MY SIX BEST BOOKS
ALEX HORNE, 39, is a comedian who presented The Horne Section on Radio 4. The Horne Section is currently touring its live show. He is also creator and co-host of TV comedy panel game Taskmaster and the new series is on Dave, Tuesdays, 9pm. PALINDROMES AND ANAGRAMS
by Howard W Bergerson
Out of print I was given this by my mum aged about 12. We used to watch Countdown together and this got me interested in wordplay.
To pass the time – if I’m in church at a wedding, for example – I’ll often look at words and rearrange them. DR SEUSS’S BEGINNER BOOK COLLECTION
by Dr Seuss
Out of print I have three children and I am reading to them now which I think is really important. In Green Eggs And Ham, Seuss uses only 50 words, which he did for a bet. The illustrations are great and the nonsense words appeal. RUBE GOLDBERG: INVENTIONS!
by Maynard Frank Woolf
Out of print A collection of cartoons by the American equivalent of Heath Robinson. He designed ridiculous contraptions to accomplish simple things, for instance, a machine to make tea that involves making a cat run fast on a travelator. They’re like really long jokes. DEEP THOUGHTS
by Jack Handey
Out of print A book of almost one-liner jokes with serene illustrations. They’re very stupid but always make me laugh. I was given it by a girlfriend who then dumped me. I read it in my gap year and it inspired me. THE COMPACT OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY Out of print You can get old copies of this cheaply. It’s in two volumes and has a drawer underneath with a magnifying glass because the print is tiny. If one of the kids asks what a word means, we’ll look it up and it’s a nice experience. I wrote a book about trying to get a new word into the dictionary. I haven’t succeeded yet. OPEN: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Andre Agassi
Out of print I loved this but it was slated when I went on the radio programme A Good Read so I left feeling foolish.
I like sport and I used to watch Agassi when I was growing up. He was forced into playing by his dad and he writes passionately about his struggles.