historic anthology
A London Year
Travis Elborough & Nick Rennison, Frances Lincoln, £25
On the morning of 1 January 1662, famed diarist
Samuel Pepys woke his wife with an accidental
elbow to the face. On the same day, 283 years later,
Fred Bason treated his wife to a West End show
– and himself to the sight of the “very attractive”
show girls. These snippets are two of hundreds
of entries, pulled together from some of London’s
most-regarded diarists in this brilliant anthology
of snippets. With one or more titbits for each day of
the year, from Tudor times to the 21st century, it’s
a fascinating, if occasionally violent, trip through
the city’s history.
strange customs
Man Belong Mrs Queen
Matthew Baylis, Old Street, £10.99
If your average British person were to
ponder what the world thinks of Prince
Phillip – with all his outpourings about
China-resident Brits going “slitty eyed”
– they’d probably assume he wouldn’t go
down all that favourably. Not so. At least,
not on the South Sea island of Tanna where
the Duke is worshipped as a god.
While there are many who’d find this fact
surprising, few would decide to head out
to the rain-lashed isle to find out more. But,
then, anthropologist Matthew Baylis is no
ordinary man. A childhood fan of the Duke,
he seems – with this funny and informative
read – to be on a one-man mission to paint
the much-maligned member of the Royal
family in a more favourable light.
Along the way, there’s tribal
drunkenness, poignant anecdote and a
well-researched history of Western
interaction with the isle, which it all add up
to a rollicking good read. Enjoyable for
anyone with an interest in humanity, not just
– thankfully for Baylis’s book sales – the few
and far between fans of the Duke himself.
splendid grub
GQ Eats
Paul Henderson, Octopus, £20
Reflecting the trend for macho
adventures in the kitchen,
this “cookbook for men of
seriously good taste” is a
smorgasbord of recipes from
top-level chefs, beautifully shot
and served with a smart twist.
Dishoom’s Bacon Naan
and Tom Kerridge’s three-roast
Turducken are particular
diamonds in a volume that
packs culinary style as well
as sustenance.
family strife
Road to Rouen
Ben Hatch, Headline, £11.99
Whether it’s taping baguettes to his children’s legs
while smuggling lunch into Disneyland Paris, being
attacked by a donkey or navigating rush-hour Paris,
Ben Hatch certainly encountered some situations
while on a 10,000 mile, three-month family holiday.
Sent to write a guidebook of France despite not
speaking French, his tale of the resulting roadtrip
will take many back to the various, dubious
pleasures of their own trips, complete as it is with
marital woes, squabbling siblings and, of course,
microwaved underwear.
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V I E W P O I N T S
