A big problem that booksellers face is what to do with waste books, i.e. those that are too damaged to sell. Myself, I just keep them or give them away. I’ve built up quite a collection of these books, I just don’t have the heart to put them in the trash. I was looking through them the other day for something to read and was delighted to find Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop.
My stash of damaged booksSay the name Evelyn Waugh and we immediately think of his masterpiece Brideshead Revisited. A lot of people stop there, and don’t read more of his books. Brideshead Revisited outsells any other Waugh book by far. Waugh is undoubtedly a genius at satire, and if you enjoy reading this genre, his works are a must read.
In Scoop Waugh presents a humorous look at British journalism between the wars. The protagonist is William Boot, who lives in the countryside with his extended family and writes occasional pieces about the countryside for The Beast; of which Mr. Salter is the foreign editor and Lord Copper the proprietor.
The fictitious country of Ishmaelia is going through a crisis, and The Beast seeks to employ a journalist to go to Ishmaelia and cover the events. Lady Algernon Stitch, an acquaintance of Lord Copper recommends the author John Courteney Boot for the job. Mr. Salter, checking through the records of the company, discovers William Boot to be an employee through his writings of occasional pieces for the paper, and mistakenly appoints him instead.
William Boot reluctantly accepts. He is well kitted out and dispatched to Ishmaelia in no time at all. Boot has unfortunately no journalistic experience and what follows is a comical adventure. During his journey to Ishmaelia, Boot has the good fortune of meeting Corker, a more experienced journalist also on his way to Ishmaelia. Corker gives Boot some advice, which helps him get off the ground.
When they arrive in Ishmaelia, they find that quite a large number of journalists are already there, all waiting for a story to break- rumours abound about the ongoings of the current regime. Ishmaelia has not been colonised, because of its lack of resources, and is ruled by the Jackson family. While the other journalists decide to go on a trip to the interior of the country, Boot opts to stay behind. It is during this time that he accidentally comes upon a story which makes headline news in London.
As an aside, there are some descriptions which may make the modern reader feel uncomfortable – the use of derogatory terms for black people for example. The reader must acknowledge that this was common at the time of writing; and had Waugh been writing today, those terms would certainly have not be used. Waugh also touches on the subject of colonialism – he describes Ishmaelia as never been colonised as it did not have any natural resources. This would have been quite an uncomfortable truth in those days.
Red Owl often has stock of Evelyn Waugh’s books. Please do check our online store for what’s available.
As always, happy reading!
With best wishes,
Dion Govender
Proprietor
Red Owl Books
