A Triple-Decker Treat

In this omnibus edition of Christopher Matthew's comic verse, his route takes in Britain's middle-aged middle classes and their foibles, stops to raise a leg at dogs and their lovers, and terminates - as is life's way - with a wry look at romance for bus-pass owners.

A Triple-Decker Treat teaches us that not only can a Le Creuset casserole be very dangerous in the wrong hands, but so too can Pilates, open-air opera in evening dress, weekending in Wales with a pug, and pushing a trolley in Waitrose.

There are exuberant spaniels of theatrical lineage and neglected latchkey dogs, there are dignified mongrel strays, war-heroes and a psychotic Great Dane called Cher Bebe. And then there is man, with his cowardice, his commitment issues, his short attention span and his propensity for very silly names . . .

Finally, Matthew negotiates the perils and pitfalls of romance in later years. Love is revealed in the most unlikely places, with the most improbable people seeking it. Whether in Dorking, Diss, Clapham Junction or West Wittering, there are amorous opportunities waiting to be seized at the bridge table, on the tennis court, in the herbaceous border, on a bicycle made for two, or simply in warm companionship.

Often hilarious and always touching, these delightful and stirring tales of cast-iron cookware, rear-fixated puppies and late-flowering love are a celebration of everything life has to offer.

About the Author

Christopher Matthew is the author of Now We Are Sixty, Now We Are Sixty (And a Bit) Summoned by Balls and When We Were Fifty. He reviews books for the Daily Mail, and is regularly heard on BBC Radio 4. He lives in London and Suffolk.

About the Illustrator

Tony Ross was born in London and studied at the Liverpool School of Art and Design. He has worked as a cartoonist, a graphic designer, as the Art Director of an advertising agency, and as Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic.

Tony is one of the most popular and successful children's illustrators of all time, best known for illustrating Horrid Henry and the works of David Walliams. Tony's books have been translated into 40 languages in over 100 countries. He lives in Macclesfield.