User Reviews

• 09 Nov

  I am delighted to see Funny English available here at thenile.com.au Funny English is part of a persistently bestselling genre. Over many decades, including in the Depression years of the 1920s and 1930s, “Blooper books” have sold literally millions of copies, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, and have topped the bestseller lists, including the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. But there is something very Australian about Funny English. The book includes 30 photographs from the National Library’s pictures collections that cleverly convey the humour in some of the more subtle funny English errors. And there are quotes in Funny English that refer to famous Australians, such as Don Bradman, who, according to one newspaper report, looked nervous during the first few “minuets” of his innings; Kerry Packer, the newspaper “magnet” that attracted players from all over the world; and a former Chief Justice of New South Wales who, according to an unfortunate misprint, “adjourned the case for a wee”. But the Australian-ness in Funny English goes deeper than just the Australian photographs and references to famous Aussies. For example, the bloopers in Funny English often have a levelling effect, so often a mark of Australian humour and Australian humour books. And optimism pervades Funny English, another mark of being Australian. This optimism can be best seen in the unconsciously funny student exam answers. Here, we are given glimpses of an alternative world that exist in the minds of children — a world where “civil wars” are wars where each side is nice to each other; where armies do not “massacre” one another, but rather “manicure” them; and where there are no thieves, but rather “people who borrow your things for too long.” Already, Funny English has more than 55,000 Facebook Fans. Just days after its official launch, the book has debuted at No 3 on the National Library's Bestseller Lists for October 2010 and has featured consistently in the distributor's Top 10 most popular books across all categories. I am not surprised that Funny English has become so popular in the lead-up to Christmas. At Christmas, we can all sometimes do with a good dose of optimism, especially in hard economic times.

  Reviewed By Troy Simpson