The Joy Of Essex

Liberty ... Equality ... Tiptree jam!' In 1990 Essex Man swaggered onto the scene in his shiny suit, driving a flash car and with his white-stiletto-wearing missus on his arm. It was a step up from sovereign rings and done-up Ford Cortinas, but brash, vulgar and 'breathtakingly right-wing' Mr and Mrs Essex were still the target for pity, condemnation and nationwide mockery. Twenty-odd years on something strange has happened. From Russell Brand and Jamie Oliver to Phill Jupitus and Ray Winstone, via the runaway success of TV shows like The Only Way is Essex and Gavin and Stacey, Essex is now the most iconic county in the UK and the essence of Essex is everywhere. But there's more to the county than stereotypes, as Brentwood-reared Pete May discovers when he takes an eye-opening journey through the Essex tundra. Along the way, May finds bluebells in Billericay, sculpture in Harlow, Hollywood-style signs on the A127, below-sea-level life in Canvey Island and endless chip shops, and asks the vital question: is the only way Essex or is there maybe another one?

In 'The Joy of Essex,' Dagenham-reared Pete May takes an uproarious journey through the Essex tundra, from Romford to Chigwell to Southend-on-Sea, chronicling the history, the present and the legend of Essex. He looks at the anthropological significance of the indigenous people of Essex.

In 1820, a sperm whale attacked and sunk the Whaleship Essex. 2000 miles off the coast of South America, the crew knew it would be a true feat to survive and make it to shore--any shore. It’s story became legendary; Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about it; Edgar Allen Poe incorporated details of it in his only novel; and, most notoriously of them all, it served as the inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. This account retraces the history of one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time.

"Charles Van Doren has laid a feast before all of us that is irresistible."—Mortimer J. Adler This engaging love letter to reading follows the great authors and classics that transformed the world: from Aristotle and Herodotus in ancient Greece to Salinger and Heinlein in 20th century America. Like a professor whose enthusiasm enwraps his students, Van Doren explains what's wonderful in the books you've missed and awakens your desire to reopen the books you already know. Divided chronologically by the periods in which these classics were written, each book is put in its historical context and brought to life by Van Doren's brilliant analysis. The Joy of Reading delves into a wide range of genres—fiction, poetry, drama, children's books, philosophy, history and science. This is the one book that brings together everything you need to know about the classics you missed and ignites your passion to read and reread the greatest books the world has ever known. This book is the fruit of a lifelong love affair. Reading, I believe, is my favorite thing to do; books and I have been inseparable almost as long as I can remember ... To this day, I become distressed if I am anywhere without a book, a magazine, a newspaper, any scrap of paper to read .... I like the smell of books, certainly the feel of them. Life without books would be, for me, a vacant horror."—Charles Van Doren "Nothing recommends the joy of reading better than the communication of it by a person who has spent a lifetime enriched by the delights of reading. Charles Van Doren is that kind of reader. He has laid a feast before us that is irresistible."—Mortimer J. Adler, author of How to Read a Book "Mr. Van Doren is that rarity, a truly well read man who reads not for professional purposes but for pleasure. His book spurs us on to explore more deeply and joyfully the infinitely varied terrain of good books."—Clifton Fadiman, author of The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to World Literature

Thomas Joy married Joanne Gallop.