Ways And Means - Softcover

Cecil, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842320696 ISBN 13: 9781842320693

Publisher: House of Stratus, 2009

Synopsis

When Basil Merridew and his 'nephew', Nicholas Drewe, arrive in the prosperous village of Tapworth Magna their neighbours are unprepared for the upheaval that is to follow. The new arrivals' short period of residence in the village ends when Basil takes out a slander action against twenty-two of his neighbours and pockets £10,000 as a settlement. This is just the first episode in a fascinating plot which has our two heroes using the subtleties of the law to plan ever more convoluted and intricate ways to make their way in the world. In this brilliantly worked legal drama, see how they find 'ways and means' of supporting their attractive wives and comfortable standard of living without actually having to do a single day's real work.

About this title

Review:

How some specious and delightful scoundrels suceed in living comfortably by gulling the public and keeping, roughly, on the right side of the law.--Daily Telegraph

...much excellent invention and dialogue; Mr Cecil is a welcome original.--The Sunday Times

About the Author:

Henry Cecil, known to many as His Honour Judge H.C. Leon, MC, was a High Court judge as well as a famous author. He wrote during the three-week-long family holidays which were usually spent in comfortable hotels in Britain. He would sit in a deck chair in a sunny garden, exercise book on lap and pen in hand, writing from 10 am to 1pm, then again from 2.30 to 4 pm each day. His writing career is attributed to his Second World War experiences. Sailing around the Cape on a 'dry' troop ship on the way to Cairo, the colonel asked his adjutant (Cecil) to tell stories to keep the officers' minds off alcohol. The stories were so popular that they became a regular feature, and formed the basis of his first collection, 'Full Circle', published in 1948. Thereafter, the legal year, his impressions at court, or at other official functions, as well as dinners at the Savoy Grill or at his club, the Garrick, all provided material for his considerable brain power. Many of his stories were made into films or plays - notably 'Brothers-in-Law' and 'Alibi for a Judge'. These and other books have also provided a stimulus for those wishing to take up law as a career. They are a delight for those who look for authenticity in the most aptly described British characters. Cecil died in May 1976, still at the height of his mental powers.

About this edition

• Publisher: House of Stratus
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1842320696
• ISBN 13: 9781842320693
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 198