The Essential Spike Milligan

First edition, subsequent impression with number line '10 9 8 7 6'. Some slight edge wear to top and bottom of largely white jacket and spine, corners slightly bruised, not price clipped (£16.99), no inscriptions, internally clean tight and square, overall a vg+ copy. 344pp, illustrated. A Spike Milligan (1918-2002) opus, published just after his death, containing everything from classics to hidden gems, with a foreword by Eddie Izzard. This stunning anthology of Spike Milligan's work comprises of favourites from his classic books, ‘Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall’, ‘Goodbye Soldier’, ‘Puckoon’, as well as scripts from the now classic Goon Show. Interspersing such comic genius is also a touching collection of letters and his celebrated and liberating writings on depression, demonstrating the diverse talent of a man whose creative output spanned over half a century. A selection of children's poetry and writings ‘Unspun Socks for A Chicken's Laundry’, ‘A Book of Milliganimals’, ‘Silly Verse for Kids’ and much more, reveals Spike's irresistible connection with the childlike imagination and a brillant sense of the ridiculous. All the favourite and funniest stories are there. For those who want an excellent introduction to the mind of Milligan or a welcome return to a much loved genius, this is the ultimate Milligan reader. …