If you like reading the thoughts of an intelligent and engaging Canadian curmudgeon, then this is for you. Add an extra star for Canadian readers. Otherwise, I would strongly suggest starting with the Deptford Trilogy, his best work. ( )

I was not a big fan of Andy Rooney’s segments on television; I found that his curmudgeonliness far outweighed his wit most of the time. (Okay, I am pretty sure that “curmudgeonliness” is not actually a word, but if you ever saw the guy you probably know what I mean.) Still, I admire the fact that Rooney was able to come up with a coherent take on a completely random topic every week, even if I did not really like what that view happened to be.

Speaking through his fictional alter-ego Samuel Marchbanks, Robertson Davies laid the foundation 60 years ago for guys like Rooney, Dennis Miller and countless others who presume to provide trenchant insights into the foibles of modern life. In Table Talk—the middle book of a trilogy complied in the superb volume The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks—Davies provides the reader with a series of charming and often very funny observations on the people, politics, and social mores in the Canada of his day. This is satire at its smartest and most urbane level.

Judging from the small number of members who have cataloged it in their libraries, this book seems to have fallen off of most people’s radar screen. That truly is a shame. Long after his passing, Davies remains one of my favorite authors for his masterful story-telling, impressive erudition, and sharp brand of humor. This is a wonderful series of vignettes that deserves to remain in circulation for years to come. ( )