''Amis has no faults. He is clever, witty, ironical'' Guardian

What advice can one give a green young author? What purpose do literary prizes serve? Where on earth can a man get a decent bite to eat? This entertaining collection is vintage Kingsley Amis, revealing him at his most robust and incisive, cutting a swathe through such subjects as writers and writing, ''Abroad'', eating and drinking, music, language and education. He turns a clear and critical eye on Evelyn Waugh, Anthony Powell, Anthony Burgess, Ian Fleming and Philip Larkin, and does not spare their potential readers in ''Sod the Public: A Consumer''.

In typically razor-sharp, wicked and witty prose, Amis tackles the culture and conceits of his era.