Listellany
eBook - ePub

Listellany

A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop

  1. 118 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Listellany

A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop

About this book

Delightfully nerdy and geeky, perfect water cooler fodder that's guaranteed to generate discussion. This quirky and unusual book of top 10's covers politics, language, history, pop culture and more - with a distinctive British slant.

This is NOT a fact-based compendium. It's purely opinion – the opinions of John Rentoul, his readers—and, yes, Twitter. Every week in the Independent on Sunday, John Rentoul publishes a top 10 based on suggestions from the great British public, covering a wide range of pressing issues, such as which are the books that people buy but never read?* Now collected together for the first time, and featuring previously unpublished lists, this is a book of open arguments that will ask readers to continue the discussion and contribute to the great debate online. It addresses essential topics such as: most overrated 1960s bands; meaningless words found on modern menus; great bands with terrible names; films panned as turkeys that are actually quite good; most beautiful British railway journeys; stupid car names; unsung villains; political heckles; words that ought to be used more often; British place names; best prime ministers we never had; visual clichĂ©s; political myths; anagrams; misquotations; worst Beatles songs; most interesting politicians. This book is a compendium of the answers to such quintessential pub arguments. But who knows best? You, John, or Twitter? Pick up this book and join the debate. *Top answers: Long Walk to Freedom; A Brief History of Time; Ulysses; Life of Pi; Longitude; Spycatcher; Gravity's Rainbow; My Life by Bill Clinton; Living History by Hillary Clinton; anything by Jamie Oliver.

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Information

eBook ISBN
9781783960057
Year
2015

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Contents
  4. Top ten reasons to read this book (or ‘The Introduction’)
  5. 1. Underrated family films
  6. 2. Plurals that have become singular
  7. 3. Footnotes
  8. 4. Malapropisms
  9. 5. Signs with double meanings
  10. 6. Surprisingly unrelated pairs of words
  11. 7. First sentences of novels
  12. 8. Last sentences of novels
  13. 9. Words that used to mean the opposite
  14. 10. Words with opposite meanings
  15. 11. Fictional villains
  16. 12. Upbeat songs that tell a sad story
  17. 13. Genuine shop names
  18. 14. Mixed metaphors
  19. 15. Lost positives
  20. 16. Tautologous abbreviations
  21. 17. Examples of journalese
  22. 18. Most interesting politicians
  23. 19. Spoonerisms
  24. 20. Tautologies
  25. 21. Translated tautologies
  26. 22. Songs that mean the opposite of what most people think
  27. 23. Unexpected etymologies
  28. 24. Most English remarks of all time
  29. 25. Misused fables
  30. 26. Palindromes
  31. 27. Words used only with one other word
  32. 28. English Monarchs 1066–1707
  33. 29. Unisex names of MPs
  34. 30. Ways of defeating the Daleks
  35. 31. Anagrams
  36. 32. Most beautiful British railway journeys
  37. 33. New clichés that should be banned
  38. 34. Phrases that ought to be off the menu
  39. 35. Words that ought to be used more often
  40. 36. Party conference speeches
  41. 37. Great bands with terrible names
  42. 38. Films panned as turkeys that are actually quite good
  43. 39. Political myths
  44. 40. Original titles of novels
  45. 41. Douglas Adams quotations
  46. 42. Questions to which the answer is no
  47. 43. Transpositions of sounds in words
  48. 44. Words that lost or gained an ‘N’
  49. 45. Stupid car names
  50. 46. Unsung villains
  51. 47. Laws of life
  52. 48. Political heckles
  53. 49. Best British place names
  54. 50. Most overrated 1960s bands
  55. 51. Best prime ministers we never had
  56. 52. Visual clichés
  57. 53. Useful words for which there is no English equivalent
  58. 54. Politicians not known by their first name 91
  59. 55. Books people buy but don’t read
  60. 56. American footballers’ names
  61. 57. Misquotations
  62. 58. Worst Beatles songs
  63. 59. Surnames that have died out
  64. 60. Everyday lies
  65. 61. Recurring news stories
  66. 62. Yiddish words
  67. 63. Elegant variations
  68. 64. Great unremarked changes of our lifetime
  69. Top ten lists that didn’t make it
  70. Top ten people to whom I am grateful (otherwise known as ‘The Acknowledgements’)
  71. Contributions and nominations
  72. Copyright