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Second Helpings: & Last Scrapings
Treat yourself to Second Helpings and more choice cuts in the style of Simon Brown's much lauded first volume of memoirs, Playing off the Roof & Other Stories . Exuberantly revisiting his early years in National Service, at Oxford and as a young barrister, Lord Brown recalls matters grave and trivial from his time at the Bar and on the Bench, along the way regaling us with tales of Paddington Bear, Nigel Lawson and Mozart at the Warsaw opera. He also has something to say about the current legal scene and considers such thorny problems as the 2019 prorogation judgment and whether trial by jury might be dispensed with in order to clear a mounting backlog of criminal cases. Drawing witty lessons from a life of trials, Lord Brown finds time to muse on when a judge might choose to change a sentence already imposed, what to say after dinner and why the game of golf is strictly for the birds! This expanded paperback edition includes Last Scrapings , thirteen new pieces written since the first publication of Second Helpings in hardback.
228 pages, Paperback
Published April 27, 2023
2 people want to read
About the author
Simon Brown
131 books9 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Simon Brown wrote his first science fiction story in 1966, read his first science fiction novel in 1968, and by 1970 had decided he wanted to be a science fiction writer more than anything else in the world.
His first professional sale was to Omega in 1981. Since then he has had several short stories appear in Omega, Aurealis and Eidolon.
His first novel, Privateer, was published by Harper Collins in April of 1996. His second novel, Winter, was published by Harper Collins in 1997. A collection of short stories, Cannibals of the Fine Light, was published by Ticonderoga Publications in 1998. A new novel, Inheritor, will be published by HarperCollins in late 2000.
Simon worked as a journalist with the University of Western Sydney, and is now a full-time writer.
Simon Brown wrote his first science fiction story in 1966, read his first science fiction novel in 1968, and by 1970 had decided he wanted to be a science fiction writer more than anything else in the world.
His first professional sale was to Omega in 1981. Since then he has had several short stories appear in Omega, Aurealis and Eidolon.
His first novel, Privateer, was published by Harper Collins in April of 1996. His second novel, Winter, was published by Harper Collins in 1997. A collection of short stories, Cannibals of the Fine Light, was published by Ticonderoga Publications in 1998. A new novel, Inheritor, will be published by HarperCollins in late 2000.
Simon worked as a journalist with the University of Western Sydney, and is now a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 3, 2025
As with his previous short memoir, here are some amusing and intriguing memories from one of the country's best judges of modern times. I doubt anyone will have a career like his ever again - indeed, it will be impossible. Simon Brown never had a job interview in his life, and consequently never wrote a CV, yet was a successful barrister and reached the highest judicial tribunal in the land. Along the way he undertook national service and indulged in his spare time in golf and skiing, having the disposable income to enjoy himself when time away from his demanding working life permitted. He belonged to an almost entirely vanished, and very much missed, generation of English folk.
Displaying 1 of 1 review