Bevis Hillier

A choice of quirky books

The humorist Paul Jennings wrote for Punch when it was still funny — that is, up to and including the editorship of the late Alan Coren.

issue 17 November 2007

The humorist Paul Jennings wrote for Punch when it was still funny — that is, up to and including the editorship of the late Alan Coren.

The humorist Paul Jennings wrote for Punch when it was still funny — that is, up to and including the editorship of the late Alan Coren. Jennings also wrote such books as Oddly Bodlikins (1953) and I Said Oddly, Diddle I? (1961). It was he who classified book reviewers as batchers, betchers (‘Betcher I could write it better than you’), bitchers, botchers and butchers. In this and my next review, I am cast as a promiscuous batcher. This first batch is of ‘quirky’ books; the next will be of ‘funny’ books. I reserve the right to be a betcher, a bitcher and a butcher too — I hope not a botcher.

The quirky books are small and in some cases suitable as Christmas gifts — quirky with the turkey.

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