A selection of recommended books currently in print which Chaps and Chapettes might find to their liking.
HOW TO BE CHAP
How To Be Chap (2016) is a large-format hardback tome chronicling the entire history of The Chap, from its humble beginnings as a discreet gentlemen’s pamphlet, through all its public protests and demonstrations against vulgarity, to the crowning glory of the Chap Olympiad. Packed with full-colour photographs of all the key members of the Chap fraternity, as well as all the proto-Chaps who have been interviewed, the book offers the most detailed insight into this curious social phenomenon ever available in print. Click on the cover to see a selection of inside pages. Available from www.gestalten.com
DRINKING FOR CHAPS
This incredibly informative and useful book comes from the editor of The Chap, together with wine expert Olly Smith, providing everything you need to know about purchasing, ordering and consuming booze, and even how to deal with its less appealing after-effects. From the mightiest cocktails to the weirdest after-dinner liqueurs, and hauling in rum, whisky, gin, vodka and cognac along the way, Drinking for Chaps will educate both your palate and your after dinner conversation, providing dozens of intriguing anecdotes about the history of alcohol and its most legendary adherents, including Churchill, Amis, O’Toole and Reed. Price: £14.99 Available in all bookshops and at a reduced price from bookshop.theguardian.com and www.amazon.co.uk
SLAP AND TICKLE
by Tom Cutler. Every chap needs a bit of a Slap and Tickle in their lives. This raunchy book covers in detail the titillating subject of sex, examining its effects on literature, language and infamous public figures throughout history. Available from Amazon.co.uk
BLEAK EXPECTATIONS
by Mark Evans. A witty and creative novelisation of BBC Radio 4’s hit comedy series. Bleak Expectations is the novel Dickens might have written after an over-indulgent night of gin. Available from Amazon.co.uk
PONCKLE THE CAT PAINTER OF ST IVES
A collection of paintings and memoirs by the late eccentric artist mother of Gustav Temple, edited by her two sons and featuring photographs of Mr. Temple as an infant. Available from Cat Paintings
ALL IN A DAY’S CRICKET
by Brian Levison. Cricket: a true chap’s pastime. This is a top-drawer selection of the very best and most intriguing writings on cricket, ranging from the 18th Century to the present day. Available from Amazon.co.uk