Pelham Johnson (3 results)

Hard Cover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 4th Printing. 4th printing (Ford-Smith, Folio 76 #1140). Includes publisher's slipcase. Fine book in near fine slipcase. Slipcase faintly scuffed. Binding tight and square, pages clean, bright, and unmarked. 2003 Hard Cover. 288 pp. A collection of humorous vignettes by various authors, with contributions by William Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Winston S. Churchill, the Queen of England, G.K. Chesterton, P.G. Wodehouse, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Groucho Marx, etc., etc. Ever since Chaucer's day, when the host of the Tabard Inn in Southwark rose to welcome the Canterbury Pilgrims with a joke, the After Dinner Speech, designed, if possible, to reduce the assembled company to helpless merriment, has presented the ultimate challenge. The best speakers are natural story-tellers - Gerard Hoffnung, reading a selection of letters from continental hoteliers: 'There is a French widow in every bedroom affording delightful prospects'; John Mortimer telling the woeful tale of a man's numerous unsuccessful attempts to murder his wife: 'At no time did Mrs Scott feel that the magic had gone out of their marriage' - and in this collection of post-prandial treasures you will find the very best of them, from Groucho Marx on how to resist a femme fatale, to Ralph Steadman surreally addressing the Lewis Carroll Centenary Dinner. 'Goodness', said a friend on greeting Mae West, 'where did you get those beautiful pearls?' 'Goodness', replied Mae, 'had nothing to do with it.' Shaggy dog stories, practical jokes, sporting anecdotes, rousing toasts, travellers' tales and risque reminiscences rub shoulders in this essential collection with real-life revelations and moments of history. Among the guests are Peter Ustinov, Jilly Cooper, Brian Johnstone, Charles Dickens, Dorothy Parker, Robertson Davies, Henry Grady and A.P. Herbert. There is food and drink in abundance. There is gentle reflection and endearing charm as well as defiant frivolity. Above all there are stories for every occasion - witty, absurd, momentous, philosophical, fascinating, poignant, and forever entertaining.

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Cover slightly worn, creased and soiled w small annotation on front. Bottom left corner creased throughout. First few leaves stained. Owner's name on tp. 8vo. 35 pp. Swahili.

LeatherBound. Condition: New. BOOKS ARE EXEMPT FROM IMPORT DUTIES AND TARIFFS; NO EXTRA CHARGES APPLY. LeatherBound edition. Condition: New. Reprinted from 1899 edition. Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden leaf printing on spine. Bound in genuine leather with Satin ribbon page markers and Spine with raised gilt bands. A perfect gift for your loved ones. Pages: 274 NO changes have been made to the original text. This is NOT a retyped or an ocr'd reprint. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. Each page is checked manually before printing. As this print on demand book is reprinted from a very old book, there could be some missing or flawed pages, but we always try to make the book as complete as possible. Fold-outs, if any, are not part of the book. If the original book was published in multiple volumes then this reprint is of only one volume, not the whole set. Sewing binding for longer life, where the book block is actually sewn (smythe sewn/section sewn) with thread before binding which results in a more durable type of binding. Pages: 274 University College, London. Museum,Johnson, Raymond,Lawrence, T. W. P. (Thomas William Pelham), 1858-1936.