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  • Published: 20 June 2016
  • ISBN: 9781784756550
  • Imprint: Arrow
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $38.00
Categories:

True Brits



A tour of twenty-first century Britain in all its shin-kicking, bog-snorkelling and cheese-rolling glory, this is a uniquely British travel book.

When J. R. Daeschner first heard about 'shin kicking' he was intrigued. As an American who had lived in Britain for some time, he thought he knew a thing or two about the country. But he'd never come across this centuries-old 'sport', which had to be one of the most painful and infuriating ever invented. J. R. had to find out more, and soon discovered that Britain has dozens, if not hundreds, of similar acts of lunacy enshrined as traditions; strange-named events such as cheese rolling, gurning, bog snorkelling... True Brits is a funny and fascinating travel guide to Britain's oddest places. people and traditions. Readers can follow J. R. as he meets some of the great British eccentrics who involve themselves in a host of bizarre pastimes which include hurling themselves down a grassy cliff in pursuit of a cheese, coating themselves in prickly green burrs, hanging toast on trees and prancing around with reindeer antlers on their heads. In an attempt to understand why seemingly ordinary people do such extraordinarily strange things, J. R. talks to countless characters, watches them in action, and even participates in many of the events himself, encountering plenty of occupational hazards along the way.

  • Published: 20 June 2016
  • ISBN: 9781784756550
  • Imprint: Arrow
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $38.00
Categories:

About the author

J R Daeschner

J. R. Daeschner was born in Denver, Colorado in 1970 and raised in Back-of-Beyond, USA as the son of a Marlboro Country rancher turned Methodist minister. He read International Relations at American University in Washington, after which he worked for the New York Times. He was then headhunted to work on Fleet Street and later Wall Street, with a stint in Brazil before returning to Britain. Now 32, he has lived and worked in the UK for most of the last 10 years, currently as a freelance writer. His work has been published on both sides of the Atlantic and includes The Times and International Herald Tribune.

Praise for True Brits

Bill Bryson meets Tony Hawks

The Times

An enjoyable read.

Wanderlust

Immensely funny... best described as Bill Bryson meets Tony Hawks. Paperback of the week.

The Observer

An obsessive, down-and-dirty travelogue

Time Magazine