One of Evelyn Waugh's most exuberant comedies, <i>Scoop </i>is a brilliantly irreverent satire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news. <br><br>Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of <i>The Daily Beast</i>, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs Algernon Stitch, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia. But for, pale, ineffectual William Boot, editor of the <i>Daily Beast</i>'s 'nature notes' column, being mistaken for a competent journalist may prove to be a fatal error...<br><br>If you enjoyed <i>Scoop</i>, you might like Waugh's <i>Decline and Fall</i>, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.<br><br>'Waugh at the mid-season point of his perfect pitch'<br>Christopher Hitchens