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Apprentices #1-12
The Apprentices
The Apprentices {Omnibus volume of all 12 stories}
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Leon Garfield
120 books49 followersLeon Garfield FRSL (14 July 1921 – 2 June 1996) was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books and scripted Shakespeare: The Animated Tales for television.
Garfield attended Brighton Grammar School (1932-1938) and went on to study art at Regent Street Polytechnic, but his studies were interrupted first by lack of funds for fees, then by the outbreak of World War II. He married Lena Leah Davies in April, 1941, at Golders Green Synagogue but they separated after only a few months. For his service in the war he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. While posted in Belgium he met Vivien Alcock, then an ambulance driver, who would go on to become his second wife (in 1948) and a well-known children's author. She would also greatly influence Garfield's writing, giving him suggestions for his writing, including the original idea for Smith. After the war Garfield worked as a biochemical laboratory technician at the Whittington Hospital in Islington, writing in his spare time until the 1960s, when he was successful enough to write full-time. In 1964, the couple adopted a baby girl, called Jane after Jane Austen, a favourite writer of both parents.
Garfield wrote his first book, the pirate novel Jack Holborn, for adult readers but a Constable & Co. editor saw its potential as a children's novel and persuaded him to adapt it for a younger audience. In that form it was published by Constable in 1964. His second book, Devil-in-the-Fog (1966), won the first annual Guardian Prize and was serialised for television, as were several later works (below). Devil was the first of several historical adventure novels, typically set late in the eighteenth century and featuring a character of humble origins (in this case a boy from a family of traveling actors) pushed into the midst of a threatening intrigue. Another was Smith (1967), with the eponymous hero a young pickpocket accepted into a wealthy household; it won the Phoenix Award in 1987. Yet another was Black Jack (1968), in which a young apprentice is forced by accident and his conscience to accompany a murderous criminal.
In 1970, Garfield's work started to move in new directions with The God Beneath the Sea, a re-telling of numerous Greek myths in one narrative, written by Garfield and Edward Blishen and illustrated by Charles Keeping. It won the annual Carnegie Medal for British children's books. Garfield, Blishen, and Keeping collaborated again on a sequel, The Golden Shadow (1973). The Drummer Boy (1970) was another adventure story, but concerned more with a central moral problem, and apparently aimed at somewhat older readers, a trend continued in The Prisoners of September (1975) republished in 1989 by Lions Tracks, under the title Revolution!, The Pleasure Garden (1976) and The Confidence Man (1978). The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris (1972) was a black comedy in which two boys decide to test the plausibility of Romulus and Remus using one of the boys' baby sister. Most notable at the time was a series of linked long short stories about apprentices, published separately between 1976 and 1978, and then as a collection, The Apprentices. The more adult themed books of the mid-1970s met with a mixed reception and Garfield returned to the model of his earlier books with John Diamond, which won a Whitbread Award in 1980, and The December Rose (1986). In 1980 he also wrote an ending for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished at the 1870 death of Dickens, an author who had been a major influence on Garfield's own style.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1985. On 2 June 1996 he died of cancer at the Whittington Hospital, where he had once worked.
Garfield attended Brighton Grammar School (1932-1938) and went on to study art at Regent Street Polytechnic, but his studies were interrupted first by lack of funds for fees, then by the outbreak of World War II. He married Lena Leah Davies in April, 1941, at Golders Green Synagogue but they separated after only a few months. For his service in the war he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. While posted in Belgium he met Vivien Alcock, then an ambulance driver, who would go on to become his second wife (in 1948) and a well-known children's author. She would also greatly influence Garfield's writing, giving him suggestions for his writing, including the original idea for Smith. After the war Garfield worked as a biochemical laboratory technician at the Whittington Hospital in Islington, writing in his spare time until the 1960s, when he was successful enough to write full-time. In 1964, the couple adopted a baby girl, called Jane after Jane Austen, a favourite writer of both parents.
Garfield wrote his first book, the pirate novel Jack Holborn, for adult readers but a Constable & Co. editor saw its potential as a children's novel and persuaded him to adapt it for a younger audience. In that form it was published by Constable in 1964. His second book, Devil-in-the-Fog (1966), won the first annual Guardian Prize and was serialised for television, as were several later works (below). Devil was the first of several historical adventure novels, typically set late in the eighteenth century and featuring a character of humble origins (in this case a boy from a family of traveling actors) pushed into the midst of a threatening intrigue. Another was Smith (1967), with the eponymous hero a young pickpocket accepted into a wealthy household; it won the Phoenix Award in 1987. Yet another was Black Jack (1968), in which a young apprentice is forced by accident and his conscience to accompany a murderous criminal.
In 1970, Garfield's work started to move in new directions with The God Beneath the Sea, a re-telling of numerous Greek myths in one narrative, written by Garfield and Edward Blishen and illustrated by Charles Keeping. It won the annual Carnegie Medal for British children's books. Garfield, Blishen, and Keeping collaborated again on a sequel, The Golden Shadow (1973). The Drummer Boy (1970) was another adventure story, but concerned more with a central moral problem, and apparently aimed at somewhat older readers, a trend continued in The Prisoners of September (1975) republished in 1989 by Lions Tracks, under the title Revolution!, The Pleasure Garden (1976) and The Confidence Man (1978). The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris (1972) was a black comedy in which two boys decide to test the plausibility of Romulus and Remus using one of the boys' baby sister. Most notable at the time was a series of linked long short stories about apprentices, published separately between 1976 and 1978, and then as a collection, The Apprentices. The more adult themed books of the mid-1970s met with a mixed reception and Garfield returned to the model of his earlier books with John Diamond, which won a Whitbread Award in 1980, and The December Rose (1986). In 1980 he also wrote an ending for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished at the 1870 death of Dickens, an author who had been a major influence on Garfield's own style.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1985. On 2 June 1996 he died of cancer at the Whittington Hospital, where he had once worked.
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July 19, 2019A series of tales about apprentices in eighteenth century London may not sound like an enticing read for early readers lacking in years of life, but yet they are curiously compelling tales.
Apprentices were bonded to a master for seven years to learn a trade, often living in their household effectively servants, but also for the most part children, they best hope possibly to marry the master's daughter and inherit the business, otherwise they faced seven years of toil.
Each story in the collection focuses on a different apprentice working in a different trade, a monumental mason, a pawnbroker, a cobbler, a lamplighter, a mirror frame maker, a lamp lighter (an important profession in the days before street lighting). Some apprentices are trying to build up a nest egg by fair means or foul, others want to play games, older ones look for love, some are stupid or simply naive, all are vibrant teenagers and children, working as they grow older.
Some of the characters appear in other stories. It's a lively view of the working , non-glamorous side of children's lives in age when Kings are called George, one after the other, funny and poignant.
Apprentices were bonded to a master for seven years to learn a trade, often living in their household effectively servants, but also for the most part children, they best hope possibly to marry the master's daughter and inherit the business, otherwise they faced seven years of toil.
Each story in the collection focuses on a different apprentice working in a different trade, a monumental mason, a pawnbroker, a cobbler, a lamplighter, a mirror frame maker, a lamp lighter (an important profession in the days before street lighting). Some apprentices are trying to build up a nest egg by fair means or foul, others want to play games, older ones look for love, some are stupid or simply naive, all are vibrant teenagers and children, working as they grow older.
Some of the characters appear in other stories. It's a lively view of the working , non-glamorous side of children's lives in age when Kings are called George, one after the other, funny and poignant.
July 20, 2019
Quite interesting, and lovely. Reads almost like a fantasy, but there's no magic except that of the human spirit. I really appreciated that it wasn't quite as bleak as Dickens. And also that it was set a century earlier. This was before the Industrial Age, when fortunate young people had a chance to learn a trade and, sometimes, inherit the business or save up to set up their own shop. Some were even lucky enough to be considered almost a member of the family. I wish I knew more about those old customs, beliefs, songs, traditions, that were mentioned.
All chapters charmed me. Perhaps the one about a pharmacist/scientist is the most haunting. And the one about a bookseller who feebly tries to defend the work of a self-published schoolteacher against charges of blasphemy is still relevant.
I absolutely highly recommend this to all of you.
Most evidence of the graceful writing is too long to quote, but consider this: "[H]e tried so hard to rub her out of his mind that almost wore a hole in it."
I do have to admit that when I was the direct audience, age 10-13, I would *not* have enjoyed or appreciated this, and I certainly don't know any modern children who would be interested. If you do, please comment.
All chapters charmed me. Perhaps the one about a pharmacist/scientist is the most haunting. And the one about a bookseller who feebly tries to defend the work of a self-published schoolteacher against charges of blasphemy is still relevant.
I absolutely highly recommend this to all of you.
Most evidence of the graceful writing is too long to quote, but consider this: "[H]e tried so hard to rub her out of his mind that almost wore a hole in it."
I do have to admit that when I was the direct audience, age 10-13, I would *not* have enjoyed or appreciated this, and I certainly don't know any modern children who would be interested. If you do, please comment.
December 25, 2017
4,5
Twelve tales of an apprentices set in 18th century London. Garfield is wonderful storyteller and he reminds me of Dickens who I adore.
The stories are realistic but some of them have a little shadow of fantasy Mirror, Mirror, and reading The Lamplighter's Funeral & Tom Titmarsh's Devil & The Enemy made me wonder if there could be something supernatural about the linkboy.
I bought this book for myself as a Xmas present and very fittingly the 3rd chapter Moss and Blister is a Xmas story.
Twelve tales of an apprentices set in 18th century London. Garfield is wonderful storyteller and he reminds me of Dickens who I adore.
The stories are realistic but some of them have a little shadow of fantasy Mirror, Mirror, and reading The Lamplighter's Funeral & Tom Titmarsh's Devil & The Enemy made me wonder if there could be something supernatural about the linkboy.
I bought this book for myself as a Xmas present and very fittingly the 3rd chapter Moss and Blister is a Xmas story.
May 19, 2014
Set in eighteenth century London, each chapter tells a complete and intriguing story about a different type of apprentice. And what a variety of apprenticeships there are; from the lamplighter to the midwife, to the pawnbroker to the bookseller.
Reading this book is similar to reading a novel by Charles Dickens; less description and easier to read but with the same ability to quickly establish wonderful characters, and riveting story lines.
I thoroughly enjoyed these fascinating historical snapshots of a time and place so completely different to our own.
Reading this book is similar to reading a novel by Charles Dickens; less description and easier to read but with the same ability to quickly establish wonderful characters, and riveting story lines.
I thoroughly enjoyed these fascinating historical snapshots of a time and place so completely different to our own.
April 20, 2018
A wonderful example of what literature for schoolboys used to mean back in the 1970s, & the celebrated (by me at least!) Leon Garfield was a master-storyteller who deserves a new readership in this century...boys & girls who can handle colourful & dramatic tales from the past with no blasted wizards or fiery dragons, & no flights of ridiculous, mind-twisting fantasy!
All these stories about 18th c. apprentices in London have a real bite, pulling no punches about the squalor & deprivation of such a rapidly-expanding city or about the often-terrible exploitation & neglect of children. I would recommend this volume wholeheartedly to younger teenage boys (11-16) in particular, as it really gets to the nitty-gritty of various adolescent growing pains & the overwhelming urge for self-expression & independence of spirit! Marvellous stuff!
All these stories about 18th c. apprentices in London have a real bite, pulling no punches about the squalor & deprivation of such a rapidly-expanding city or about the often-terrible exploitation & neglect of children. I would recommend this volume wholeheartedly to younger teenage boys (11-16) in particular, as it really gets to the nitty-gritty of various adolescent growing pains & the overwhelming urge for self-expression & independence of spirit! Marvellous stuff!
September 6, 2018
‘The Apprentices’ is a sequence of twelve stand-alone short stories which have loose links where characters from some of the stories turn up in others. Each of the main characters is an apprentice of some kind. Garfield has, in the past, created stories about all sorts of settings and jobs that I’ve rarely seen tackled anywhere else. Novels include a depiction of the life of a coach driver, the running of a pleasure garden and a number of journeys with traveling players. ‘The Apprentices’ adds lamplighters, funeral directors, midwives, printer’s devils and all number of other jobs.
Garfield is his usually unusual self - I only had my notepad for some later stories but I noted a description of one apprentice where it say that ‘when God made him, he must have had his elbow jogged.’ I also enjoyed chemists regarding their patron saint as ‘Thomas, who thrust his scientific fingers into the wounds of Christ’.
Many of the stories have a strange, slightly religious base with references to the nativity, the devil and songs of angels. Some of these stories lean more heavily on the unnerving than others but as a whole, it’s subtle and makes the whole sequence feel slightly askew as if more is happening than first appears.
The first story is one of the strangest. A lamplighter gains an apprentice called Possul (Apostle) who serves as a linkboy, lighting people home for money. The lamplighter regards his duty to bring light as a religious duty (even if he is not very good at his job) and Possul carries on this idea. Possul is a strange boy, rarely speaking and of ghostly paleness, who, when he lights people home, happens to show them the terrors of London’s night. He appears as a light in the darkness in a number of the stories and even inspires a novel in a later story called ‘Thine is the Kingdom’.
That novel appears in my favourite story, ‘Tom Titmarsh’s Devil’. It’s a love story between a wild girl who works for a printshop and the more guarded apprentice of a bookseller. She brings ‘Thine is the Kingdom’ to the bookseller to commission. It’s a nightmarish trip through London, inspired by one of Possul’s journeys and ends up criticising the church’s ignorance of the evils outside. When this book is condemned to be burnt, the bookseller’s apprentice tricks the illiterate hangman into burning a different book instead. This was my favourite as I loved the character of the printer’s devil and the terrifying nightmare.
Each story was different, with a different set of characters, a different way of telling the story and a different tone. Though some were better than others, it doesn’t suffer from the problem of most short story collections where some are far better than others - each is enjoyable on its on its own terms.
I completely recommend this collection as an engaging and unique work told with Garfield’s usual style and quality. I did wonder, however, what it is about bird names in the book - there were people called Larkins, Swallows, Starling, Hobby, Hawkins, Parrot, Falconer, Linnet, Nightingale, Titmarsh and many more.
Garfield is his usually unusual self - I only had my notepad for some later stories but I noted a description of one apprentice where it say that ‘when God made him, he must have had his elbow jogged.’ I also enjoyed chemists regarding their patron saint as ‘Thomas, who thrust his scientific fingers into the wounds of Christ’.
Many of the stories have a strange, slightly religious base with references to the nativity, the devil and songs of angels. Some of these stories lean more heavily on the unnerving than others but as a whole, it’s subtle and makes the whole sequence feel slightly askew as if more is happening than first appears.
The first story is one of the strangest. A lamplighter gains an apprentice called Possul (Apostle) who serves as a linkboy, lighting people home for money. The lamplighter regards his duty to bring light as a religious duty (even if he is not very good at his job) and Possul carries on this idea. Possul is a strange boy, rarely speaking and of ghostly paleness, who, when he lights people home, happens to show them the terrors of London’s night. He appears as a light in the darkness in a number of the stories and even inspires a novel in a later story called ‘Thine is the Kingdom’.
That novel appears in my favourite story, ‘Tom Titmarsh’s Devil’. It’s a love story between a wild girl who works for a printshop and the more guarded apprentice of a bookseller. She brings ‘Thine is the Kingdom’ to the bookseller to commission. It’s a nightmarish trip through London, inspired by one of Possul’s journeys and ends up criticising the church’s ignorance of the evils outside. When this book is condemned to be burnt, the bookseller’s apprentice tricks the illiterate hangman into burning a different book instead. This was my favourite as I loved the character of the printer’s devil and the terrifying nightmare.
Each story was different, with a different set of characters, a different way of telling the story and a different tone. Though some were better than others, it doesn’t suffer from the problem of most short story collections where some are far better than others - each is enjoyable on its on its own terms.
I completely recommend this collection as an engaging and unique work told with Garfield’s usual style and quality. I did wonder, however, what it is about bird names in the book - there were people called Larkins, Swallows, Starling, Hobby, Hawkins, Parrot, Falconer, Linnet, Nightingale, Titmarsh and many more.
December 4, 2021
The stories of 12 apprentices in 18th century London. Each story is set during a different calendar month.
January 5, 2016
Delicato. Migliore di molti altri libri fac-simile per adulti, è incentrato sul tema dell’amicizia e della crescita. L’avevo acquistato perché sia il titolo sia l’ambientazione richiamano in maniera diretta un altro romanzo per ragazzi letto qualche anno prima, ovvero “L’apprendista” di Paul Bajoria, edito Fabbri Editori. Non si è dimostrato all’altezza di quest’ultimo, ma il giudizio resta comunque positivo. L’autore segue le vicende di diversi ragazzi, che nello stesso tempo e nella stessa città frequentano periodi di apprendistato presso artigiani e artisti diversi, e i cui destini finiranno per incrociarsi. Permettendo loro di non affrontare “la vita vera” da soli, al termine dell’apprendistato.
March 4, 2024
What afine and holy book. this is set in Dickens London. It is 12 short stories about apprentices. the stories are loosely linked and are filled with scripture pertaining to each apprentice's vocation: The lamplighter's scriptures of light, the pawnbroker's scriptures of redemption, the midwife's Christmas musings. Well, there are 12 lovely stories.
December 9, 2025
Twelve thrilling and atmospheric stories of apprenticed children in Georgian London.
January 16, 2026
Didn’t enjoy this as much as Smith which was written by the same author. Short stories set in Dickens London …
April 29, 2013
It's based on old English custom. It's thinkable book.
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