The Gold Bat

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Victor Canning

This is a whimsical episodic novel. Mr. Edgar Finchley, unmarried solicitor's clerk aged 45, is told to take a holiday for the first time in his life. He books a hotel in Margate but, before he sets off, is asked to keep an eye on a luxury car. He gets into it, goes to sleep on the back seat, and wakes up to find it has been stolen and is being chased by the police. The thief, Wally Beck, outruns the police and holds Mr. Finchley overnight in a house, from which the next day he is released by Beck's girlfriend, Jane Myers. This is the first of about twenty unrelated encounters which take Mr Finchley gradually westward through Bristol, Blagdon Lake, Glastonbury, Taunton, Exeter and Dartmoor to Land's End, Plymouth and back, via a smuggling yacht, to London. There was also an American edition in 1935 under the title *Mr. Finchley's Holiday*.

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[by] P. G. Wodehouse

Amongst the many memorable characters P. G. Wodehouse has created is The Oldest Member, who, full of reverence for the sacred game of golf. tells some of the most hilarious stories about it In all its literature. Not that the narrator regarded golf as a suitable subject for levity—far from it. Seated on the terrace of a variety of clubhouses, this venerable sage, who has not himself played golf since the rubber-cored ball superseded the old dignified gutty. hears the confidences of the members, young and old, listens to their problems, watches over their love affairs, and philosophises on all aspects of the great game—never failing to point a moral with recollectlons out-rivalling those of the late Baron Munchausen. These stories. all thirty-one of them. are now collected together for the first time In one volume To those to whom golf is an ambition. an obsession, or a way of life. this book is a gloriously funny must. It will not less enchant those without the pale as an irresistible example of the Wodehouse genius.

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P. G. Wodehouse

'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' Stephen Fry A Blandings novelLady Constance Keeble, sister of Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, has both an imperious manner and a valuable diamond necklace. The precarious peace of Blandings is shattered when her necklace becomes the object of dark plottings, for within the castle lurk some well-connected jewel thieves – among them the Honourable Freddie Threepwood, Lord Emsworth's younger son, who wants the reward money to set up a bookmaking business. Psmith, the elegant socialist, is also after it for his newly married chum Mike. And on patrol with the impossible task of bringing management to Blandings is the Efficient Baxter, whose strivings for order lead to a memorable encounter with the castle flowerpots.Will peace ever return to Blandings Castle...?

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Len Berman

Go Spanning the World with Len Berman in this wildly entertaining, insightful, and often hilarious book that takes sports fans behind the scenes and inside locker rooms.One of the most popular television sports personalities -- known for his "Spanning the World" segments on NBC's Today show -- Len Berman delivers his unique view of the world of sports, from the bizarre to the historic, all with his characteristic wit.Over the years sports and sports reporting have changed, but Spanning the World puts it all in perspective in this irreverent take on the heroes and iconic moments. Barry Bonds massages the media: "If you put that camera in my face, I'll slit your throat."Mickey Mantle reveals his most pleasurable Yankee Stadium experience (it didn't happen on the field). Bobby Orr loses his cool and chairs start flying from the upper decks.Bill Parcells finally spills his Super Bowl-winning formula: "Power wins!"And much more ... Berman guides us through the world he knows like no one else, from intimate recollections of his heroes to postgame celebrations, exhibiting the most hilarious and shocking moments from the whole cast of characters from the last decades in sports: John McEnroe, Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, Derek Jeter, and many more. He also addresses the more serious issues facing sports today, including steroids, overpaid stars, athletes and violence, and the place of sports in society.A must read for every sports fan, Spanning the World is an irresistible blend of humor, history, and contemporary commentary on the state of sports from the ultimate fan who has seen it all.