or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
38 used & new from £1.25
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

by George and Weedon Grossmith (Author), Kate Flint (Editor) "My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, 'The Laurels',* Brickfield Terrace, Holloway*â a nice six-roomed residence, not..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.02 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.97 (33%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, February 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
31 new from £1.25 7 used from £1.28

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Inventing the Victorians by Matthew Sweet

The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics) + Inventing the Victorians
Price For Both: £10.03

Show availability and delivery details

  • This item: The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics) by George and Weedon Grossmith

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Inventing the Victorians by Matthew Sweet

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Inventing the Victorians

Inventing the Victorians

by Matthew Sweet
4.8 out of 5 stars (8)  £6.01
In Memoriam (Norton Critical Editions)

In Memoriam (Norton Critical Editions)

by AL Tennyson
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.14
Oliver Twist (Wordsworth Classics)

Oliver Twist (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.8 out of 5 stars (9)  £1.99
The Penguin Book of Victorian Verse (Penguin Classics)

The Penguin Book of Victorian Verse (Penguin Classics)

by none
£9.91
North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

by Elizabeth Gaskell
4.3 out of 5 stars (28)  £1.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks; New Ed edition (8 May 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0199540152
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199540150
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 281,728 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #6 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Key Critics > Flint, Kate

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

`Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a `Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting.' The Diary of a Nobody (1892) created a cultural icon, an English archetype. Anxious, accident-prone, occasionally waspish, Charles Pooter has come to be seen as the epitome of English suburban life. His diary chronicles encounters with difficult tradesmen, the delights of home improvements, small parties, minor embarrassments, and problems with his troublesome son. The suburban world he inhabits is hilariously and painfully familiar in its small-mindedness and its essential decency. Both celebration and critique, The Diary of a Nobody has often been imitated, but never bettered. This edition features Weedon Grossmith's hilarious illustrations and is complemented by an enjoyable introduction discussing the book's social background and suburban fiction as a genre.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, 'The Laurels',* Brickfield Terrace, Holloway*â a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(3)
(2)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics)
61% buy the item featured on this page:
The Diary of a Nobody (Oxford World's Classics) 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£4.02
Diary of a Nobody (Wordsworth Classics)
21% buy
Diary of a Nobody (Wordsworth Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (14)
£1.99
Diary of a Nobody (Penguin Classics)
13% buy
Diary of a Nobody (Penguin Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (7)
£4.74
The Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Popular Classics)
4% buy
The Importance of Being Earnest (Penguin Popular Classics) 4.8 out of 5 stars (12)
£2.00
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4.0 out of 5 stars Status anxiety in the 1880s, 11 Oct 2009
By Didier (Ghent, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Charles Pooter fails to see - because he does not 'happen to be a Somebody' - why his diary shouldn't be interesting, and he's absolutely right. His is a very interesting diary indeed. Small as it as (barely 120 pages in the Oxford World's Classics edition), and though written in a very easy to read style, without ever touching on anything but the most trivial subjects, it is still a very powerful portrait of a particular class in a particular age.

Charles Pooter and his wife have just moved to their new house in a London suburb when he decides to start keeping a diary. Day after day Charles jots down his notes and reflections on scores of things that matter to him: how they settle in in their new neighbourhood, the visits in the evenings of their friends Gowing and Cummings, the troubles concerning his son Lupin weighing on his mind, the relation with his boss Mr. Perkupp, ... And before long, as a reader you start getting a unique insight into the English middle-class of the 1880s, or virtually any age for that matter. After a while - when the laughter has died down - you start realizing what an extremely small (mental) world these people inhabit, and how their happiness depends on what are in themselves very trivial things.

Although at first sight their life is comfortable enough, and Charles Pooter likes a good laugh as much as the next person, there is always - lurking just slightly beneath the surface - a constant feeling of stress and anxiety. Charles Pooter's thoughts are dominated by 2 things only: to be considered respectable by his peers, and to fulfill the slightest wish of his betters (Mr. Perkupp seems in Pooter's eyes almost a sort of demi-god). But unfortunately for Pooter, and luckily for us, he's the type that often succeeds in making a fool of himself.

In the end it may all seem innocent fun, and though I laughed and amused myself with the mishaps in Charles Pooter's life, at times I couldn't but feel sad and sorry for him, and the nameless millions of people like him: doing their utmost to fit in, to keep up appearances, and living in constant stress because of it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars The World Behind Net Curtains., 25 July 2009
By THOMAS JONES (BRIGHTON. UK) - See all my reviews
Pooter, the protagonist of the book, gives his name to the word pooterish which has entered the language being synonymous with a traditionalist who rather plays careful than seek new approaches to living. If life is a river, Pooter is stuck in the reeds on its banks. Insubordination is a heinous crime in Pooter's eyes- everybody should know their place, including him. Thus, he is offended when not given respect by tradesmen-for after all, he is a clerical worker. In Victorian days when the book was written, for it started as a serial in 1888, this was a comedy of manners as pertinent as ones that Oscar Wilde wrote but of the banality of lower middle class life. Today the book is still relevant, which is why it never has gone out of print and like all classics is open to modern parallels. Surely Mr Pooter is our Mr More-than-my jobs-worth so oft encountered in petty officialdom. A splendid satire on banality where the trivia assumes great importance as perhaps the only relief from the dull routine of existence.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and incredibly real, 30 April 2009
By Marco Colombo (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This diary is indeed written by a 'nobody', Charles Pooter, a middle-aged employee living in one of London's suburbs. His entries are very indicative of the simple and low-aspiring life he is living with his wife, their reckless son Lupin, and a couple of friends that regularly visit the household.

The diary is a cynical and comical satire on the life of a growing part of the population (the book first appeared in serial form in 1888) and the birth of suburbia. I've found it to be extremely funny, particularly so when you realise that the situations that Pooter faces are completely realistic.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.