The wry, honest and often hilarious chronicles of a very brave and clever TV presenter, Arctic Explorer and general drawer of the Short Straw.
Moving quickly on from the devastating crash that nearly killed him he ranges widely over his life and times: a visit to Glastonbury with James May reminds of him of his early years of playing in a band and how and why he never quite made it as a rock star; the stunts and other perils that come his way like the TopGear North Pole race (why is it Richard who is out in the howling elements in a dog sled whilst the others are in the heated cab of an all-terrain vehicle?), Africa where he falls in love with and repatriates a stray car, and the US (once to be chased by Rednecks in middle America, the other in pursuit of his mad hero Evel Knievel); his passion for cars, what he owns and why and although he loves his wife why it is a toss-up whether he says hello to the wife or the cars first. Balancing home and family with a crazy, peripatetic working life (or not, sometimes), the hamster is well and truly back on the wheel.
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"Behind the scenes of "Top Gear" with my favorite presenter. Definitely fun reading if you're a fan of the show (and it's probably best if you've already seen the two specials - North Pole and Botswana - that he discusses), otherwise you probably won't care. " — Kim (4 out of 5 stars)
"Behind the scenes of "Top Gear" with my favorite presenter. Definitely fun reading if you're a fan of the show (and it's probably best if you've already seen the two specials - North Pole and Botswana - that he discusses), otherwise you probably won't care. "
" A charming autobiography. I've always liked Richard Hammond, and it was fun to get his perspective on some of his adventures. "
" Good belly-laughs all the way through! "
" Pretty good read not sure if it would appeal to you if you didn't like Top Gear. "
" As a fan of TOP GEAR, I found the bits about the shows most interesting -- especially any of the stories relating to Botswana and Oliver. Trust me, you have to have seen it to appreciate it. "
" Backstage view of Top Gear's adventures and others. Great fun! "
" Slightly disappointing. Funny, as Richard Hammond always is, yet disjointed. He made no effort to connect one chapter to the next; he just quit writing about one thing and jumped straight into the next. Also, not as introspective as I'd hoped. It read like one of my sixth-grader's papers: "First we did this, then this happened, and then we did this." There was no conclusion. He just stopped writing and leaped into the acknowledgments. "
" Nice little book. Nothing deep and philosophical but good fun. I like Top Gear anyway. Best bit for me was him running to get home during Severn floods. "
" This book by Richard Hammond, "The Hamster", of the BBC program Top Gear was as entertaining as the show. His humor and wit come through in this book of his. If you like the show and Hammond, you should enjoy his book. "
" A nice easy and enjoyable read with some great moments that made me laugh out loud to myself as I was reading. Perhaps not quite as good as "On The Edge", but then again, it is a different style of book. Mandatory reading for fans of Top Gear. "
" Behind the scenes of "Top Gear" with my favorite presenter. Definitely fun reading if you're a fan of the show (and it's probably best if you've already seen the two specials - North Pole and Botswana - that he discusses), otherwise you probably won't care. "
" Richard Hammond's personality shines through his stories. We root for him. Loved it! "
" This was a gentle, entertaining read, giving the background to some of the major Top Gear adventures, and other projects Hammond has been involved in. "
" Could not finish - very smarmy. "
" Exactly what you'd expect, brilliant "
" An enjoyable read overall. The telling of the "brave arctic explorer" is by far the highlight of the book, and I wish t here had been another story of that caliber nearer to the end of the book. "
" It's an easy read and an entertaining book about what goes into filming a tv show/documentary. "
" hes a bit of a dick "
" Much funnier and well written than I expected. Very enjoyable. "
" Sure, the cover makes it look like the travel log of a gay hairdresser, but it's a decent read for anyone who is a fan of Top Gear. Hammond shares a few funny anecdotes about the filming of two epic Top Gear challenges and making a documentary about a childhood hero. "
" My least favorite of Richard Hammond's books - though I still really liked it. It was nice to get the behind the scenes look at some of the show's most famous episodes, but some of it got a bit long-winded. "
" Much more disjointed than his others - it's separate tales of what happened behind the scenes so to speak - and it's very, very good. It's lovely to see Hammond's deeper side. "
" I have a small suspicion that he didn't write this. Unless his personality changes when he writes books. Possible, surely. "
" The TV version was worth watching but I certainly enjoyed reading this book more. It has plenty of laughs. "
" I do like Richard's humorous style within the book and I found it very interesting to see what happens behind the cameras. Richard portrays his interesting life in an engaging way which helps us to understand the man behind the presenter we see on TV. "
" Hahaha, oh my god, I really, truly, unabashedly loved this. Wee Richard's a great storyteller, and he can turn a surprisingly lovely phrase, and I think this might turn into one of my go-to comfort listens. "
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