E. O. Parrott. The Dogsbody Papers (1988)

      E. O. Parrott. The Dogsbody Papers (1988) I gave the is book to Jon in 1994. As expected, it showed no signs of use: Jon can read a book without leaving a trace, not even smudges from dirty thumbs.
     The title describes the contents, but not the angles taken by the several contributors. Apparently many of the most significant events in history were caused by misunderstood comments or instructions, sometimes issued by, and sometimes to, a Dogsbody. Dogsbodies had relatives in other countries, too. In Normandy, there were the Corps du Chien, for example. But wherever they lived, they derailed, redirected, or otherwise changed history in unexpected ways. These records unfortunately confirm that it made no real difference. Human chicanery, lust, greed, hypocrisy, and bloodymindedness inevitably triumph. Bah! **½ (2007)