The Specialist er en klassiker. Gode råd om at bygge et lokum, så det bliver stående. Og husk at grave et stort hul: I sez; 'dig her deep and dig her wide. It's a mighty sight better to have a little privy over a big hole than a big privy over a litte hole.

It's no job for an amachoor, take my word on it. ( )

I first read this wonderful book in the mid-1960s and have re-read it on countless occasions in the intervening years. A recent review of it on the Nudge website reminded me that it was time to re-read it yet again, and I wasn’t disappointed! I never tire of it’s delightful quirkiness and homespun wisdom, all the insights into the thought which the narrator, Lem Putt, gave to designing “privies” and the pride he felt when surveying his subsequent creations. Over the past five decades I have enjoyed buying copies for friends, all of whom have found it equally delightful, not only for the amusing narrative but also for William Kermodes’s wonderful illustrations. The Times Literary Supplement described it as ".... innocently Rabelaisian”, a succinctly apt description. ( )

This quirky little book is one that should be read aloud, maybe even on a stage. Laced with humor and written tongue-in-cheek, this homespun tale should be savored slowly. In a time long past, this specialist would have been highly sought after. But nowadays, there is not much call for a man who specializes in building outhouses! Still, it is a skill that should not be laughed at or taken lightly. Perhaps some of the expertise of this specialist could be applied to other ventures. Regardless, it is a shallow person indeed will will not learn something from reading this tale. ( )

There's a Specialist for everything, and if every Specialist were as happy with, and proud of, their work as this one, the world would be a better place! There never was a truer saying " if it's a job worth doing, it's worth doing well." The Specialist is a delightful little book. ( )

From the Foreword: "Humor, when enjoyed to the full, is that which is based upon events, experiences, or intimate knowledge of the subject described; or a mixture of all three". This work is a "story" of a generally-known but seldom-mentioned seat of cocksure living. The digging and carpentry of a privy, artfully described.

This is the written form of a public address published prior to January 1929.