England, Their England

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Those whose lives are occupied in combatting the eccentricities of God regard as very small beer the eccentricities of Man. A satirical novel from the 1930s that is still funny in places today, although the most famous chapter (the cricket one) inevitably went right over my head, as despite years upon years of reading British novels from this period I still do not understand the first thing about cricket.

Written in the mid-30s, we are given a view of an older, more bucolic, more assured England; a country that knows its place at the head of a huge Empire and yet whose own history as an agricultural land is just beneath the surface. It is regarded as one of the classics of English humour and is much-loved by readers for its evocation of England between the wars. At 7 o'clock the sky over Lambeth was all pigeon-blue and mother-of-pearl and jade-green and citron and topaz" - gorgeous. I do think the English would enjoy this more than I did, particularly those with a sense of pride and nostalgia for a lost Olde England. The Hogarth Press where I’m working, is in the heart of the literary world, with authors coming in all the time.

Ignoring the casual racism, ( it was written in 1933 ) there are over tones of Jerome K Jerome and P G Wodehouse.

An important character is Mr Hodge, a caricature of Sir John Squire (poet and editor of the London Mercury), while the cricket team described in the book's most famous chapter is a representation of Sir John's Cricket Club – the Invalids – which survives today. Given that Winchester was founded in 1382, 70 or 80 years does count as recent in terms of its history.

Mrs Woolf, wife of the manager, is a very celebrated author and, in her own way, more important than Galsworthy. He was a keen sportsman and a first-rate golfer, representing the Old Wykehamists on a number of occasions. Which means we do not get the humor, those of us that live outside the Anglo- Saxon world and are unfamiliar with its attitudes - even if we have read the chef d’oeuvre Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by magical Angus Wilson http://realini.

I somehow came across it mentioned as a pointed Scottish 'take' on the English, but it's really an affectionate and unfalteringly loyal letter of love. It was still fun to read though and that is not the case for many topical books written almost 90 years previously.

For younger bookworms – and nostalgic older ones too – there’s the Slightly Foxed Cubs series, in which we’ve reissued a number of classic nature and historical novels. The subtle little message of this book is that life's pleasures come from simple pleasures, family friends, etc. Moments of decent satire and occasionally - when he stops fannying around and dials down the panto silliness - a little lyrical.