Description

Book Synopsis

Originally written in 1936 by two young Cambridge Fellows, A Guide to the Classics is a light-hearted manual on how to pick the Derby winner. However, as the tongue-in-cheek title suggested, there is more to the book than meets the eye, especially as one of the young dons went on to become, according to his 1990 Telegraph obituary, ''the greatest political philosopher in the Anglo-Saxon tradition since Mill or even Burke''.

The book takes the abstraction out of the Derby by attacking the systems which had been developed by generations of ''form'' experts. It exposes theoretical solutions as fraudulent instead it applies hard-headed empirical and historical analysis. Oakeshott went on to apply this methodology to his famous critique of ''rationalism'' in politics.

This long-awaited edition of Griffith and Oakeshott's classic text includes a new preface and foreword by horse racing journalist and author Sean Magee, and political commentator Peter Oborne.

A Guide to the Classics: Or How to Pick the Derby

    Product form

    A Hardback by Guy Griffith, Michael Oakeshott, Peter Oborne

    £17.10

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £18.00 – you save £0.90 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 27 Aug 2026.

    3 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of A Guide to the Classics: Or How to Pick the Derby by Guy Griffith

      Book details

      Publisher Amphora Press
      Published 3 June 2017
      ISBN-13 9781845409371
      978-1845409371
      ISBN-10 184540937X
      Also in:
      History Nostalgia: general Hobbies, Games & Quizzes Gambling: theories and methods Sport Horse racing

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Originally written in 1936 by two young Cambridge Fellows, A Guide to the Classics is a light-hearted manual on how to pick the Derby winner. However, as the tongue-in-cheek title suggested, there is more to the book than meets the eye, especially as one of the young dons went on to become, according to his 1990 Telegraph obituary, ''the greatest political philosopher in the Anglo-Saxon tradition since Mill or even Burke''.

      The book takes the abstraction out of the Derby by attacking the systems which had been developed by generations of ''form'' experts. It exposes theoretical solutions as fraudulent instead it applies hard-headed empirical and historical analysis. Oakeshott went on to apply this methodology to his famous critique of ''rationalism'' in politics.

      This long-awaited edition of Griffith and Oakeshott's classic text includes a new preface and foreword by horse racing journalist and author Sean Magee, and political commentator Peter Oborne.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account