My Friend Mr. Leakey

by J.B.S. Haldane, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Mr Leakey is a practical magician. He can become invisible when he wants to, has a useful magic carpet for travelling and a small dragon who can grill fish by spitting fire. He's also very good at bewitching things!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Magic, British Literature

149 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

John Burdon Sanderson Haldane was a British geneticist, biometrician, physiologist, and popularizer of science who opened new paths of research in population genetics and evolution.

Son of the noted physiologist John Scott Haldane, he began studying science as assistant to his father at the age of eight and later received formal education in the classics at Eton College and at New College, Oxford (M.A., 1914). After World War I he served as a fellow of New College and then taught at the University of Cambridge (1922–32), the University of California, Berkeley (1932), and the University of London (1933–57).

In the 1930s Haldane became a Marxist. He joined the British Communist Party and assumed editorship of the party’s London paper, the Daily Worker. Later, he became disillusioned with the official party line and with the rise of the controversial Soviet biologist Trofim D. Lysenko. In 1957 Haldane moved to India, where he took citizenship and headed the government Genetics and Biometry Laboratory in Orissa.

Haldane, R.A. Fisher, and Sewall Wright, in separate mathematical arguments based on analyses of mutation rates, population size, patterns of reproduction, and other factors, related Darwinian evolutionary theory and Gregor Mendel’s concepts of heredity. Haldane also contributed to the theory of enzyme action and to studies in human physiology. He possessed a combination of analytic powers, literary abilities, a wide range of knowledge, and a force of personality that produced numerous discoveries in several scientific fields and proved stimulating to an entire generation of research workers.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I hope Abdu'l Makkar won't be late with the strawberries," he said.
"Strawberries?" I asked in amazement, for it was the middle of January.
"Oh yes, I've sent Abdu'l Makkar, who is a jinn, to New Zealand for some. Of course it's summer there. He oughtn't to be long now, if he has been good, but you know what jinns are, they have their faults, like the rest of us; curiosity, especially. When one sends them on long errands they will fly too high. They like to get up quite close to Heaven to overhear what the angels are saying, and then the angels throw shooting stars at them. Then they drop their parcels, or come home half scorched. He ought to be back soon, he's been away over an hour. Meanwhile we'll have some other fruit, in case he's late."

And on and on and on the story goes, as if J. B. S. Haldane is writing down a weaving, winding tale of the life of a magician just as it comes to him, full of zany details like an octopus servant and flying carpets and visits with penguins that are oddly scientific.

[Teachmycat2read Podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that some of us had read as children, and so Eli recommended it to the rest of the team. We really loved this story, and we discussed transmutative justice, English versus Brazilian magic, and post-war fantasy literature. We recommend that you read this short story!

Episode 18: My Friend Mr Leakey

We read a short children's story “My Friend Mr Leakey” written by J. B. S. Haldane, who can only be described as a mad scientist. Join us for a discussion of transmutative justice, English versus Brazilian magic, and post-war fantasy literature.

Content Warnings
1930’s-era British racism

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[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This is the first time I've read this book. Mr. Leakey is supposed to be a modern wizard, and he does many strange things, but I've liked much more the last three stories, where he doesn't appear at all, which are far shorter than the first three. One of them, "Rats," reminds me the story Historia de una gaviota y del gato que le enseñó a volar, by Luis Sepúlveda.

ESPAÑOL: Esta es la primera vez que he leído este libro. Se supone que el señor Leakey es un mago moderno y hace muchas cosas raras, pero me han gustado mucho más los tres últimos cuentos, en los que no sale, que son mucho más cortos que los tres primeros. Uno de ellos, "Ratas", me recuerda el cuento Historia de una gaviota y del gato que le enseñó a volar, de Luis Sepúlveda.

[Ray Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Leakey is a Wizard.

No, stop thinking Harry Potter and stop thinking dude in a cloak with a pointy hat too.

Mr Leakey is a proper Wizard - he knows magic words, he can conjure stuff out of thin air (no fakery with smoke or mirrors involved unlike your Blaines or Copperfields) and he can turn people into things (he'll even turn them back into people if they truly deserve it), he's just not very good at modern life.

And thats how he meets the teller of his story who saves him from a near death experience (almost getting run over by a car), Mr Leakey is so grateful he invites the man to dinner at his house and that's where we learn more about Mr Leakey.

The story is told from the perspective of the friend he made after being rescued and how they get to know each other better. We learn about Mr Leakeys Djinn (think of a cross between a Genie & an Angel and you are pretty close), his pet dragon (its only a small one though) and his amazing manservant who is also an octopus.

Mr Leakey has some rather unusual ideas on the rehabilitation of criminals (heck if more people thought & acted like Mr Leakey, prisons would be a LOT less crowded), he also has some rather unusual concepts about things like fair play and doing unto others. I don't want to spoil how he does any magic, it's better if you read it and become simply enchanted into the world of Mr Leakey just like I am every time I read the book again.

The stories with Mr Leakey are very well told and will appeal to children of all ages (I liked it when I was 9, I still like it now aged 39. So much in fact I imported my copy from India before they started reprinting it in the UK), its the amazing illustrations of Quentin Blake that really seal the deal as they add a whole new dimension to the stories as you read them. Either Blake has read the book VERY carefully or he was right inside JBS Haldane's head whilst he was writing the stories.

My Friend Mr Leakey is the only childrens book Haldane ever wrote but he was published many times in the scientific & mathematical fields as he was pretty much a genius as far as numbers and science went. His tastes in politics were varied but shouldn't be held against him as anyone with a brain as big as his should be allowed the freedom to whatever political beliefs they choose as he was clearly intelligent enough and well informed enough to make a fair choice for himself.

Haldane lived out his final years in India teaching & researching science and donated all his works to a University Library there, his work has been translated into practically every Indian dialect in existance - it is only thanks to him donating his complete works that this book still exists today so thank Haldane for his philanthropy.

In his will Haldane donated his body to science as he wished to continue aiding in the advancement of medicine after his death, quite a noble thing to do I thought. His book has stood the test of time, some of his ideas may be a little old fashioned but his characters are truly enchanting and you'll be left wishing you had a friend like Mr Leakey too. I know I do.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific read, fun and funny. Mr. Leakey is a wizard. There are three stories that deal with him and his adventures and they make up the bulk of the book. In addition there are three other stories that are magical or fanciful in nature. The writing is superb. There is an inspired wit and brilliant imagination at work here. Mr. Leakey puts me in mind of Prof. Sherman from The Twenty-One Balloons - both characters are larger than life (though Prof. Sherman is more of an inventor and adventurer). I thoroughly enjoyed this. I would think that it would appeal to anyone who likes Roald Dahl. The original illustrations by Leonard Rosoman are fanciful and evocative (and I prefer them to those featured in newer editions). This is a classic for good reason.

[Padmavyuha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favourite, in the original edition with illustrations by Leonard Rosoman (I love those drawings!) - it's rather dated in its attitudes to race, gender, class and all the rest, but still a great story with lovely language.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child, funny, clever and mysterious with great illustrations by Quentin Blake.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stories for little ones about a magician named Leakey. Getting silly just right for a kids' book isn't easy, and this book is proof.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a chapter from this book in an anthology my grandmother had, and I saw several other mentions of it later on, but had a hard time actually finding it. I ended up buying a used copy. Haldane is mostly known for his contributions to biology, having demonstrated genetic linkage and come up with the idea of primordial soup. It's rumored that he said the Creator was inordinately fond of beetles, but nobody knows whether he ever actually said that. He also supported Stalin, but nobody's perfect. The volume contains six stories, three about the titular magician and three others that are unrelated but similar in style and theme. There are a lot of details in the book that lend verisimilitude to the idea of a magician in the modern age. Mr Leakey turns a man who has lost his legs into an octopus, keeps a dragon that wears asbestos boots (obviously this was before the harmful effects of asbestos were discovered), has a magic purse that can't produce paper currency because of when it was made, and comments on how radio waves give stomachaches to jinn. The magician also states that people in his profession have to belong to at least eight different religions "so as to know how to deal with different sorts of spirits," but admits that reciting the names and dates of the Kings of England can work just as well as the last two chapters of the Quran for frightening off jinn. Another tale has Mr Leakey throwing a party attended by a devil and the angel Raphael, and turning the guests into different forms of their choice. I think it's worth checking out.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Friend Mr. Leakey by J.B.S. Haldane, Illustrator Quentin Blake- Hindi language translation and presentation by Pushpa Agrawal- Children’s Illustrated Story and Picture Book- The book narrates the story of how author meets Mr. Leakey and is invited for dinner. Author was walking towards his home, on a busy road. Rain had stopped, therefore, water had logged on the side of the road. Just then a car moved towards Mr. Leakey who had diverged towards the road. A car in speed jammed its brake to save him but as the road was wet, the car slipped. Author pulled the collar of Mr. Leakey and saved him. Mr. Leakey was feeling weakness, therefore, author walked with him up to his house. When Mr. Leakey was comfortable, he requested the Author to dine with him. Author said that he will dine with him on Wednesday. On Wednesday, both joined for dinner. Mr. Leakey is a wizard. Author observes that in his dining room, pictures are framed but inside picture changes after some time. His first servant is Oliver, an octopus, second Phyllis is a cow, third, Pompei, a dragon, fourth, a tumblebug named Leopold, fifth, Abdul Makkar, Djinn. They serve him food and five fruits brought in his plate by magic. After dinner, Mr. Leakey asked the author to stand on the carpet, close his eyes and they reach author’s residence which is 5 miles away. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the narrative. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Michi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it weren't for the unnecessary geography lessons inserted seemingly at random this would be a really great little adventure story with some truly laugh-out-loud humour (charging compound interest being black magic or jinns causing radio disturbances, for example)

[Krish Sanghvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun book. I like how absurd and quirky it can get at times. The details of each character add to the comedy.

[Christina Packard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining fast read for both young and old. Creative humor.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, but very dated, collection of stories for children- closer to Kipling than to Walliams, and none the worse for that ... Quentin Blake has illustrated the newer edition.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was enjoying not just the silliness of the stories (mango trees growing at the dinner table, that sort of thing) but the side kick characters of dragons and jins, and the fun bits of accurate science, religion and trivia notes. But then I found the English-ness of keeping his ‘servants’ in line and then came this of Mr Chandrajotish’s wives:
“But he has to spend two or three hours a day on incantations to give them perpetual youth and good temper. He says it’s worth it but hard work.”

And this is how children absorb the unconscious cues of how the world ‘works’. Well, white English boys of the 1930s and 40s anyway. Grr

But then Quentin Blake has made a drawing of one of said ladies with an extraordinarily long pointy nose and not very attractive face. Was he trying to counterbalance the text? Or could he just not draw exotically foreign very well.

Either way, I continue to read for the silliness, and not the ‘natural way of things’.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

1,001, written by a scientist...
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Hm. Thoughts at halfway:

Episodic. About magic, not science. The geography, physical and cultural, seems ok for 1944, but is rather dated now. The treatment of servants is dismaying; thank goodness we in the US were never that bad, and I'm sure that even the Brits who didn't bat an eyelash back then would squirm now.

Also, I don't know why, but I'm finding it kinda boring. I think I might have liked it better as a child, but maybe not. No children in the story, no character development, no plot... just a demonstrative recital of Leakey's accomplishments.
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Oh! Now that I'm done, my opinion is completely changed! Turns out the first three 'chapters' are about the wizard, but the last three are independent! Rats, The Snake with the Golden Teeth,and My Magic Collar Stud are all charming & fun, well worth reading!

I do have a copy of this, mm pb, will gladly ship it free to a new reader in the US. It's not worth spending money on, imo, but nor do I want it to just get lost in a thrift store or LFL.

[HippieBookkeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the original from 1937 a much more informed read. Although classified as a children's book, the subject matter that is eluded to is not for the faint of heart.
The author was a known spy for Stalin in England in the early 20th century and may have played a vital role in helping the soviets obtain superior technical prowess over the rest of the world.
The original work was a special limited edition publication in 1937 where the everyday child would have not had access to the resources to be able to purchase it.
This book was written for a purpose and for a specific audience and should be classified as a spy novel more than a children's book.
The original can be found on the Stanford University web page, for further exploration.