HOME GUARDS
THE BOOK OF THE GUARD. Text by lan MacKay. Illustrations by L. C. Mitchell, R. Hipkins, D. B. Mackersey, M. L. G. Leask, C. E. Symes and J. T. Gasson. Coulls, Somerville & Wilkie, Ltd. T is perhaps a little dangerous to say that the funniest book the war has so far brought out of New Zealand is this book about the Home Guard. It sounds like saying that the Home Guard itself was the best joke of the war, and that of course must not be said by anyone but an ex-member, In fact nothing like that is intended. But one question obtrudes itself: is age funnier than youth? The Home Guard, with some exceptions, was a collection of has-beens. Most of its members were too old for front-line service, or too encumbered domestically or too economically important. But they were not too old to laugh at one another, and especially at themselves, and the Book of the Guard is one loud guffaw. But don’t think that you must be a guardsman to join in. Sales and advance bookings have already reached the 25,000 mark-the present is the third printing-and there is no indication yet that the flood is slowing down. At two shillings it is the cheapest book of laughter on the market.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19440414.2.21.2
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 251, 14 April 1944, Page 13
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216HOME GUARDS New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 251, 14 April 1944, Page 13
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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