Customer Reviews

And Another Thing: The World According to Clarkson

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There isn't much you can say about Jeremy Clarkson that he hasn't said himself. I have never been sure about whether I like him or not - he's strong coffee. This book of essays from the Sunday Times is a follow up to a book I've not read, presumably of previous essays.

What you can say of Clarkson is that he is talented and prolific and has a distinct voice. These are superficial essays, aimed at cheering you up, provoking a little reaction - he's a professional contrarian. He's a clever, witty man, and I suspect, one of those must have guests for the fictional dinner party. But I don't like cars. Thankfully, cars are not the focus of these pieces. Every other subject is. There is a daft essay on multi-culturism and a funny one about the Airbus 380. He is pro engineering and anti-environmentalists (not anti-environmental); he hates health and safety nazis. He is often the butt of his own joke, such as the lovely essay about charity auctions in which he accidentally spends £25,000 buying a boat he didn't need and could not afford to run: "Then it got worse, because my wife, whose face had turned the colour of tracing paper, was busy reading some small print in the catalogue about what the price didn't include."

An essay is about all the time it takes to exhaust Clarkson's knowledge on any subject other than himself or a car, but that's fine as he says more or less nothing with great flair. Its elegantly served top of the range beans on toast, with the occasional fit of passion and vented spleen. Easily digested and very deceptively crafted with great journalistic skill.

Jeremy Clarkson has discovered that now he's famous for his association with the TV show Top Gear that there is a market for books with his name on the cover. Now some of his books such as I know You Got Soul were pretty much created from scratch he has also sallied forth with a number of books that are older work. By that I mean the books are compilations of his columns in Britains Sunday Times. Now given that is the case you could be forgiven for having fairly low expectations. But on the contrary because Clarkson is so deliberately over the top, so deliciously 'wrong' in his thinking these collected columns make for a relaxing read. Where they really come into their own is perhaps as holiday reading fodder - for when your on the plane or lazing a day away. Conversely if your normal reading diet is weighty or academic then this may be the perfect thing to 'graze' on in between times, so to speak.

All up if you are familiar with Jeremy Clarksons persona from his TV show then you pretty much know what you are in for. This is exactly the same thing just in writing. And as others have mentioned this is not a car book except where they are mentioned in passing.

An entertaining read and quite possibly a good idea for a gift.

However you felt about The World According To Clarkson, you will feel similar to this. A great book that tells many of Clarkson's ideals, I enjoyed this book for its comedy, solid facts, and yet serious ideas that make for great reading. Don't expect to read about cars here, but any topic that Jezza feels to (mostly) complain about.

If you watch the Top Gear show on BBC TV, you know of Mr Clarkson and his humor. This is another collection of his columns he wrote
for the Guardian in the UK. If you read it with a tongue in cheek attitude you will enjoy it very much. Great light comedy.
Highly recommended look into the psyche if British humor.

There is nothing to add to Mark Slattery's superb review -- which is about as good as these things get -- except to underscore that the book is not for Top Gear fans. It is a collection of old newspaper articles expressing amusingly grumpy viewpoints about things other than cars. And the articles were written for a British audience, so Americans won't always appreciate the jokes.