Rupert: A Collection of Favourite Stories

by Alfred Bestall

Produced with careful thought to every detail, this slipcased treasury is going to win over the hearts of all fans, and those meeting Rupert for the first time. These stories have been carefully selected to appeal to readers of all ages with some previously unseen sketches by Bestall donated by his goddaughter Caroline Bott.

269 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Alfred Edmeades "Fred" Bestall, MBE (died in Porthmadog, Wales), was the author and illustrator of Rupert Bear for the London Daily Express, from 1935 to 1965.

Bestall produced his last Rupert story on 22 July 1965. He retired from the Daily Express in July 1965, but continued creating Annual publication covers until 1973.

Bestall also drew illustrations for the Whitcombe's Story Book, a form of children's reader published in Australasia by Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd. These books were undated; but Bestall's work appears in the 500 numbers, possibly published in the 1950s.

Bestall died on 15 January 1986, aged 93, at Wern Manor Nursing Home in Porthmadog, Wales.[1] He is buried in plot 100 of Brookwood Cemetery.

Reviews

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful sampling of the stories by premier Rupert author Alfred E. Bestall, including, much to my delight, "Rupert and Raggety," the one Rupert story I remember vividly from my childhood, with its creepy but essentially harmless twig creature. Harmlessness is pretty much a byword for Rupert, at least for these stories. Most involve little to no conflict at all, and if there ever is a threat, it tends to be natural rather than a matter of human (or animal) agency. For instance, one story here involves a flood, from which Rupert must save a baby elephant. Otherwise, the stories might occasionally have Rupert face some sort of opposition (along the lines of "you don't belong here!"), invariably quickly resolved with Rupert welcomed in to whatever fantastical environment he has stumbled--and there are many of these. Rupert's adventures (at least in this collection) often involve him encountering fantastical creatures and even worlds--e.g. the Frost King's kingdom, or the country of the bird king, where he finds the Mare's Nest. The focus is on the wonder and the magic, rather than on any sort of tension. Rupert's world is remarkable benign, almost idyllic, and the plots tend towards the whimsical (e.g. the stuffed donkey Ninky, given mobility by virtue of magical stuffing, or the annual contest for best snowman, or Noah's ark for toy animals). Everyone gets along, everyone is friends, transgression is rate and usually minor. Only one or two stories here have any sort of monitory moral element. In one, Rupert is rewarded for not raiding birds' nests for eggs; in another, he is admonished about being too inquisitive, even while being allowed access to the weird forest of tiny Christmas trees. Indeed, the creepiness of Raggety is anomalous--or maybe it's just me who found him kind of creepy as a kid. There are, unsurprisingly, some treatments of race that haven't stood the test of time well (e.g. the Chinese girl Tigerlily and her conjurer father are very much Chinese stereotypes, right down to clangy incorrect English), though notably Rupert is equally friendly with anyone, regardless of race or species. To reiterate, delightful.