wishes to keep a journal of her bereavement. But he didn't say anything about writing it down... Thus, it is in a stream of monologue to the departed Sam that June records her reflections of widowhood. She finds that grieving is not the straightforward process she had imagined...

55" overall. 37.50" stainless unsharpened blade with blood groove. Brown wood handle with brass guard and pommel. Black leather scabbard.

Doran, Amanda-Jane, Punchlines - 150 years of humorous writing in Punch. London, HarperCollins, 1991. 26cm. XII, 371 pages. Original hardcover with dustjacket in protective mylar. Excellent, close to new condition with only minor signs of external wear. Includes work by authors / comedians such as: John Bentjemen / Mary Dunn / Graham Greene / Melvyn bragg / Stevie Smith / William Boyd / Robert Graves / etc.

Billy Liar captures brilliantly the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town. It tells the story of Billy Fisher, a Yorkshire teenager unable to stop lying - especially to his three girlfriends. Trapped by his boring job and working-class parents, Billy finds that his only happiness lies in grand plans for his future and fantastical day-dreams of the fictional country Ambrosia.