- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Short Books Ltd; illustrated edition edition (20 Aug 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571208657
- ISBN-13: 978-0571208654
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 11.4 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,329,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Product Description
As a child, William Leith was educated in old buildings, and dragged around ruins for a 'treat'. Later, he began to question the British love of everything decrepit. Was it a sign of a nation growing old gracefully, or of something altogether more ominous? Then something happened. A tooth, which had been throbbing for a while, snapped. At the same time, his 'period' home began to crack. During the course of his dental treatment, and the underpinning of his house, Leith cast his mind back over his personal history - his education, his diet and particularly his dentistry - and thought about what it was to be British...
About the Author
William Leith interviews celebrities for the Sunday Telegraph and the Guardian.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Though only 107 pages, it's good to see the king of confessional journalism get his teeth into something substantial. As might be expected Leith is at his most solipsistic and disgusting in this tale of his trip to the dentist but his observations in identifying something rotten in the state of being British are spot on. Some of his arguments are more thought provoking than entirely persuasive but this is never less than a enjoyable, clever and laugh-out-loud read.
This was very quick to read and a little disappointing after his last book about being overweight which I found really amusing and had some very useful information which I followed and have lost a little weight. I think the teeth book may have come out first. I learned one thing though from British Teeth which is never bother to have a tooth crowned it is excrutiatingly painful and very expensive so if I ever need one I will insist on an extraction instead. British teeth is loosely about the class system in Britain which is something I find a bit dull as I am working class and don't feel the need to pretend to be otherwise! If you come from Hull I guess you may find it a bit odd as there's a joke in it that says where's the strangest place you've had sex and the answer is Hull. I guess if you live in Hull you have sex there all the time! This is a great book to leave in a dentists waiting room if you are a sadist! By the time the dentist sees you you will be running out of the door and will, very probably, have read it as it is very short like I said.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Social & Urban History
- Books > Biography > Political > Britain
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Sociology
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
