Background
Hodgkinson was born in Newcastle, England, and educated at Westminster School and Jesus College, Cambridge, during which time he played the bass guitar in the Stupids-influenced thrash band Chopper.
( The ukulele has gone from strength to strength in recen...)
The ukulele has gone from strength to strength in recent years, undergoing a massive resurgence. You can hear the uke all over the place, from trendster indie rock to top ten pop songs, from unshakeable TV ads to YouTube megahits. And this obsession shows no sign of abating - all over the country people are picking up a ukulele and starting to strum, at home, in classes and down at the pub. Schools are even replacing the faithful recorder with a jazzy, inexpensive uke. Famous idlers Gavin Pretor-Pinney and Tom Hodgkinson have spent hours idling away on their ukuleles to produce the ultimate uke handbook: an illustrated guide to its history crossed with a how-to guide and songbook. This is the book that will bring the underground movement into the mainstream. The first half of the book delves into the rich history of this eccentric little instrument, from its birth in Hawaii to its popularity across the world, with a timeline from 1879 to today and a ukulele hall of fame that includes George Formby, Hawaiian legend Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and YouTube ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro. Then on to the practicalities: the anatomy of the ukulele, which uke to buy, how to play it, how to strum, pick, read chord charts and tune the strings. Once you know all this, you can get playing the songbook, which includes a wide spread of songs from medieval lays and nursery rhymes to blues and rock 'n roll. Beautiful presentation and tab notation make reading the music easy, even for beginners. With the highest production values, a light touch and an irresistible instrument at centre stage, this book is a must-have for all aspiring Formbys.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620402203/?tag=2022091-20
( From the founding editor of The Idler, the celebrated m...)
From the founding editor of The Idler, the celebrated magazine about the freedom and fine art of doing nothing, comes not simply a book, but an antidote to our work-obsessed culture. In How to Be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson presents his learned yet whimsical argument for a new universal standard of living: being happy doing nothing. He covers a whole spectrum of issues affecting the modern idler—sleep, work, pleasure, relationships—while reflecting on the writing of such famous apologists for it as Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Nietzsche—all of whom have admitted to doing their very best work in bed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060779691/?tag=2022091-20
(How to be Free is Tom Hodgkinson's manifesto for a libera...)
How to be Free is Tom Hodgkinson's manifesto for a liberated life. Modern life is absurd. How can we be free? If you've ever wondered why you bother to go to work, or why so much consumer culture is crap, then this book is for you. Looking to history, literature and philosophy for inspiration, Tom Hodgkinson provides a joyful blueprint for a simpler and freer way of life. Filled with practical tips as well as inspiring reflections, here you can learn how to throw off the shackles of anxiety, bureaucracy, debt, governments, housework, supermarkets, waste and much else besides. Are you ready to be free? Read this book and find out. 'One of the most provocatively entertaining, creatively subversive and, frankly, essential manifestoes of this or any moment' Time Out 'Crammed with laugh-out-loud jokes and witty put-downs . . . acts as a survival guide for everything from the government to housework. Random in its details, essential in its advice' Knave As a follow-up to his charming How to be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson offers nothing less than a manifesto of resistance to the modern world' Guardian Tom Hodgkinson is the founder and editor of The Idler and the author of How to be Idle, How to be Free, The Idle Parent and Brave Old World. In spring 2011 he founded The Idler Academy in London, a bookshop, coffeehouse and cultural centre which hosts literary events and offers courses in academic and practical subjects - from Latin to embroidery. Its motto is 'Liberty through Education'. Find out more at www.idler.co.uk.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141022027/?tag=2022091-20
(This wise and funny book presents a revolutionary yet hig...)
This wise and funny book presents a revolutionary yet highly practical approach to childcare: leave them alone. "The Idle Parent came as a huge relief to the whole family. Suddenly, it was okay to leave the kids to sort it out among themselves. Suddenly, it was okay to be responsibly lazy. This is the most counterintuitive but most helpful and consoling child-raising manual I've yet read."-Alain de Botton, author of The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and The Consolations of Philosophy "The most easy-to-follow-without-being-made-to-feel-inadequate parenting manifesto ever written . . . A godsend to parents."- The Sunday Times "Add liberal doses of music, jovial company and deep woods to play in- all central to the idle, not to say Taoist, life-and you have a recipe for bright, happy people with need of neither television nor shrink. Who could ask for more?"- The Evening Standard In The Idle Parent, the author of The Freedom Manifesto and How to Be Idle applies his trademark left-of-center theories of idleness to what can be one of the thorniest aspects of adult life: parenting. Many parents today spend a whole lot of time worrying and wondering- frantically "helicoptering" over their children with the hope that they might somehow keep (or make?) them flawless. But where is this approach to childcare getting us? According to Hodgkinson, in our quest to give our kids everything, we fail to give them the two things they need most: the space and time to grow up self-reliant, confident, happy, and free. In this smart and hilarious book, Hodgkinson urges parents to stop worrying and instead start nurturing the natural instincts toward creativity and independence that are found in every child. And the great irony: in doing so, we will find ourselves becoming happier and better parents.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585428000/?tag=2022091-20
(Brave Old World is Tom Hodgkinson's year-round guide to t...)
Brave Old World is Tom Hodgkinson's year-round guide to the ancient art of husbandry. In this indispensable addition to his much-loved guides for the free-spirited, Tom Hodgkinson takes us on a modern tour of the ancient arts of everyday living: philosophy, husbandry and merriment. Drawing on the wisdom of an eclectic range of thinkers and writers, and, as ever, on Tom's own honestly recounted and frequently imperfect attempts to travel the road to self-sufficiency, Brave Old World charts the progress of a year in pursuit of the pleasures of the past. From January to December, let Tom be your guide to a better, older way of life. 'A meditation on why life has been a dreadful mistake ever since the Reformation brought us paid jobs and the work ethic. Brave Old World is hugely inspiring even when it is most bonkers' Sarah Bakewell, New Statesman 'A delightful read. Share in the exuberant joys and comic misfortunes of an eccentric who has made up his mind about the existence he wants to lead, and has gone ahead and lived it' James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday Tom Hodgkinson is the founder and editor of The Idler and the author of How to be Idle, How to be Free, The Idle Parent and Brave Old World. In spring 2011 he founded The Idler Academy in London, a bookshop, coffeehouse and cultural centre which hosts literary events and offers courses in academic and practical subjects - from Latin to embroidery. Its motto is 'Liberty through Education'. Find out more at www.idler.co.uk.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141030380/?tag=2022091-20
Hodgkinson was born in Newcastle, England, and educated at Westminster School and Jesus College, Cambridge, during which time he played the bass guitar in the Stupids-influenced thrash band Chopper.
Westminster School.
His philosophy, in his published books and articles, is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future. The Idler was originally a series of essays written by Doctor Johnson from 1758 to 1760. He lived in North Devon until 2013.
He currently lives in London.
In the early 1990s, he worked at a Rough Trade Records shop in London, where he had the idea for The Idler. In the late 1990s he became an importer of absinthe.
From 1995 to 1997 he was Joint Head of Creative Development at Guardian Newspapers, where he worked for Carolyn McCall and Alan Rusbridger. From 1997 to 2002 he and Gavin Pretor-Pinney ran Idle Industries, a creative consultancy with clients such as Channel 4, the Guardian, Sony PlayStation, ad agency Mother, Paramount television and Oakley.
The pair launched the best-selling Crap Towns series of books
Hodgkinson has contributed articles to The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times as well as being the author of the Idler spin-offs, How To Be Idle, How To Be Free and The Idle Parent. How to be Idle has been translated into 25 languages and was a best-seller in the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Germany and the Czechoslovakian Republic. In 2006 he created National Unawareness Day, to be celebrated on 1 November.
Bloomsbury United Kingdom and Bloomsbury United States published his and Gavin"s book, The Ukulele Handbook.
( From the founding editor of The Idler, the celebrated m...)
(This wise and funny book presents a revolutionary yet hig...)
( The ukulele has gone from strength to strength in recen...)
(Brave Old World is Tom Hodgkinson's year-round guide to t...)
(How to be Free is Tom Hodgkinson's manifesto for a libera...)
(Will be shipped from US. Brand new copy.)
(Will be shipped from US. Brand new copy.)