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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very funny. Top of the Shops, 12 May 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Shop Horror: The Best of the Worst in British Shop Names (Hardcover)
This book succeeds where other humour books fail. So many offerings in this category have an amusing title or premise but they fail to live up to the promises these make. On flicking through, you find they just offer one joke repated on every page. 'Shop Horror' differs and succeeds by offering so much more than a collection of the country's funniest shop names. On many pages there is an image of a shop with a genuinly inventive name. Sherlock Homes estate agents, Criminal Records record shop, The Bitter End off-licence, Sherwood Florist flower shop; there's nearly 200 of them and every one is a gem. However, the book's strength lies in the extra features that add so much more value and keep you reading. The author takes you inside selected shops to introduce the owners, the customers and to paint a picture of work and life there. More importantly, he tries to discover how these establishments came by their names. Even more fun is offered by the entertaining themed groupings of shops. Film-based store names such as Austin Flowers florists, Dye Hard hair salon and Brief Encounter lingerie shop are great fun, as are the shops based on TV shows (A Pine Romance, Open All Flowers) and pop groups (Bananarama etc). There's even more value added by the features on Britain's punniest town (Brighton), shops that have recently closed (including the fantastic Napoleon Boiler Parts) and name suggestions for people about to open a new shop (Bike To The Future anyone?). This is more than photos of Britain's funniest shops, this is a feature-packed tour of the world of amusing shops with so much to read, you'll enjoy it again and again. Very, very funny.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pun-believable!, 1 April 2005
This review is from: Shop Horror: The Best of the Worst in British Shop Names (Hardcover)
Shop Horror is one of the funniest and most stylishly put together books of recent years. It not only contains hundreds of fantastic pictures of hilarious - and bizarre - shop names, but also talks to the shopkeepers. Their comments and the photos of the interiors create an incredibly nostalgic vision of our 'nation of shopkeepers'. In a world filled with ever-growing coffee and supermarket chains Shop Horror presents our finest independent retailers - in all their glory. I loved Battersea Cod's Home; the florist 'Floral and Hardy';and the record shop 'The Vinyl Resting Place'. There are just too many to choose from. Even better were the photos in the themed lists, like TV Title Shops(Open All Flowers & Spex in the City), or 80s Pop Band Shops ( my fave being Jane Armour Trading!) In fact there's tons to read. It manages to hit the line between knowing irony and nostalgic celebration perfectly. Guy Swillingham has created a wonderful book I can't wait for Shop Horror 2!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
:), 29 Nov 2006
This review is from: Shop Horror: The Best of the Worst in British Shop Names (Hardcover)
Side-splittingly funny, I keep it on my desk and open the book at random every morning to start the day with a bit of hilarity.
My personal favourite: Kumquat Mae, the vegetarian restaurant!
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