Scoop

Waugh, Evelyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316216372 ISBN 13: 9780316216371

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2012

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of the century, Scoop is a "thoroughly enjoyable, uproariously funny" satire of the journalism business (New York Times).

Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the Daily Beast, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs. Algernon Stitch, Lord Copper feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia.

So begins Scoop, Waugh's exuberant comedy of mistaken identity and brilliantly irreverent satire of the hectic pursuit of hot news.
"Its timelessness is both hilarious and depressing." --Seth Meyers

Review:

"Thoroughly enjoyable, uproariously funny."--New York Times Book Review

"Ingenious, satirical, extremely funny...Mr. Waugh's ribald wit spurts in a brisk unininterrupted flow upon the caprices of sensational journalism. Scoop is entertaining reading all through, with more than a single good laugh or chuckle to the page."--Times Literary Supplement

"Urban malice as bright and sharp as tin; it is not only delightful but true."--Otis Ferguson, The New Republic

"A brilliant, accomplished novel...fast, furious, and hilarious."--Terence Holliday, Saturday Review

"With this book, England's wittiest novelist sets a new standard for comic extravaganza....The one real message concerning Scoop is that it is thoroughly enjoyable, uproariously funny, and that everyone should get a copy at once."--Robert Van Gelder, New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover:

Lord Copper, proprietor of the Daily Beast, is persuaded to send fashionable novelist John Boot as a foreign correspondent to cover the civil war in the African republic of Ishmaelia; but, owing to a most unfortunate case of mistaken identity, he actually sends William Boot, a contributor of charming nature notes to the Beast who has rarely ventured out of his rural retreat.

Evelyn Waugh's tale of an innocent abroad is a hilarious satire on journalism, set amidst the powerful currents of the 1930's, and contains a memorable collection of comic creations.