The Smelly Dog: Social Stereotypes from the Telegraph Magazine

by Victoria Mather, Sue Macartney-Snape, Julian Fellowes (Foreword by)

With his charming twinkly stare and his bouncing enthusiasm, Horace exudes lovability. Unfortunately that’s not all he exudes. His breath is like napalm, his coat is matted with weeds from the goldfish pond, and—ever since the ban on hunting—Eau de Horace has carried subtle topnotes of fox poo. But he’s such a darling that the Fitzroys have become impervious to his odor. Besides, there’s a certain mischievous pleasure to be got from watching their more sniffy guests cope with Horace’s exotic fragrance. These hilarious, razor-sharp pen portraits are spot-on insights into the gamut of modern life. In the one corner are the Sudoku Addicts—Tracey from accounts wondering whether she might have that compulsive sudoku syndrome like what Dean-from-the-postroom’s sister got. In the other are the dilettante Christmas Jigsaw Puzzlers—Aunt Cassie forcing pieces together to create that hopelessly amateurish hump effect before bashing it flat with her rings. The brilliance of these caricatures culled from the Telegraph Magazine is that each and every one rings true.

96 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jule]

I love British wit & expected this little book - and its companion volumes - to have that wonderful sharp, sarcastic & yet self-deprecating humour the Brits excel at. At first it seemed that each stereotpe just missed that & stopped short, but once I caught the rythmn of these essays the realism of these characters and understatment & whimsicality were perfect. It leaves you wanting more, compulsively turning to the next page. Her stereotypes are near perfect.
That is half of it. The illustrations are so philarious & wonderfully in step with the writing that each would be so much less without the other. Read this book, and all their other works and then wait with anticipation for the next.