How to Get Things Really Flat

Andrew Martin is surprisingly well qualified to write a guide to housework for men. Not only is he a man himself, but he does a lot about the house. On purely humanitarian grounds he recently took over some of the ironing from his wife; he then branched out into bath-cleaning, fairly regular vacuuming, and washing up after dinner (when he wasn’t going out).

For the purposes of this book, he has interviewed many experts, and can thus provide answers to such burning questions as: ‘Do I Need to Bother about the Controls on the Iron?’ and ‘Is Dust Actually Dangerous?’

The result is a genuinely enlightening read, combining practical housework advice with touching recollections from the author’s Yorkshire childhood and hilarious scenes from the daily sit-com of family life.

“‘You might not think that a book about cleaning could be funny but this made me laugh out loud. In the office. During a quiet lunch hour.’”
Financial Times

“Obviously my husband will be getting a pristine copy of How to Get Things Really Flat. The author takes his task seriously, but he’s also a funny and fluent writer and this one just might hang around to become an essential reference book as our two young boys grow up.”
Daily Telegraph

“Andrew Martin has launched himself as an unlikely domestic god. This bloke’s guide is hilarious.”
Jan Moir, Daily Mail

About Andrew Martin

Andrew Martin trained as a barrister before becoming a journalist and novelist. His seven novels include five titles featuring the young Edwardian detective, Jim Stringer. He has also written short stories and radio plays. He is married with two children, and lives in north London.