- Hardcover: 128 pages
- Publisher: 4th Estate; illustrated edition edition (19 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 184115346X
- ISBN-13: 978-1841153469
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 18 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 163,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
This is A Local Book for Local People. There is nothing for you here. They have been described as "comedy's new macabre shock jocks", but Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson insist they only want to entertain each other. The League of Gentlemen were first noticed at Edinburgh in 1996 and scooped the prestigious Perrier Award the following year. Their first BBC show was Radio 4's On The Town With The League Of Gentlemen followed swiftly by the BBC 2 series which unleashed the freakish inhabitants of Royston Vasey.
You don't need an excuse to enjoy the charms of Barbara the transsexual taxi driver, Mr Chinnery the lethal vet, "on the job" with Pauline Campbell Jones or the fun of putting yourself into a child with Legz Akimbo, but the League have provided one anyway. In true Blair Witch style, A Local Book for Local People is found evidence, Tubbs' secret scrapbook, retrieved from the fire which destroyed the local shop. "I like to find things", says Tubbs. "When I am out on the moors burying people with my husband, Edward, I offen find things. Shiny things or things of intrest. Edward tells me not to pick them up, especially the brown ones, but I allways do". Edward, it transpires, has been living something of a double life--and not a particularly local one. "Edward has been given lots of medals for bravery in the war. He had lots of little medals called pesetas. I asked him why his skin turned brown and he said that he had been tortured".
As in the TV series, the attention to detail is astonishing. Every character emerges from the shadows on some pretext or other (local ad, news clipping, etc) for their own star turn. If you have a penchant for the absurd, bizarre or downright surreal, A Local Book for Local People's dark humour is for you. You will never leave the Royston Vasey book, Mickey love. --Iain Campbell
Product Description
The League Of Gentlemen invite you to join them for the official tie-in to the hit TV show.
WELCOME TO
ROYSTON VASEY
YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an avid fan of The League of Gentlemen, it was inevitable I would get my hands on this book - but I have to admit it wasn't quite what I expected.
Inside, there are features on many different characters. Tubbs narrates the book, circling every occurence of 'local'; Pauline, with her usual esteem-building attitude, includes her guide to getting a job; and Bernice, the ever-sympathetic vicar, plays agony aunt on the Royston Vasey Chronicle's problem page.
However, much of the material seems to have been plucked from the scripts and reworded to fit the newpaper/magazine/letter genre wherever appropriate. This made a lot of the jokes very obvious, and having already decided that the gents themselves are geniuses, I was a little disappointed that they didn't take a different approach.
Having said that, fans of the show will find plenty of little gems in here. A roll of film's worth of Stella caught with her trousers down - metaphorically speaking, of course... Henry and Ally's guide to finding the right video and Royston Vasey's Missing Persons file (unsurprisingly lengthy).
Definitely a book for League of Gentlemen enthusiasts.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whew. Well. Despite being an almost intensely eloquent individual, little I could say would do this book justice. It's all new material. Must've taken months to create. And we'd still have bought it if it were just bits of old scripts. They must be a few toads short of an amphibarium.
You want your favourite characters? They're here, with more new and interesting information than you could ever envisage...You want to see inside the minds of its creators? Just look at the map of Royston Vasey, with place names involving film, television and literary references beyond the dreams of critics...So you think Royston Vasey actually exists, and that the LoG are just a group of camera men who cleverly film the whole thing without the inhabitants realising it?...well, it doesn't say so in the book, but you're about to learn that Royston Vasey is as real as the place you were born...though hopefully a little more frightening (or else I dread to think about the upbringing you must've had, you poor beggar). Read. Laugh. Cry if you feel the impulse (but don't wet the pages - this book is worth its weight in Special Stuff).
It also includes the complete lyrics of Voodoo Lady, part of a Legz Akimbo script (as performed in their spectacular stage show - worth reading if you haven't seen it, and well worth revisiting if you have), the original story of The Curse of Karrit Poor (for Sherlockians and Leaguers alike, the words of this piece are of the purest gold), some terribly dark and disturbing information about Edward (his localness comes into question...how can this be?!) and many photos, diary entries, and bits of documents which the inhabitants of Royston Vasey never wanted you to read!
Go on, buy it! It costs less than Iris owes "Kay's" catalogue (thought that's not saying much...)
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Like others I have seen the tv series,bought the video and DVD,seen them live,cried with laughter at the cassette then read this fantastic book. 'The Curse of Karrit Poor',brilliant,poor Topov!Maps showing where Tubbs and Edward have buried the non-local people,even a bit of the Denton's wallpaper makes this book probably the best comedy book you'll ever read (it was for me anyway!). You'll never put it down! It really is special stuff!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great book
If you are already a fan of The League of Gentlemen then I recommend it. There are a lot of laughs and references back to the tv show.
Published on 20 Jan 2010 by Nicky B
Very Funny
Fans of the programme as i am would find this a very funny read. it contains all sorts of things related to royston vasey such as pauline's guide to getting a job!!! Read more
Published on 10 May 2005 by "all_eyez_on_me2004"
Spanky-doodle-dandy
I write this review from the biased viewpoint of a huge League of Gentleman fan. I personally found the tv series to be fantastically macabre and splendidly written. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2004 by M. T. Anderson
There's LOTS For You Here!!
If you understood WHY Chris Morris and Brass Eye were funny, then the League Of Gentlemen will appeal to you. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2002
'League Lovers'...
'League Lovers', as we are now collectively known, will treasure this bizarre take on the average coffee table book. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2001 by gnewcombe@hotmail.com
as good as can be expected
This book is basically the TV show on paper. Just as funny and just as black. The humour of the programme stands out like a sore thumb in todays poor comedy scene. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2001
Better than a lucky rabbits foot
Very funny and well put together. You can enjoy the characters from Royston Vasey in your own time now.
A must for all League Fans!!
Published on 2 July 2001 by N. M. Buckley
Something to keep you going until the 3rd series!!!
This book is almost just as good as the two TV series. Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson must have put alot of effort into this to make it so good. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2001
Hokey Kokey Pig in a Pokey!
An amazing, original piece of work, an absolute marvel. If you've seen the show & enjoy it, you will love this book, with all the chills and wackiness of the show, featuring... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2001
Strange, but extremely funny!
Want to know why Pauline is single? Need to see Val in the nude again? Yearn to find out which other body excresence Tubbs will eat (apart from hair sandwiches)? Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2001
Listmania!
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