So far so cute, 'tho dated. Unfortunately the uncle is already deceased so we won't meet him or Fatty Hagan, but the story holds promise. What's interesting is that this book was mentioned in Aussie Readers, and I was able to find it in rural Nevada... yet somehow I don't think it's a classic.... I'm betting I saved it from discard by requesting it. It had to be somewhat popular though as it has at least two editions - my cover is different.

Ok, done. Quite charming, and very funny. Description from jacket:

Frankly, Albert's island is nothing more than a large treeless rock in the Scillies, just beyond the British territorial limit. Albert's inheritance is, in a word, worthless. But there is *something* interesting about it, and her name is Victoria, a nubile young woman in search of an all-over tan.

"As Albert is getting to know his island and Victoria better, a Russian fishing trawler (translate as spy ship) runs aground. The seventy by one-hundred-fifty-yard island develops strategic importance. The Russians lease half of it. The other half is soon invaded by the United States Marines.

"The confrontation produces more fun than ferocity, and the Russians, the Marines, and a decidedly un-Victorian Victoria and Albert settle down to enjoy every hilarious minute."

Author pseudonym of David Eliades and Robert Forrest Webb." ( )

Today ( November, 2nd 2012 ) I received this book. Used, of course, it is out of print a rather long time.
As a teenager I was regularly lending books from the library, as a school-kid the library was free when you brought the books back in time.
Born and living in Germany, I read at that time mostly in German (reading in English started at the end of my school years).
This was one of books I remember most fondly and I searched for it, surprised to find it was out-of-print and even used
rather expensive. But I regularly checked on Amazon.de, co.uk and com and finally got the paperback for a good price in a very good edition.
As I prefer paperbacks and hardly buy any hardcover, that suits me.

I am fondly looking forward to reading this funny little book.

Reading mostly ebooks nowadays this book shows what publishers are doing wrong. Instead of me having to hunt down a cheap used edition and paying a high amount of money for shipping the publishers should look at the used book market and decide to offer books like this cheap as an ebook.
No publisher get's any more money from a used book!

Started reading it November, 3d 2012. Could not wait!
And it starts as good, as I remember.

Now at 50%. Typical British humor which reminds me of Tom Sharpe or P.G. Wodehouse. Or M.A.S.H. (I only know the movie and the tv-series, not the book). As much as it pains me to say, I only have read both Sharpe and Wodehouse in German translation (and only a few books of Wodehouse).
This book is not as bloody as some of the books of Sharpe (the bloody messes in Sharpes books may be disturbing for some readers).

Finished it just now. Well, maybe I remembered it still, but I saw the end coming a long way. No real surprise there, but a good conclusion.
Is worth the high price some people want for it used (50 to 200 Us$ p&p)?
Probably not. I paid way less and am glad I could wait for a cheap one to surface. Even then it was probably too much.

( )

Cuando Albert y Victoria, cuyos nombres forzosamente despertarán evocaciones imperiales en los británicos, se encuentran por primera vez en aquel islote, poco imaginan que su minúsculo territorio se verá "abordado" por la URSS, ni que los EEUU querrán defender la libertad de Occidente ocupando otra porción del peñasco...

A hilarious book using the device of a young man who inherits a small inhospitable island and meets a gorgeous babe there to have some laughs about the cold war. ( )

Denne absolut sjove bog foregår i koldkrigs-England.
Hovedpersonen arver en meget lille ø i den engelske kanal, på øen møder han en dejlig pige, som han prøver at komme i bukserne på. Netop som missionen er ved at lykkes, strander et sovietisk spionskib forklædt som fiskerbåd på øen. Da skibet ikke kan fjernes, køber russerne den ene halvdel af øen og amerikanerne den anden halvdel. 3. verdenskrig synes umiddelbart forestående, men tingene udvikler sig meget aparte :-) ( )