Category Archives: Humour

What on earth is ‘Dry Northern Wit’?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by bookvolunteer

Today’s book is supposed to have it, according to The Independent, whose complimentary review is quoted on the cover of this Manchester Compendium. I live in the North; I have lived in the South, so I should be able to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cheshire, History, Humour, Manchester, Politics, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DONT’S for Husbands

Posted on March 21, 2013 by bookvolunteer

This is a tiny little book, first published in 1913 and containing a lot of good sense. I wish we had the companion volume (DONT’S for Wives) so that I could recommend them as the cheapest, cheeriest and easiest-to-post of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humour, Sociology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cats: The fictional ones are so much better than the real thing

Posted on February 4, 2013 by bookvolunteer

If you’ve read my review of Jane Bown’s ‘The Singular Cat’, you’ll know that cats are not my favourite animals. We’ll leave it at that. There are, however, two fictional cats of whom I am very fond: Graham Oakley’s Church … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Fiction, Humour, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman by Raymond Briggs

Posted on December 7, 2012 by bookvolunteer

I’m dedicating this post to the memory of Mrs Gould, who, in an age of deference, skewered Mrs Thatcher (metaphorically) live on radio in 1983. As  a geography teacher she understood about bearings, she knew where Argentina was and could … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheshire, History, Humour, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Allotment Folk by Chris Opperman

Posted on October 9, 2012 by bookvolunteer

This book undersells itself. On the bar code at the back it defines its  genre as ‘humour’. It doesn’t mean it’s funny; it means that  it’s too small to fit comfortably on other shelves and, with only three hundred words … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Humour, Natural History, Sociology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A stack of 1970s Krazy Comics and a few Cheekys

Posted on October 8, 2012 by bookvolunteer

If you’re a reader (or ex-reader) of 1970s comics, we have a great selection for you to browse through. If you’re not yet a collector have a look at Peter Gray’s blog to get you started. Krazy comic was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Children, Fiction, Humour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We’ve got a lot of books from and about Korea

Posted on September 25, 2012 by bookvolunteer

We have a lot of wonderful books about Korea. If you are interested in Korean history, culture, literature, music, society or politics come and look at our collection. Unusually, because, this is such a specialist collection and we can’t count on local … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Crafts, Economics, Education, Fiction, History, Humour, Music, Poetry, Politics, Travel, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

9 Theatre Programmes from the Palace Theatre Manchester (1951 -1964)

Posted on August 21, 2012 by bookvolunteer

We’ve been given a wonderful collection of theatre programmes, mementos of twenty years of theatre-going in Manchester and London from the early 50s onwards. Today’s selection features many well known entertainers. The big names include: George Formby, Al Read, George … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humour, Manchester, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Superior Person’s Little Book of Words by Peter Bowler

Posted on July 31, 2012 by bookvolunteer

According to the front flap there are two bad reasons for buying this book – to inflate your already excessive self-esteem or to humiliate your unlovely friends and relatives. As a taster, I have picked some of the words I … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Humour, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anglers Angle by Paul F Svenningsen

Posted on July 17, 2012 by bookvolunteer

Oxfam gets plenty of customers for books on fishing. I’m not a fan of this sport but I suppose it’s cash in the till and that means more support for Oxfam’s fight against poverty and related injustice. I wouldn’t normally … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Natural History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment