DO NOT read this book on the train. Seriously. You’ll only embarrass yourself.

Subtitled: “A delightful miscellany of Great British Eccentrics” this is likely to provoke snorts, guffaws and involuntary giggles at any moment.

It’s a collection of tales of some of the oddest individuals our country has ever produced, some sad, some a bit sick, but most jolly amusing.

Shaw keeps to the facts, meaning this is a tight, slickly written account you can dip into and mine for gems.

Just beware that if you read it in public, you’ll end up having to explain exactly what you’re smiling at, lest you be thought eccentric yourself.