In 1946, Hungarian-born journalist George Mikes published
How to Be an Alien, an (unintentionally) humorous take on the nuances of life in England, his adopted home. It proved a surprise bestseller, amusing many, offending a few, and inspiring a pair of follow-ups:
How to Be Inimitable and
How to Be Decadent. All three of Mikes's droll essays are collected in
How to Be a Brit, offering insight for British newcomers— and chuckles for those already in the know—about such key topics as queuing (
"the national passion of an otherwise dispassionate race"), urban planning (
"a vast conspiracy to mislead foreigners"), class (
"as soon as a man opens his mouth, we can tell in what sort of school he missed his education"), sex (
"Continental people have sex life; the English have hot-water bottles"), and more. Some of Mikes's mid-century observations have aged better than others, but they all stand an excellent chance of tickling the funny bones of Anglophiles and homesick British expats! (KG)