His young life is sorely tested by providence, in the shape of erythema and errant footballs. Undaunted, Augustus emerges as a skilled player of Nuts in May and follows his father as a vociferous and litigious defender of decency. Anthony Burgess described Bashford's book as "one of the great comic novels of the 20th century". Grotesque characters in slapstick episodes abound, but it is Augustus Sr's grappling with slippery language and his son's pompous syllabic blooms that really delight. NCBuy this book at the Guardian bookshop