Scoop

One of Evelyn Waugh's most exuberant comedies, Scoop is a brilliantly irreverent satire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news. Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of The Daily Beast , has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs Algernon Stitch, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia. But for, pale, ineffectual William Boot, editor of the Daily Beast 's 'nature notes' column, being mistaken for a competent journalist may prove to be a fatal error... If you enjoyed Scoop , you might like Waugh's Decline and Fall , also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Waugh at the mid-season point of his perfect pitch' Christopher Hitchens