Tennis Whites and Teacakes by John Betjeman


Tennis Whites and Teacakes
Title : Tennis Whites and Teacakes
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0719569036
ISBN-10 : 9780719569036
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 240
Publication : First published June 1, 2007

Betjeman's England is a place of patriotic poets and seaside coves, provincial cathedrals and eccentric dons. 'Tennis Whites and Teacakes' brings together the best of Betjeman's poetry, private letters, journalism and musings in order to present a fully-rounded picture of what he stood for.


Tennis Whites and Teacakes Reviews


  • Peter

    This a book about and being English, what we have and what as gone before. Read while walking through country lanes in the summer. Bloody marvalous!

  • Dave Williams

    Weeeell ... I've been reading this on and off, mostly off, for about four years. Finally finished it, and I must say it's something of a relief. It wasn't hard going - far from it - very pleasant and readable in most places ... just not in the least bit gripping. Perhaps this was because most of the prose sections were descriptive of people and things and lifestyles long since gone? Who knows. I tend to quite like the light pastoral tone of Betjeman's poetry (I enjoyed the collection 'Summoned by Bells'), but this left me a bit cold. A particular downer was the way that it closed with a few pages of faith-filled naive religious writing, which felt a bit odd and left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Hey ho.

  • Andy Gore

    Betjeman writes so so well and if envy was a virtue I'd cultivate it to express myself as well as him.

  • Esther

    A nice collection of prose and poetry grouped around themes. He's a grumpy old Tory at times, but has his moments. Picked this up in a very trashy looking bookshop in Keighley (town in Yorkshire) on vacation a couple of years ago. In amongst the Jackie Collins and my little pony coloring books, was this for 99p.