The Selman-Troytt Papers: Amazon.co.uk: P J Barrington: Books

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Product Description

Financial Times

"Kudos to P.J. Barrington... Victorian conventions will never appear the same again"

Book Description

"Selflessly recording his bodily functions for the advancement of science, Jeremy Selman-Troytt (1868-1916) was a trailblazer ... Kudos to P.J. Barrington ... Victorian convention will never appear the same again.
Saadeya Shamsuddin
Financial Times

The Selman-Troytt Papers is the first anthology of Selman-Troytt's writing, and includes many of his masterpieces of prose and observation, such as 'Social and Sexual Etiquette' and 'My First Involuntary Ejaculation'. It also features Selman-Troytt's fascinating correspondence with Oscar Wilde, Benjamin Disraeli and Sigmund Freud among other luminaries of the late Victorian age. A wealth of biographies and portraits illustrate the context in which he lived, worked and created, whilst a plethora of introductions, indices, appendices and footnotes add greater depth to the portrait of this complex man of science. This compilation is a 'must' for all serious students of Selman-Troytt.

The Selman-Troytt Papers is edited by P J Barrington, a graduate of Mull University and one of the most devout Christians on the island. Although opposed to ejaculation on religious grounds - such as a churchyard - he agreed to bring his considerable editorial expertise to the project in order to further the cause of scientific research.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best comic writing since Diary of a Nobody, 8 Dec 2007

By	Wretch (London) - See all my reviews

I'd been a devotee of the Selman-Troytt website for years so bought this book as soon as it came out. It is certainly the oddest, but also the funniest thing I've read for years, blending 'pure' toilet humour with ultra-sophisticated literary parody (and much else besides) in a way that hasn't been equalled - or perhaps attempted - since Swift. It made me laugh to tears seven times on the first reading, and I was laughing merely 'out loud' almost throughout.

Like the site, the book is organised around the life of Jermemy Selman-Troytt, a fictional Victorian gentleman-scientist. His woefully misplaced but sincere attempts to make a contribution to the sum of human knowledge make for hilarious (if occasionally painful) reading, whether he is investigating the causes of his first 'nocturnal emission' (occurring in his 29th year) or speculating as to why the various joints of the human body do not articulate in more directions than they do.

As well as writing his own works (94 of them) Selman-Troytt corresponded indefatigably with many of the luminaries of the Victorian age. There is a wonderful letter to Prime Minister Disraeli (largely on the subject of 'prepuces' - foreskins that is, for those who, like me, weren't immediately able to put their finger on the meaning of the word); and a glorious refusal of an invitation by Oscar Wilde to a bathing party, which concludes with the immortal line "I am a man of science, not a pederast." The book is endlessly quotable, with one-liners of genius on almost every page.

I have no doubt that THE SELMAN-TROYTT PAPERS will be around in 100 years. It should be bought, and will be deeply enjoyed, by anyone with an interest in comic writing.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A five star laugh at Victorian sexual etiquette and morality. Don't read it in public!, 30 Nov 2007

By	Donald - See all my reviews

I recently got this book as a present and so came to it with no background knowledge and very few preconceptions (beyond thinking that if the FT thought it was 'excellent' then it was probably only 'mildly amusing', since the FT newspaper is anything but funny!) However, I have to say that the FT book reviewers were absolutely right in their assessment. This book is an absolute hoot and had me in stitches, and it's the kind of book where you annoy people all the time by reading bits to them out loud!

I was hooked straightaway by the unusual layout (it's a combination of journal entries, letters, biographies and other apparently 'learned' stuff - that really isn't 'learned' at all since it's all a spoof) and the subject matter was just hilarious and really skilfully written. The central character's own inability to overcome embarrassment and deal properly with the very subjects at which he is an apparent expert is really well judged, and this book is great at finding the balance between 'clever' and 'funny'. There's everything in this book from simple innuendo to very incisive satire and because its blatant one minute and then subtle the next, there is a really rich and 'multi-layered' feel that brings you back for several readings. I've already dipped into it for repeat readings of certain bits that I really enjoyed. Every now and then as a reader you come across a book you think is a bit 'special', and for me this was one of them. My wife loved it also - she was in tears when she read about the attempts to cure one patient's erectile problems!

My Tip: Don't skip the intros and appendices, thinking that the 'meat' of the book is in the middle. What I really liked about this book was the fact that I kept finding good bits all through it, and right up to the very end (even the bibliography is funny!). One of my favourite bits in the whole book was a POW story in the Appendices (or 'Appendectomies' as they are called in this book to keep in with the medical theme).

What made me feel very positive towards the book (apart from getting a really good laugh out of it) is that it's very obviously the product of a great deal of care in every part - in contrast to a lot of the careless and weak rubbish I see written as 'humour' - and that always makes me feel more valued as a reader. I particularly like the illustrations throughout the book because they fit it really well with the text.

I've started recommending this book to everyone I know. 'The Selman-Troytt Papers' gets a VERY big thumbs up from me. It's unlike anything I've read before in structure, so for me it was unique as well as hilarious!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Funny Book, 19 Jan 2009

By	hengis man (Tuvalu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Selman-Troytt Papers (Paperback)

My recommendation for this book is that I read some of it in a friend's house and then went and bought my own copy so I could finish it. I found it very funny. It reminds me a bit of the surrealism of Woody Allen (but without the same American style because this is a VERY British style of humour with a lot of subtlety and irony) but it's also rude in places as well for those who enjoy a good nob joke. I suppose in that way its' a bit like Monty Python (that's what I thought anyway but others might find it's different). I really like clever humour about losers who are sure they are normal while everyone else is weird - but it's often too obvious or badly done. This is excellent. I don't think anyone in it is completely normal!

hengis_man