For Hill, 'Sharks and Custard' is a logical progression from the spadework he did on European cultures in his earlier bestsellers, 'WeEuropeans' and 'EuroManagers and Martians'. Humour is an important component of international business life that needs to be handled with tact and understanding. At best it can defuse the difficult moments of a major negotiation, at worst it can ruin a relationship!

Styles of humour can be very revealing for, as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said in one of his lighter moments, "there is nothing in which people more betray their character than in what they laugh at". If the title of the book needs explanation, that is deliberate. Behind it lies a classic English joke - "Q. What is yellow and dangerous? A. Shark-infested custard." - a joke that makes foreigners feel culturally challenged. Custard is a traditional English sweet which should rightfully be as famous as pudding, but isn't…

"This book is terrific!"

Dianne Dicks, Publisher, Switzerland

"Sharks and Custard' is like a pleasant evening with friends, planned but not overly organized, not too long and not too short, serendipitous, a place to share feelings and opinions and nonsense. Scholarly discourse drops in, but doesn't stay long. We go away a bit more connected as human beings."

Dr. George Simons, Intercultural Consultant and Trainer, France

"The book is hilarious!"

Alan Tillier, Journalist, France

".... a perceptive analysis of German humor and, especially, of one of its essential components, self-deprecating Jewish humor -a fundamental element in the humor of all central European countries."

Polly Platt, author of the best-selling "French or Foe?" and "Savoir-Flair!"

"El libro no nos dejó dormir anoche. Estuvimos leyendo en la cama algunos capítulos y nos gustaron sobre todo los chistes irlandeses."

Mariano Garcia Landa, International Interpreter, Spain

"Ich hätte nie gedacht, daß man über so etwas Heiteres wie Witze und Bonmots so viel Ernstes und Nachdenkliches sagen kann, daß man daran sogar eine tiefschürfende Analyse in vergleichender Völkerpsychologie knüpfen kann."

Klaus Müller, Author of the International Bestseller 'Den Urlaub überleben', Germany

"This is a great book because it is not just a list of jokes but jokes in a social and cultural context."

Andrzej Szoszkiewicz, Editor, 'BM Magazine', Poland

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