For more than twenty years, Tony Hawks has been mistaken for Tony Hawk, the American skateboarder. Even though it is abundantly clear on his website that he is an English comedian and author, people still write to him asking the best way to do a kickflip or land a melon. One mischievous day he started writing back in a pompous tone, goading his correspondents for their spelling mistakes and poor grammar, while offering bogus or downright silly advice on how to improve their skateboarding. Featuring entries on parents' pain, disappointment, underachievers, Quorn and the Vatican, this is his A to Z guide to the world of skateboarding, as seen through the eyes of someone who knows absolutely nothing about it.

同名のスケーターと間違われ続けた著者が、その誤解を逆手に取り、知的な悪ふざけへと昇華させた稀有な一冊です。本作の本質は、競技の解説ではなく、言葉の行き違いから生まれる人間喜劇の鋭い観察にあります。あえて高慢な態度で的外れな助言を繰り出す著者の筆致には、ブリティッシュ・ユーモアの真髄が宿っています。 「AからZ」の形式で語られるのは、技巧ではなく社会の不条理や人間の愛らしさです。名前という記号が招いた数奇な運命を、最高級の風刺で彩ったこの奇書は、活字ならではの知的な遊び心を提示し、読者を心地よい混乱と爆笑の渦へと誘います。