Scorn

'He's 100% political herpes. Back in six months whatever you do. Or three days, like last time.' Camilla Long on Nigel Farage 'I'm going to beat him so bad he'll need a shoehorn to put his hat on.' Muhammed Ali There's no pleasure like a perfectly turned put-down (when it's directed at somebody else). Matthew Parris's sublime collection of the rudest, funniest and most cutting insults in history contains extended literary invective and short verbal shin-kicks, spanning the worlds of art, politics, showbiz, marriage, literature , and taking us on a boisterous journey from ancient Roman graffiti to Twitters battles. Whether you're looking for the perfect elegant riposte, the rudest polite letter ever written, or a brutal verbal sledgehammer, Scorn draws on masters such as Dorothy Parker, Elizabeth 1, Winston Churchill, Princess Anne and Alastair Campbell to show that abuse can be an exquisite art form.