Writer and broadcaster Nigel Rees is a specialist in the popular use of English. Perhaps best known as the deviser and presenter of Radio 4's long-running "Quote...Unquote" programme, he has now compiled this book from numerous sources, especially by avid listeners to his programme. A wide-ranging collection of 20th-century anecdotes, encompassing witty and entertaining stories and jokes from areas as diverse as politics, literature, broadcasting, entertainment, royalty and religion, this book is organized around an alphabetical list of famous people (Churchill, Gielgud, Macmillan etc) with anecdotes listed under them. Interleaved with these are a series of anecdotes relating to certain professions: actors, advertisers, airline pilots, aristocrats, bishops, civil servants, cricketers and critics, to name but a few. Each anecdote has a source, and notes are included on their history and development, sometimes providing alternative versions of the stories. Two indexes, one of people, the other of subjects and themes, aims to enable readers to locate jokes and anecdotes to suit their needs, be they letter-writing, speech-making or general interest.