Nicolas Bentley (1907–1978)

The English Comic Album curated/edited by Leonard Russell and Nicholas Bentley is a pictorial sample of the cartoon made popular through Punch. The book displays many talented British, French, New Zealand, Australian and American illustrators who put caption to sketch and captured the wit of the time from 1840 to 1940. The early examples I enjoyed the best, especially the few by Thackeray but those who know these illustrators best will enjoy the book even more. My limited knowledge of illustrators kept me browsing as a novice of their print. However, the book is annotated with brevity yet sufficiently informative to give the reader a taste of British cartooning.… (mehr)

Another of those between/ just after the wars stories of a supposedly ordinary person being asked to do something very important and dangerous things which are probably uniquely placed to do.

And then we learn that he was with P Branch during the war and Lo and behold, P Branch has not quite been disbanded just yet.

And of course it is the Nazis who the probable again.

Stereotypes and coincidences everywhere.

And he does write like John Buchan, but it's fun anyway.

Which is why I have read 2 by this author in last 2 days, and will read more if I come across more.

Big Ship

31 December 2017… (mehr)

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: Here, in the delightful tradition of Esprit de Corps and Stiff Upper Lip, are new stories of life in the diplomatic corps. Career officer Antrobus, experienced man-behind-the scenes in the Iron Curtain post of Vulgaria, does the telling, and a wild assortment of tales the British gentleman has. His nine reminiscences give excellent illustration of the fact that the major problems of a diplomat are seldom diplomatic. And the various crises show that the title of the book could well be the motto of any member of an embassy. For all too often the only solution is literally "save himself who can," or, as it has evolved, "everyone for himself." This, the first collection of Antrobus stories since 1959 (this book was published in 1967), confirms Lawrence Durrell as a master of humor as well as of storytelling.

My Review: Humor dates, and sometimes irretrievably. This isn't quite irretrievable, but it's close. Funny, if you have the information to get the point of the jokes. It's not a book for anyone but Durrell completists, and can even be skipped safely by them.

It's about two hours to read, including TV-watching breaks. Yes, you read that right, I watched TV instead of reading this. Guess that says it all.… (mehr)