Roy Brooks became a legend in his own time for the puckish delight he took in telling the truth, the whole truth - and even the unwholesome truth - about the properties, as an estate agent, that he advertised for sale. From 1950 to his death in 1971, his fame for these revolutionary, outrageous, funny, and on occasions, painful advertisements spread far and wide. In a trade well known for its euphemisms, optimistic cliches and skilful camouflage, he won the delighted applause of the property-buying and newspaper-reading, public. This is a collection of the best of Roy Brooks' property advertisements in the Sunday Times and Observer newspapers.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'Roy Brooks was to estate dealing what Gerard Hoffnung was to music - unique and irreplaceable.' Humphrey Burton; 'I remain for ever in his debt. Why does nobody do jokey estate agent ads nowadays?' Sheridan Morley
From the Publisher
“Will anyone take pity on a nasty old house adj. Regent’s Pk. Ter.? On still nights the friendly howl of the Hyena floats over the Mappin terraces & one can, maybe, imagine oneself far away from our acquisitive society. 9 rms., 2 bathrms. All in pretty foul order.” Roy Brooks became a legend in his own time for the puckish delight he took in telling the truth, the whole truth—and even the unwholesome truth—about properties that, as a real estate agent, he advertised for sale. From 1950 until his death in 1971, his fame for these revolutionary, outrageous, funny, and, on occasion, painful advertisements spread far and wide. To readers of London’s SUNDAY TIMES and OBSERVER, his property ads became essential weekend reading. Here is a selection of the best.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
True stories!,
By
This review is from: Brothel in Pimlico (Paperback)
This book's property reviews are startling in their candor. It's startling that one man dared be frank about the condition of the property he hoped to sell or rent--and hilarious that he included impressions of the former owners.I bought it excitedly after having heard about it on the radio. Then, when I finally got it, I realized I'd basically heard the best ones on the radio--but they're buried in there for you to fine. And the less-than-best are still quite more interesting than anything you'd find in circulation today. Mr. Brooks has a great vocabulary and a wonderful way of reducing many a dynastic saga to a column-inch. I have withheld the fifth star because of the printing rather than the "work". It seems the novelty of a narrowly shaped book was deemed necessary to further titillate the prospective reader-far more necessary than legibility. As other reviewers indicate, it's hard for the American reader to get some of the jokes unless she's spent some time in London and has a familiarity with the neighborhoods. Further, the abbreviations standard to a newspaper in another era, in another country in my case, are indecipherable. Each of these shortcomings could have been addressed with a map of the city and a key to the abbreviations and their meanings-either of which would be far preferred to the hasty and uninspired line drawings the publisher saw fit to include.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Bathroom Reader,
By A Customer
This review is from: Brothel in Pimlico (Paperback)
Since the real estate listings are so small they make perfect bathroom feeding fodder. I have this book on the back of the throne and break it out whenever I wish to spend a few minutes relaxing.The listings are generally quite funny (although the humor can be a bit tame). Some references are obscure for Americans (as the real estate listed in in London). Decent book if you like this sort of thing.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh and Learn,
By Beauzeaux (Sunshine Coast, British Columbia) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Brothel in Pimlico (Paperback)
Everyone knows that this is a very funny little book but I also see it as tremendously informative. Anyone interested in post-WWII life in London can glean a remarkable amount from this book. Brooks's comments about houses, their contents, their owners, the neighborhoods, and speculations about the future are all well worth reading.
The fact that the book is often laugh-out-loud hilarious is a bonus. An odd little book but wekk worth the few bucks it costs.
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