More short book reviews
Aug. 4th, 2013 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
philmophlegmThe Way it Was: My Autobiography, Sir Stanley Matthews
Very enjoyable autobiography (published posthumously) of arguably British football's greatest ever player. Matthews played for such a long time (he was 50 when he played his last match for Stoke City, and even played for an England Veterans team against Brazil Veterans when he was 70), that the book covers several different eras of football. There is a certain arrogance that comes across - not only was Matthews (probably correctly) convinced of his own greatness, but he also seems to have thought he was right about everything. (Compared to the way English football was run in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, he has a better claim to being right than many.) I suppose that's the problem with an autobiography rather than a more critical and balanced biography. Still, there's a lot here to interest football fans, and not just nostalgic ones.
Derai, E.C. Tubb
Toyman, E.C. Tubb
Straightforward pulpy SF, books two and three of the 33 book Dumarest of Earth saga. Earl Dumarest wanders from world to world in a very Travelleresque manner (travelling "low berth"), then usually overthrowing tyrants, getting the girl (briefly) and getting no nearer to finding his lost homeworld of Earth. Enjoyable, frothy fun.
Very enjoyable autobiography (published posthumously) of arguably British football's greatest ever player. Matthews played for such a long time (he was 50 when he played his last match for Stoke City, and even played for an England Veterans team against Brazil Veterans when he was 70), that the book covers several different eras of football. There is a certain arrogance that comes across - not only was Matthews (probably correctly) convinced of his own greatness, but he also seems to have thought he was right about everything. (Compared to the way English football was run in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, he has a better claim to being right than many.) I suppose that's the problem with an autobiography rather than a more critical and balanced biography. Still, there's a lot here to interest football fans, and not just nostalgic ones.
Derai, E.C. Tubb
Toyman, E.C. Tubb
Straightforward pulpy SF, books two and three of the 33 book Dumarest of Earth saga. Earl Dumarest wanders from world to world in a very Travelleresque manner (travelling "low berth"), then usually overthrowing tyrants, getting the girl (briefly) and getting no nearer to finding his lost homeworld of Earth. Enjoyable, frothy fun.
