Auberon Waugh
The best novel I have read this year (not counting Teresa Waugh's Sylvia's Lot, Sinclair-Stevenson, £14.99) was Craig Brown's The Hounding of John Thomas (Century, £14.99), closely followed by Fer- dinand Mount's Umbrella (Heinemann, 49.99). Both these novels belong to the clever historical reconstruction school, however, and do not really qualify for full approval.
The funniest book published this year is Top Tips, Pearls of Thrift and Wisdom from the pages of Viz, edited by Chris Donald and published by John Brown at £3.99. The best wine book award is jointly given to Jancis Robinson for The Oxford Com- panion to Wine (00) and Larousse's Ency- clopaedia of Wine at the same price. The most neglected masterpieces of the Year were Major Major: Memories of an Older Brother by Terry Major-Ball (Duck- worth, £12.95) and If Symptoms Persist, a collection of essays by The Spectator's medical columnist, Theodore Dalrymple (Deutsch, 8.99). All these would make magnificent Christmas presents, depending on how much you are prepared to spend.
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