Hamster History of Britain

By Janis Mitchell

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500015058
• ISBN13: 9780500015056
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant

I found this book in a used bookstore and it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It pairs beutifuly done drawings with a very straight-faced history of Britain. The only thing is, that it's all hamsters. The hamsters wear historical costumes and perform historical actions, and anytime the word "person" might be used in the text, it has been replaced with "hamster." One page says: "One of the low points of the early Middle Ages in Britain was the reign of King John (1199-1216), generally remembered for his reluctant acceptance of the Magna Carta, which enshrined the view that England was governed by laws. The popular legend of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest and his merry band of hamsters, who robbed the rich to give to the poor, is also placed in this turbulent period of civil and foreign wars." The picture which accompanies this page is of a bunch of hamsters decked out in Robin Hood clothes, standing in the forest. So the gimmick doesn't hit you over the head: the purposefully dry text is a delight to read every time you come across an unexpected "hamster," and it is impossible not to giggle at the pictures. Though it's called a children's book, the humor is fairly subtle and I'm not sure that a child, who is quite used to seeing anthropomorphized characters in picture books, would find this book to be as incredibly amusing as an adult. I recomend this book for anyone who likes British history and/or the delightfuly ridiculous.