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The past works of Pete Davies 

Latest:  American Road: The Story of an Epic Transcontinental Journey at the Dawn of the Motor Age (Henry Holt)

... researched and written well. His anecdotes do not merely amuse, but illustrate the points being made. Philadelphia Inquirer

A fascinating account of the greatest road trip in American history. Public Radio Book Store.

It is, to adopt the boosterish spirit frequently encountered within, simply a crackerjack book, a dandy slice of Americana. Denver Post


10th:  Inside The Hurricane (US Title, published in the UK as The Devil's Music) - Henry Holt, NY/Michael Joseph, London, 2000.

A season spent flying in hurricanes with the Miami-based 'cyclone rangers' of the United States' Hurricane Research Division, in the aftermath of the devastation wrought on Central America by Hurricane Mitch.

"Riveting reading ... Davies takes a complex subject and makes it both understandable and interesting" - Houston Chronicle.

"Riveting and informative ... an epic poem about one of nature's grand phenomena ... a true tale of high adventure" - Weatherwise.

"Fascinating ... a remarkable synthesis of reportage, history, science and adventure" - Publishing News.

"Informative and entertaining ... a good and useful book. And talk about beach reading" - Washington Post.

"Davies is a very good writer" - Mail on Sunday.


9th:  The Devil's Flu (US Title, published in the UK as Catching Cold) - Owl Books, NY/Michael Joseph, London, 1999.

How influenza killed 40,000,000 people in 1918 - the world's worst medical disaster since the Black Death - and the modern-day race by different scientists to identify the killer virus.

"Superb ... rich in interest and truly alarming ... this is a book that deserves to be read" - Observer.

"Enthralling ... the virus hunt is what gives Catching Cold its narrative tension. The author builds this up as skilfully as if he were writing a thriller ... read the book; you won't be disappointed" - Spectator.


8th:  Mad Dogs and Englishwomen - Abacus, London, 1998.

The chaotic, colorful, engaging story of the English women's cricket team as they attempt to retain their championship title at the World Cup in India.

"Exhausting trials and gastric tribulations .. a journey that even a mad dog would have cowered at" - Independent.

"Every year, in amongst all the usual rubbish, there is a book about cricket that extends the range ... a beautifully crafted piece of work, and not to be missed" - World Cricket Magazine.


7th:  This England - Abacus, London, 1997.

The story of how Tony Blair's New Labor came to power after eighteen years of Tory rule in Great Britain.

"So illuminating ... succulently well-written ... the pace and tension as it reaches its climax leave you on the edge of your seat ... this book is a treat from page one. By the end, it's a triumph" - Guardian.

"Acute and affectionate ... genuinely moving" - Independent on Sunday.

"Engrossing and impassioned ... a wonderfully readable account" - Mail on Sunday.


6th:  I Lost My Heart to the Belles - William Heinemann, London, 1996.

A season with the Doncaster Belles, the best women's soccer team in England.

"Superb" - Independent.

"Witty, warm, wise and inspiring ... so intelligent, so compassionate, so in love with it heroes that it compels attention ... this is that rarest of sports books, a cracking good read that will appeal to the reader without the slightest interest in sport" - Yorkshire Post.

"That rare thing in modern publishing: a true labor of love" - GQ.

"I was swept away" - Mail on Sunday.

"There's wit and grit in equally generous quantities. Highlights are too numerous to mention" - FourFourTwo.

I Lost My Heart to the Belles was the inspiration for the BBC TV drama series, Playing The Field.


5th:  Twenty-Two Foreigners in Funny Shorts - Random House, NY, 1994.

A sharp, comical, on-the-ball fan's guide to soccer and World Cup USA '94.

"Pete Davies is to the New Football Writing what Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson have been to the New Journalism" - Sunday Times.


4th:  Storm Country - Random House, NY/William Heinemann, London, 1992.

A season on the Great Plains chasing tornados, and much else besides.

"An excellent, off-beat travel book about the American heartland ... a great, windswept summer read" - Time Out.

"This is rich, absorbed, pop-travel writing at its best" - Oxford Times.


3rd:  All Played Out - William Heinemann, London, 1990.

The full, no-holds-barred story of World Cup Italia '90.

"This could well be the best book ever written about football" - Time Out.

"Pete Davies is incapable of writing a dull sentence .. one of the most outrageously entertaining books of the year" - Daily Post.

"A superb read, and surely destined to become one of the classics of the game" - Tribune.

"Exhilarating ... full of drama, full of its own reckless and compelling logic" - Independent.


2nd:  Dollarville - Random House, NY/Jonathan Cape, London, 1989.

A deranged satirical thriller about Ronald Reagan and the end of the world.

"Mr. Davies possesses a mischievous, wry wit and a wonderful eye for the illuminating detail" - New York Times Book Review.


1st:  The Last Election - Vintage Contemporaries, NY/Andre Deutsch, London, 1986.

A deranged satirical thriller about Margaret Thatcher and the end of the world.

"A fast, inventive and funny thriller which holds us to the last" - The Observer.

"If Brazil had been based on a novel, it might well have been The Last Election" - Terry Gilliam.