Left Field

Left Field: Tales of Past and Present is the second autobiographical book written by former Georgeland Prime Minister Campbell Rhodes. It was released on 18th September 2007 by Saga Publications. Portions of the book had been published from 20th August in several major metropolitan newspapers.

Content
The book is part autobiography and part manifesto, concentrating mostly on Rhodes' formative years and student politics. Rhodes mixes this with explanations of his political beliefs and explores how those beliefs were formed, relating them to his student days. Much of the book is concerned with Rhodes' tenure as President of the Student Union at the University of Santa Christina. He tells a number of anecdotes, many of them humourous, some serious, about university life and the "rough-and-tumble" world of student politics.

"Tele-gate"
One anecdote, which Rhodes has repeated in publicity appearances, concerns a young Rhodes and his friend and fellow student, Luke Macaulay (now Prime Minister) and their unorthodox approaches to enacting revenge on political opponents. Rhodes admits that in 1982 both he and Macaulay broke into a student dorm and stole the television, secured it in Rhodes' office and held it to "ransom" in exchange for support on a budget proposal. The television was later returned, and neither man was prosecuted. Macaulay did not respond publicly to the claims. Rhodes has dubbed the incident as "Tele-gate" and has stressed that no charges were laid against either man.

Publicity
The book was released to great fanfare, with excerpts published in several newspapers on a weekly basis for several weeks prior to the book's release. The book launch was attended by major media, and the launch itself was hosted by former Foreign Minister Charlotte LeBeau, who is mentioned frequently in the book as one of Rhodes' classmates. After the book's official launch, Rhodes began a media tour to promote the book. His first major media appearance was on Santa Christina-based talkshow Cryer Tonite. During this appearance, Rhodes was asked if he intended to run for President. His reply was that an answer to that question could be expected "pretty soon", fuelling speculation he will make an announcement about his candidacy when his book tour finishes, around early October.

Reception
The book has thus far been well-recieved, earning positive reviews for the most part. Notably, as with Rhodes' previous books, reviews have been less positive in conservative media.