Product Description

In 1979 when Matthew Engel started his journalist career he began to keep a commonplace book in which he has set down any quotes, jokes or facts that made him laugh, smile, sigh, cry or simply raise his eyebrows. Over the next 27 years he completed 35 small red notebooks with the intention that his son, Laurie, who was developing similar tastes, might one day read them. But in 2006 Laurie, aged thirteen, died of a rare and vicious cancer after a two year battle. Seeking solace wherever he could find it, Matthew started re-reading some of the notebooks and thought maybe other people might enjoy them. This selection is a highly engaging and eclectic mix of fascinating, thought provoking and frequently moving excerpts, many saved from oblivion by the author's intelligent eye. The cumulative effect of such stimulating material is to leave the reader with a genuine sense of awe at the stupidity, intelligence, imagination and humour of humanity. The proceeds from The Red Notebooks will go towards the Laurie Engel Fund that is raising money in conjunction with the Teenage Cancer Trust to support the appropriate care of teenage cancer patients.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205047 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Jeremy Paxman
'If you don't pick this up and either smile or laugh outright,
you'd better check your pulse'

Sebastian Faulks
'A brilliant collection in a wonderful cause'

Bill Bryson
'Marvellous'

Customer Reviews

All in a good cause
Extracts from the Red Notebooks

This book is a collection of quotes, mainly from the last 20-30 years, and is arranged around themes (The Blair Years, Cricket, Gambling, T-shirt Slogans, to picj=k a few at random).
You may recognise the author as a former cricket journalist for The Guardian and then editor of Wisden, the annual cricketing tome. Engel had been recording pithy, quirky and insightful quotes in (red) notebooks for his son, Laurie; sadly, his boy developed a rare cancer and died aged 13. Engel edited the notebooks (hence the title of the book) and proceeds go to the trust fund for teenage cancer patients set up in his son's memory.
All of which makes it quite a difficult book to be objective about. You might want to buy the book simply as a gesture of sympathy for the author, but if you want to know whether you will enjoy the contents, here is a selection of quotes:

"It will not even pay for the cigars I smoked while writing it." (Karl Marx on `Das Kapital')

"I've only met one chap in my life who didn't like peas and do you know, he was crackers." (Fred Streeter, gardener)

"'Under consideration' means we've lost the file. `Under active consideration' means we're trying to find it." (`Yes, Minister')

"But Rupert, Rupert, your readers are my shoplifters!" (Bloomingdales executive explaining to Rupert Murdoch why his store didn't advertise in Murdoch's newspapers)

"I have always found a Bible or a prayer-book in a person's hand to be a sign of an uncharitable disposition." W.H. Davies `Autobiography of a Supertramp')

Those are the first quotes on pages 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 so they're not picked to make the book look good or bad. Jeremy Paxman is quoted on the cover as saying, "If you don't pick this up and either smile or laugh outright, you'd better check your pulse." Hmm, I didn't do either, I'm afraid. Buy it if you're a `quote addict' or if you sympathise with the charity (but you could always make a donation direct at http://www.laurieengelfund.org/).