Firstly the hardback edition here is a beautiful book, Ralf Steadman's illustrations are in full colour and intersperse Will Self's text. He speaks of journeys taken by foot, largely over urban landscapes and the palimpsest of histories that land has. His first and longest journey is from his home to Heathrow, a journey made for four wheels rather than two feet, and then from JFK to downtown Manhattan. His use of extended metaphor is just exquisite, the scatalogical and elegaic brought together to show the world not in a new light as such, just better described. I must admit I had to read it with a large dictionary at hand, Self's command of the English language is just incredible. Not an easy book to read, but a real education and enlightenment.
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