Gods, Mongrels and Demons by Angus Calder
This book, to quote its author, is based on the twin premises that the 'oddballs, tinks, heidbangers, saints, keelies, nutters, philosophers, freaks and such like deserve to be drawn awhile from the periphery to the centre' of our consciousness and that these apparently marginal lives are not only interesting in their own right, but often tell us more about the mores of a country or a time than the lives of its better known citizens (not that some of these are not included here too). In what other book could such eminent figures as the Japanese poet Basho, the modernist artist Kurt Schwitters, the baseball star Babe Ruth, the singer Billie Holiday and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein rub shoulders with the likes of Anancy, Ganesh, Johnny Faa, Billie the Kid, Eliza Donnithorne (the true-life model for Dickens' Miss Havisham) or the Swiss air aces with a higher pro rata strike rate than the RAF in the Battle of Britain. Not to mention Henri Cochet - the sublime playboy tennis star who found himself two sets and forty-love down in the fifth game of the third set of the Wimbledon men's final in 1927 and went on to win the championship.
Angus Calder (b.1942) has taught all over the world, and is currently teaching at the University of Edinburgh. He was co-editor of the Journal of Commonwealth Literature (1981-7) and a recent collaborator with Alasdair Gray on a series of articles in the Scotsman. His many books include the seminal social history, The People's War: Britain 1939-45 (1969) and Revolutionary Empire (1981). His hobbies include cooking, shopping for food, music, cricket, curling and swimming in the sea.
| SKU | GOR001349800 |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747560500 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747560501 |
| Title | Gods, Mongrels and Demons |
| Author | Angus Calder |
| Condition | Very Good |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2003-11-03 |
| Number of pages | 384 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us |
