As everyone knows, taking a serpent by the tail is not a good idea. But in the Little World of Don Camillo, where the Devil crops up in many a guise to break the quiet rhythm of everyday life (and even the village priest falls foul of him), hilarious and unearthly things can happen to draw the poison from his bite…

No. 7 in the Don Camillo Series, this bumper volume of classic Tales from the Lower Plain includes many never before translated into English. Beloved of 23 million readers worldwide, their appeal is universal, to readers aged from 10 to 100.‘Inimitable, delicious, full of pure fun.’ The Observer ‘Giovanni Guareschi’s tales of Don Camillo, the Italian priest with a hefty left hook, are absolutely delightful in their satirical swipes at human weakness.’ Paul Merton