The Lunatic at Large
June 12th, 2006The next Collins Library book is announced: The Lunatic at Large, by J. Storer Clouston.
‘The best-bred lunatics in England’ live in Clankwood, and Francis Beveridge is its newest resident. Rather than attending the asylum’s Saturday dances, though, Beveridge goes on the lam in London. And thus, when a traveling German noble finds himself at the luxurious Hotel Mayonnaise without a guide to England’s customs, who better to escort him than the amnesiac Englishman who materializes by his side - a splendid tutor in bringing rail stations to a standstill, the best way to fake a rabies attack, and how to crash London’s most exclusive clubs - quite literally.
A much-loved Victorian comic masterpiece, this is the original anarchic novel that ushered in the age of Wodehouse and Waugh.
The Collins Library is curated by Paul Collins, author of the excellent Banvard’s Folly. It is an imprint of McSweeneys Books specializing in obscure and weird titles.