Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Books (1984), Edition: Mti, Paperback, 592 pages
Description
Major Sinclair Yeates leaves England to work as an Irish Resident Magistrate convinced that two and two make four. But as he passes judgement on a range of cases and characters that would have driven Solomon to drink he learns that in Ireland, two and two are just as likely to make five, or three, or even nothing at all... First published at the turn of the century as EXPERIENCES OF AN IRISH R.M., these stories were quickly recognised as classics of Anglo- Irish literature and as some of the funniest prose in the English language. This collection- containing all thirty-four stories- inspired the hugely successful television series.
User reviews
LibraryThing member robrobriver
Humor is not a genre that holds up very well over time (Mark Twain excepted). The stories of Somerville and Ross, a remarkable pair of women, are an exception. I remember reading somewhere that Teddy Roosevelt was given a copy of this book while recuperating from surgery; it had to be taken away
Reading past the humor, a modern reader can perceive the underlying tragedy of Ireland at the turn of the century, and the story of two women born out of their time.
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from him because he was laughing so hard the nurses feared he would split his stitches. It was the subject of a PBS drama series years ago, but even PBS did not do it justice. The exploits of Major Sinclair Yeates, his family, friends, and animals, hold up beautifully. Some of the stories have been collected, usually in equine anthologies, but resist categorization as "horse stories"Reading past the humor, a modern reader can perceive the underlying tragedy of Ireland at the turn of the century, and the story of two women born out of their time.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1928
Physical description
592 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
0140071768 / 9780140071764
Local notes
The comic works of two Irish Ascendancy cousins writing under assumed names, This book is three books all published in one volume: Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. (1899), Further Experiences of an Irish R.M. (1908) and In Mr. Knox's Country (1915). The stories are rollicking and delightfully funny.