Roald Dahl's first-ever novel presents the scurrilous memoirs of that delightful old reprobate from Switch Bitch ; Oswald Hendryks Cornelius - connoisseur; bon vivant; collector of spiders; scorpions; odd walking sticks; lover of opera; expert on Chinese porcelain; and without doubt the greatest fornicator of all time. In this delightful picaresque story; it is revealed how Uncle Oswald first achieved great wealth - all thanks to the Sundance blister beetle; which when ground to powder has the most electrifying aphrodisiac qualities. It is 1919 - armed with the powder and aided by the beautiful amoral Yasmin how comely; Oswald begins an audacious commercial enterprise which involves seducing the most famous men in Europe - from crowded heads to Bernard Shaw and Marcel Proust.