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Spike Milligan

'Spike Milligan wrote the book on today's sense of humour' 
 
'But why keep me in the dark, Holmes?' 
'It saves electicity, Watson.' 
 
'What is a black spot? Is it an accident?' 
 
'He gave a groan and he was alive! He spoke as he sat up, 'Have you got a fag, mate?' 
 
Welcome to the world of the classic adventure story, hilariously retold by legendary comic Spike Milligan. Relive Robin Hood, in which Little John becomes Big Dick and the Merry Men are joined by Groucho Marx. give yourself the willies with Frankenstein, whose monster comes to life craving a cigarette. join Sherlock Holmes for The Hound Of Baskervilles, where Guinness and Newcastle Brown are taken intravenously and a woman cries in the night. Thrill to Black Beauty as told by the horse himself. And the hunt for buried treasure with Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins and ... Groucho Marx in Treasure Island. 
Spike Milligan, the much-loved entertainer, broadcaster and writer, was widely regarded as the most influential British comedian since the Second World War. On his death in 2002, he was remembered as an 'irreverent and hysterical presence' by Prince Charles. Fellow comedian and writer Stephen Fry described Milligan's writing as 'abosutely immortal'.

Classic Adventures According to Spike Milligan

Charles Bukowski

Beginning in 1967, Bukowski wrote the column "Notes of A Dirty Old Man" for the underground newspaper Open City. Perennially drunk, broke and in search of a woman, Bukowski takes on the guise of a wise fool as he ventures through America's seedy lowlife. Peopled by Kerouac, Burroughs and other much less salubrious characters, his exploits provoke humour and despair, whilst highlighting the inherent beauty and futility of life.

Notes of a Dirty Old Man

Surfacing from the literary underground, Bukowski's wild and immortal stories have become cult favourites. This collection of anecdotal short stories demonstrates Bukowski's compelling semi-autobiographical style and his mastery of visceral language and the depiction of seamy underworlds. 
 
Focusing on themes that recur throughout his work, from Los Angeles and bar culture to alcoholism, gambling, sex and violence, these pieces also introduce unexpected elements of fantasy and surrealism.

The Most Beautiful Woman in Town

Thomas Ligotti

Thomas Ligotti is often cited as the most curious and remarkable figure in horror literature since H. P. Lovecraft. His work is noted by critics for its display of an exceptionally grotesque imagination and accomplished prose style. In his stories, Ligotti has followed a literary tradition that began with Edgar Allan Poe, portraying characters that are outside of anything that might be called normal life, depicting strange locales far off the beaten track, and rendering a grim vision of human existence as a perpetual nightmare. The horror stories collected in Teatro Grottesco feature tormented individuals who play out their doom in various odd little towns, as well as in dark sectors frequented by sinister and often blackly comical eccentrics. The cycle of narratives introduce readers to a freakish community of artists who encounter demonic perils that ultimately engulf their lives.

Teatro Grottesco

Inspired by D.H. Lawrence, Chekhov and Hemingway, Bukowski's writing is passionate, extreme and has attracted a cult following, while his life was as weird and wild as the tales he wrote. This collection of short stories gives an insight into the dark, dangerous lowlife of Los Angeles that Bukowski inhabited. 
 
From prostitutes to classical music, Bukowski ingeniously mixes high and low culture in his 'tales of ordinary madness'. These are angry yet tender, humorous and haunting portrayals of life in the underbelly of Los Angeles.

Tales of Ordinary Madness

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