Mornington Cresent - a true underground movement.
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This book mercifully avoids the pitfall that has ruined so many other Mornington Crescent books through the ages, which have devoted so much space to explaining every intricacy of the rules in such detail as to leave little room for any analysis or history of the game. Thankfully, “Stovold’s Mornington Crescent Almanac” credits us with a bit of intelligence and assumes we know the rules – after all, it hardly takes a rocket scientist to grasp the basic principles of the game. No, what Stovold has done is to provide a truly universal tome that appeals to both the hard-core Crescent-head and casual player (if such a thing exists). Some fascinating revelations are made in this book, including the discovery of evidence that Stonehenge was built as a primitive Mornington Crescent arena, and that the Chinese invented a much-simplified version of the Game for simpletons, and called it “Mornington Chessent”, which was later abbreviated to “Chess”. Another plus point is that the book does not stick to the ludicrously simple version of the Game popularised by the Radio 4 programme “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue”. In fact, by contributing to Stovold’s, they have defied much of the criticism that has been hurled their way. Many purists had previously resented their version of the Game, with many observers saying that from listening to them carry on, you’d think they invented the game themselves. As well as the serious business of the Game, the book contains some moments of light relief. For example, did you know that the original 7" version of The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset” had a B-side in which the band gave a very convincing argument for why Morton’s Reversal should be limited to Circle Line post-Crabbitt junctions only. This was deemed unacceptable for the pro-Crabitt record company bosses, and was never released. Overall, this is an essential buy for anyone who doesn’t know their Googe Street bi-laterals from their elbows, or who has ever got their Hampton Court in a Shepherd’s Bush loop. However much you thought you knew about Mornington Crescent, this book will increase your knowledge by around 35%.
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A must have item for Mornington Crescent affictionadas
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I bought this book a couple of days after seeing a recording of the Radio 4 programme "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" at Darlington Civic Theatre (broadcast May 26th and June 2nd, 2003).
The book contains, among other things, inedible recipes, league tables, historical facts - or rather hysterical fictions.Be warned. This is a joke book. As for the playing the game the secret lies in the title of the programme.
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Mornington Crescent!
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For anyone who's ever listened to Mornington Crescent, this book is fabulous! It will considerably improve your game skill, with a witty and informative combination of key games from history, the background to the game, useful recipes (!), and a listing of important rules. For instance, "Crabbit's Law", which dictates "the illegality of vectored access to low coordinates within the Rhombus of Apperley is non-negotiable under any circumference". I agree, whole-heartedly. The forward by Ken Livingston proves just how important a game it has been, revealing how it guided him through the running of London. The editor, Graeme Garden, also wrote the radio series on which the book is based, and this tongue-in-cheek take on the great game is extremely funny, well written and most of all accurate. This book certainly made me chuckle, and so I'd definitely recommend it.
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