Author:P.G. Wodehouse
'Wodehouse would have made an excellent sports writer' Sunday Times
As Wodehouse’s biographer Frances Donaldson observed, it was vitally important to the boy Plum that he was ‘above average at games’. Luckily, he was known at school as ‘a noted athlete, a fine footballer and cricketer [and] a boxer’, and sport inspired much of his earliest writings, as well as some of his very finest and laugh-out-loud funniest.
Wodehouse wrote with trademark wit on a rich range of games – and on cricket and golf, in particular – as well as anyone ever has, bringing a knowledge and a passion born of practice.
English cricket inspired in Wodehouse what he himself long considered to be his favourite work; and yet America (which he first visited keenly and then came to call home) led him to the love of baseball, and golf – enthusiasms that drew him to new tales for new audiences, including the celebrated golf stories which John Updike described as ‘the best fiction ever done about the sport.’
This rollicking anthology, selected, edited and introduced by the novelist Richard T. Kelly, offers a vivid picture of Wodehouse at play – in the ring, at the crease, on the tee – which is guaranteed to please any sporting crowd. Beginning with early journalism, taking in extracts from novels and short stories in their entirety, it all adds up to a medal-winning collection.
Above Average at Games is the sort of book that should be tackled from the comfort of a deep leather armchair in front of the fire at the Drone Club […] If Wodehouse hadn’t found success with Jeeves and Wooster and Lord Emsworth and all that crowd, he would have made an excellent sports writer […] He writes with great affection about the sporting world.
There are several authors whose work should be required reading for every youngster in the land . . . PG Wodehouse, widely regarded as the greatest comic author of the twentieth century, is [one] . . . Novelist Richard T. Kelly has selected, edited and introduced a rip-roaring anthology . . . we’re treated to extremely funny observations on cricket, golf, boxing, rugby and even baseball.
—— Wales Evening Post: Sports Book of the Month[H]ilarious and incisive; Wodehouse brilliantly sends up his own ineptitude (he was an 18 handicap), while managing to write of the sport with keenness of insight.
—— Irish Times[E]ven if you aren’t [interested in the technical aspects], bits make you laugh out loud.
—— TabletDelves not only into that Ryder Cup victory, but into the demons tournament golfers face on a regular basis. Martin Kaymer, Robert Karlsson, Matt Wallace, Francesco Molinari, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood and others give personal insights.
—— Golf Week , Alistair TaitMind Game, is an unflinching yet beautifully written account of the psychological trauma he suffered as a golfer. It is an equally gripping portrayal of the internal struggle faced by many of his contemporaries’
—— GuardianGreenery is as full of the sensibility and wit that marked Dee’s previous books… The prose is as sharp and agile as the beak and movements of his ‘most needed’ bird, the redstart, and the range of reference and thought is astonishing.
—— Caspar Henderson , SpectatorHis writing is a delight, both elegant and provocative… This charming, meandering…book ends with a completely unexpected double whammy, which had me first wiping away tears and then smiling in delight. It’s a reminder that, however grim things look, there is always the freshness and rebirth of spring to look forward to.
—— Constance Craig Smith , Daily MailFor a beautiful evocation of this restorative draft of a season, look no further than Tim Dee’s new book Greenery – a poetic and profound meditation on the natural (and human) world encountered as he follows spring around the globe. It’ll lift your heart and take you places while reminding you that the most important things are close at hand.
—— Rob Cowen, author of Common Ground , Yorkshire PostExtraordinary… Dee has an enormous aptitude for burrowing into research and then opening it out map-like over the tangible natural world… [Greenery is his] most personal and spectacular nature memoir to date.
—— Irish IndependentAs rich and rewarding as spring itself, this book by one of our leading nature writers is a celebration of the temperate world’s most exciting season. It’s a multi-layered book, full of memories…science and poetry, history and humour. And great sadness too… This is a lifetime of springs recounted by a man in fall.
—— Ben Hoare , BBC WildlifeCrammed with fascinating, horizon-expanding, life-enhancing tidbits of knowledge from a person who has spent years watching, looking, learning… Of course, as Dee fans will expect, there is blissful poetry in his prose… Greenery is a portal into a deeper understanding of spring and a richer appreciation of the natural world. It is about death, life, love, planetary time: the dynamics of life on planet earth.
—— Lucy Jones , Caught by the River *Book of the Month*Joyful... Hard to resist. Greenery is a book of hope… Each new encounter reads like a script for the very best kind of radio programme, full of insight and lightly-worn expertise.
—— Isabel Lloyd , TabletDee’s writing sings… When scattered personal anecdotes finally crystallise into the recent event in Dee’s life, the heart breaks… A book best experienced like spring itself, blooming and fading at its own pace.
—— Josh Pugh Ginn , iTim Dee follows the wake-up call of the wild, treading the path of migrating swallows from South African shores to Scandinavia. A colourful account of spring's awakening with tales from Sámi reindeer herders also in the mix.
—— WanderlustTim Dee's powers of description are masterful… This sumptuous account of spring's progress is a truly remarkable book, written with exquisite pathos.
—— Alex Roddie , Great OutdoorsDee layers…contrasting voices to great effect. And his visual writing shows us more than a camera could
—— Lucy Ingrams , OldieGreenery is an anatomy of spring… the lush prose…resonate[s]… When scattered personal anecdotes finally crystallise into the recent events in Dee’s like, the heart breaks
—— Josh Pugh Ginn , UK Press SyndicationA beautiful ode to how nature can soothe and inspire hope with every step . . . this book is really special
—— StylistMesmerising. It is one of the most uplifting, inspiring books that I've ever read
—— i (The paper for today)Filled with wry humour, this is a wonderfully uplifting and touching book
—— GuardianThis is a wonderful, heart-gladdening, life-affirming read. It will make you want to walk. What a gem.
—— Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the PhotographLuminescent. A literary phenomenon
—— Mail on SundayUtterly inspirational
—— The TimesThe Salt Path broke my heart and put it back together again over and over. Beautiful writing, and such a sharp eye - both for nature and for people. It's hopeful and sad and honest and I LOVED it.
—— Maggie Harcourt, author of Unconventional and The Last Summer of UsHarnesses the wildness of rock, sky and coastal walking in life-affirming prose
—— Emma Stonex , GuardianRadiant, soaring, heartstring-tugging
—— BBC CountryfileA remarkable account of the healing power of landscape and the resilience of the human spirit. I felt the rain on my face and heard the waves pounding on the sand.
—— Phillipa AshleyInspirational
—— Good HousekeepingThe Salt Path pummelled me like Atlantic winds. It carried me along on a rain-soaked, sun-burnt, despair-infused, hope-driven walk. The writing is at times raw, poetic, funny, shocking. It is consistently honest, vulnerable, clear. I finished the book reminded of the importance of really hearing people's stories, of the healing power of the natural world, and of our individual and collective now.
—— The EcologistA thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, strength and endurance
—— The WeekA moving true story
—— i PaperBy turns inspirational and horrifying . . . [Winn] writes with a detail and a joy that tugs at the reader, lifting this beyond a mere travel memoir and all the privations and hardship to be something truly meaningful
—— Times Higher EducationBeautiful, sad, erudite and uplifting
—— The New EuropeanAn uplifting tale
—— Cornish TimesVivid . . .This is a book essentially about hope, but also about sheer gritty determination not to give in, to survive extreme discomfort, danger and sometimes disillusionment
—— Kibworth & District ChronicleAn inspirational true story
—— Top SanteIt's a heart-warming, heart-wrenching story, told by Raynor in vivid yet plain prose. There are so many wonderful passages
—— Church TimesRaynor's writing is beautiful. It's a heart-wrenching read at times, but you won't be able to put it down
—— MirrorWe walk with Ray and Moth every step of the way, sharing the hunger, exhaustion, blazing heat and freezing rain in an account that is both lyrical and inspirational
—— Guardian, Top 10 books about walking in BritainAn extraordinary memoir - moving, funny and uplifting
—— Open UpAn inspirational and lyrically observed memoir on the regenerative power of walking in nature, as well as a reminder that material things are much less important than we sometimes think. If you love the landscape of the British coastline and are drawn to the philosophies of mindfulness and minimalism, this is a moving and reflective book to read during a break from your everyday life
—— Gill Walker, Newham Books , GuardianRaynor Winn's glorious memoir tells the real-life story of her hike along the South West Coast Path, which she embarked upon with her husband after they lost their home. It's raw yet uplifting - and guaranteed to inspire your next adventure
—— Huffington Post UKA thoughtful reflection on ageing and infirmity, home and homelessness, hope and survival
—— Dr Michael Fitzpatrick , Daily TelegraphA life-affirming story that examines grief and the power of nature
—— Liz Earle WellbeingPoignant . . . It's far from a book without hope, and you'll be with Raynor and Moth every step of their walk along the South West Coast Path
—— Country WalkingA heart-wrenching, inspiring tale of one couple's enduring love for each other in the face of calamity and of their accidental odyssey along England's South West Coast Path
—— AdvntureA love story of resilience and optimism, brimming with heart and humanity
—— Ruth Jones , PrimaA gripping domestic disaster story turned celebration of survival
—— Country WalkingA true story of hope in a dire situation
—— Daily Express