Kiddar's Luck
Language: English
Published by Bloodaxe Books Ltd, United Kingdom, Tyne and Wear, 1990
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United KingdomWorldofBooks
AbeBooks seller since March 16, 2007
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 2.92
Quantity: 7 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
'He was indeed the nearest anybody ever got to Charlie Chaplin in print.the sentences skid and dance and hop on one leg or take a custard pie right on the chin or duck and weave and leave you gasping behind. But he is more for the wry smile than the belly laugh'. This was how Sid Chaplin described Jack Common, author of two of the best working-class novels of the 20th century, and 'the best prose writer to come from the North-East of England'. "Kiddar's Luck", his first novel, was a commercial flop when it first appeared. It has since been called a 'neglected masterpiece', remarkable for its 'linguistic mastery and insights into the lives of working people, free of illusions and false heroics' (Richard Kelly in "The Independent"). Common's semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of a boy, Willie Kiddar, his first 14 years, from conception on a Sunday afternoon to leaving school during the First World War. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…
Seller Inventory # GOR001536153
- Title
- Kiddar's Luck
- Author
- Jack Common
- Publisher
- Bloodaxe Books Ltd, United Kingdom, Tyne and Wear
- Publication year
- 1990
- Condition
- Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1852241276
- ISBN 13
- 9781852241278
- Item weight
- 259 grams
- Dimensions
- 138.0 x 216.0
This was how Sid Chaplin described Jack Common, author of two of the best working-class novels of the 20th century, and 'the best prose writer to come from the North-East of England'. Kiddar's Luck, his first novel, was a commercial flop when it first appeared. It has since been called a 'neglected masterpiece', remarkable for its 'linguistic mastery and insights into the lives of working people, free of illusions and false heroics' (Richard Kelly in The Independent).
Jack Common was born in 1903 in Heaton, Newcastle, and grew up in the terraced streets backing onto the railway yards where his father worked.The boy Willie Kiddar in Common's account of a Newcastle childhood is a thinly veiled self-portrait, and Kiddar's Luck tells the story of his first 14 years, from conception on a Sunday afternoon to leaving school during the First World War. At 25 he moved to London, and worked as assistant editor on The Adelphi during the 30s, when George Orwell was his friend and literary mentor, later praising his essay collection The Freedom of the Streets (1938) as 'the authentic voice of the ordinary working man, the man who might infuse a new decency into the control of affairs if only he could get there, but who never seems to get much further than the trenches, the sweatshop and the jail'. V.S. Pritchett called it the most influential book of his life.
Kiddar's Luck was first published in 1951 (and its sequel, The Ampersand, in 1954). After the commercial failure of his two novels, Jack Common lived in poverty for much of the rest of his life, and died in 1968.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
At 25 he moved to London, and worked as assistant editor on The Adelphi during the thirties, when George Orwell was his friend and literary mentor, later praising his essay collection The Freedom of the Streets (1938) as 'the authentic voice of the ordinary working man, the man who might infuse a new decency into the control of affairs if only he could get there, but who in practice never seems to get much further than the trenches, the sweatshop and the jail'. V.S. Pritchett called it the most influential book in his life. The sculptor Lawrence Bradshaw used Common's brow as a model for his bust of Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery, saying that he found there a similar patience and understanding. Jack Common also inspired, prefaced and edited the compilation Seven Shifts (1938), in which seven working men told of their experience.
In 1951 Turnstile Press published Common's best-known book, the autobiographical Kiddar's Luck, in which he vividly describes his childhood on the streets of Edwardian Tyneside, as seen through the lens of his adult socialism. In The Ampersand (1954) Common took the story further, but his publishers went into liquidation two years later. Neither book had been a commercial success and Common had not completed the trilogy with his long-promised Riches and Rare, a novel set in Newcastle at the time of the General Strike. In his later years he did a variety of jobs, at one time working as a labourer by day and writing film scripts by night; he also worked as a caretaker at a stately home, but was often out of work and lived from hand to mouth. He died in Newport Pagnell in 1968.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
WorldofBooks
Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since March 16, 2007
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 12 business days | 5 to 9 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 5.60 | £ 12.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
In 2002, World of Books Group was founded on an ethos to do good, protect the planet and support charities by enabling more goods to be reused. Since then, we've grown into to a global company pioneering the circular economy. Today, we drive the circular economy through three re-commerce brands: - Wob: Through Wob, we sell. We provide affordable, preloved books and media to customers all over the world. A book leaves our collection of over seven million titles and begins a new chapter every two seconds, enabling more goods to be reused. - Ziffit: Through Ziffit, we buy. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media. - Shopiago: Through Shopiago, we help others. By sharing the technology that has grown World of Books Group into the business it is today, we’re helping charities increase revenue and reduce waste through re-commerce.…
Specialty
COOKERY, RECYCLE, CHARITY, USED BOOKS, MODERN, HISTORY, CHILDRENS, FICTION, CHEAP BOOKS, NON -FICTIONSeller's business information
World of Books Ltd
Mulberry House, Woods Way Trading Estate
Goring-By-Sea, United Kingdom BN12 4QY
Terms of sale
WorldofBooks.com fully embraces the AbeBooks terms and conditions and we will do
what we can to resolve any issues.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to WorldofBooks, Coventry, WMD, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Orders ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.