Rick Gekoski is a rare book dealer, writer, and occasional broadcaster. An American who relocated to England in 1966, he taught English Literature at the University of Warwick from 1971-1987, and has published books on Joseph Conrad, William Golding, Premiership football (
Staying Up), a collection of essays entitled
Tolkien's Gown and Other Stories of Great Authors and Rare Books (based on his BBC Radio 4 Series Rare Books, Rare People), and
Outside of a Dog: A Bibliomemoir. In 2005 he was one of the judges for the Man Booker prize, and he is currently chair of the judges for the Man Booker International prize 2011.
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He named his five favorite books on sports for the
Guardian. One title on the list:
PG Wodehouse, The Clicking of Cuthbert, 1922
A story concerning both golf and literature, so hilarious that on first reading it, seated on Eurostar on the way to Paris, I laughed so uncontrollably that I had to remove myself and stand between the carriages. Then I got a cramp in my stomach muscles, and ending up on the floor clasping myself in agony, still laughing. The staff inquired solicitously if I was alright, and perhaps needed a doctor. I thrust the book at them: "You must read this!" I said. I can't imagine they did, but they should have. Everybody should.
Read about
the other books on Gekoski's list.
--Marshal Zeringue