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Jennings #7
Our Friend Jennings
Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Very Good, 256pp. Pages lightly toned around edges, and endpapers very lightly foxed but otherwise clean throughout. Bound within red cloth covered boards with black text to spine; excellent condition. Displayed within original price-clipped dustwrapper freaturing a wrap-around illustration in colour; a little worn to edges but in very good condition. Top fore-edge dyed red.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
About the author
Anthony Buckeridge
112 books45 followersAnthony Malcolm Buckeridge was born in London but following the death of his banker father in the First World War he moved with his mother to Ross-on-Wye to live with his grandparents.
At the end of the war they returned to London where he developed a taste for theatre and writing. A scholarship from the Bank Clerks' Orphanage fund permitted his mother to send him to Seaford College boarding school in Sussex. His experiences as a schoolboy there were instrumental in his later work, particularly in his famous Jennings series of novels.
Following the death of his grandfather, the family moved to Welwyn Garden City where his mother worked in promoting the new suburban utopia to Londoners. In 1930 Buckeridge began work at his late father's bank but soon tired of it. Instead he took to acting including an uncredited part in Anthony Asquith's 1931 film 'Tell England'.
After marrying his first wife, Sylvia Brown, he enrolled at University College London where he involved himself in Socialist and anti-war groups and he was later to become an active member of CND. Unfortunately at university he did not take a degree after failing Latin.
By then the couple had two children and, with a young family to support, he found himself teaching in Suffolk and Northamptonshire, which again provided further experiences for his later work. During the Second World War, he was called up as a fireman and wrote several plays for the stage before returning to teaching in Ramsgate.
He used to tell his pupils stories about the fictional character Jennings, who was based on an old school chum of his, Diarmid Jennings. Diarmid was a prep schoolboy boarding at Linbury Court Preparatory School, where the headmaster was Mr Pemberton-Oakes.
After World War II, he wrote a series of radio plays for the BBC's Children's Hour chronicling the exploits of Jennings and his rather more staid friend, Darbishire. 'Jennings Learns the Ropes', the first of his radio plays, was broadcast on 16 October 1948. And then in 1950, the first of 26 Jennings novels, 'Jennings Goes to School' was published.
'Jennings Follows a Clue' appeared in 1951 and then Jennings novels were published regularly through to 1977 before he reappeared in the 1990s with three books that ended with 'That's Jennings' in 1994. The books were as well known and as popular as Frank Richards' Billy Bunter books in their day and were translated into a number of other languages.
The stories of middle class English schoolboys were especially popular in Norway where several were filmed. The Norwegian books and films were rewritten completely for a Norwegian setting with Norwegian names and Jennings is called "Stompa". And in France Jennings was, rather oddly, known as Bennett!
He also wrote five novels featuring a north London Grammar School boy, Rex Milligan, one other novel, 'A Funny Thing Happened: The First [and only] Adventure of the Blighs' (1953), wrote a collection of short stories, 'Stories for Boys' (1957), his autobiography, 'While I Remember' (1999) and edited an anthology, 'In and Out of School' (1958).
In 1962 he met his second wife, Eileen Selby. They settled near Lewes where he continued to write and from where he also appeared in small (non-singing) roles at Glyndebourne.
He was awarded the OBE in 2003.
He died on 28 June 2004 after a spell of ill health with his second wife Eileen and three children, two from his first marriage, surviving him.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
At the end of the war they returned to London where he developed a taste for theatre and writing. A scholarship from the Bank Clerks' Orphanage fund permitted his mother to send him to Seaford College boarding school in Sussex. His experiences as a schoolboy there were instrumental in his later work, particularly in his famous Jennings series of novels.
Following the death of his grandfather, the family moved to Welwyn Garden City where his mother worked in promoting the new suburban utopia to Londoners. In 1930 Buckeridge began work at his late father's bank but soon tired of it. Instead he took to acting including an uncredited part in Anthony Asquith's 1931 film 'Tell England'.
After marrying his first wife, Sylvia Brown, he enrolled at University College London where he involved himself in Socialist and anti-war groups and he was later to become an active member of CND. Unfortunately at university he did not take a degree after failing Latin.
By then the couple had two children and, with a young family to support, he found himself teaching in Suffolk and Northamptonshire, which again provided further experiences for his later work. During the Second World War, he was called up as a fireman and wrote several plays for the stage before returning to teaching in Ramsgate.
He used to tell his pupils stories about the fictional character Jennings, who was based on an old school chum of his, Diarmid Jennings. Diarmid was a prep schoolboy boarding at Linbury Court Preparatory School, where the headmaster was Mr Pemberton-Oakes.
After World War II, he wrote a series of radio plays for the BBC's Children's Hour chronicling the exploits of Jennings and his rather more staid friend, Darbishire. 'Jennings Learns the Ropes', the first of his radio plays, was broadcast on 16 October 1948. And then in 1950, the first of 26 Jennings novels, 'Jennings Goes to School' was published.
'Jennings Follows a Clue' appeared in 1951 and then Jennings novels were published regularly through to 1977 before he reappeared in the 1990s with three books that ended with 'That's Jennings' in 1994. The books were as well known and as popular as Frank Richards' Billy Bunter books in their day and were translated into a number of other languages.
The stories of middle class English schoolboys were especially popular in Norway where several were filmed. The Norwegian books and films were rewritten completely for a Norwegian setting with Norwegian names and Jennings is called "Stompa". And in France Jennings was, rather oddly, known as Bennett!
He also wrote five novels featuring a north London Grammar School boy, Rex Milligan, one other novel, 'A Funny Thing Happened: The First [and only] Adventure of the Blighs' (1953), wrote a collection of short stories, 'Stories for Boys' (1957), his autobiography, 'While I Remember' (1999) and edited an anthology, 'In and Out of School' (1958).
In 1962 he met his second wife, Eileen Selby. They settled near Lewes where he continued to write and from where he also appeared in small (non-singing) roles at Glyndebourne.
He was awarded the OBE in 2003.
He died on 28 June 2004 after a spell of ill health with his second wife Eileen and three children, two from his first marriage, surviving him.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 23, 2018
The first Jennings book I read all those years ago and I just re-read it. Very good.
April 24, 2020
In this book Jennings and Darbishire manage to help a farmer on a cross country run, but then end up so far behind that they cheat and take a buss, only to be found out by the astute Mr Carter. And that is just the start of the fun in this highly imaginative story in which the author really gets into the clourful imagination of the prep school boys.
I loved Jennings as a child, and I am not so old that the language of the books was very dated when I read them! So don't let that put you off. Indeed I think the dated prep school slang of Jennings really adds to the charm of these books which refelct on a slice of life that we all might like to have back.
The books are often hilarious. I devoured this series first time around, borrowing books from friends who loved them too. Recently I have been buying up and completing my collection, and re-reading them from the start.
Highly recommended. Personally I preferred these to Just William and other such stories.
I loved Jennings as a child, and I am not so old that the language of the books was very dated when I read them! So don't let that put you off. Indeed I think the dated prep school slang of Jennings really adds to the charm of these books which refelct on a slice of life that we all might like to have back.
The books are often hilarious. I devoured this series first time around, borrowing books from friends who loved them too. Recently I have been buying up and completing my collection, and re-reading them from the start.
Highly recommended. Personally I preferred these to Just William and other such stories.
November 30, 2017
Jennings and Darbyshire herd cows.
Jennings and Darbyshire take the bus.
Jennings and Darbyshire dabble in philately.
Darbyshire wants a moustache.
Jennings and Darbyshire produce a play.
In every book we see Darbi not excel in a sport. This time it is cross country running.
As usual, the adventures start innocently enough but Jennings soon finds a loop hole, takes things literally, or jumps to conclusions. In this volume their not-so-beloved teacher, Mr. Wilkins, does not conduct himself any better than the boys in that regard. A fun romp, but still maybe still one tick below my favorite in the series so far, Jennings and Darbishire.
Jennings and Darbyshire take the bus.
Jennings and Darbyshire dabble in philately.
Darbyshire wants a moustache.
Jennings and Darbyshire produce a play.
In every book we see Darbi not excel in a sport. This time it is cross country running.
As usual, the adventures start innocently enough but Jennings soon finds a loop hole, takes things literally, or jumps to conclusions. In this volume their not-so-beloved teacher, Mr. Wilkins, does not conduct himself any better than the boys in that regard. A fun romp, but still maybe still one tick below my favorite in the series so far, Jennings and Darbishire.
June 6, 2025
One of the best of the Jennings canon that I’ve read so far. Loved it.
Usual setting, usual characters, so the familiar makes comfortable reading. Variety is provided by the plot involving, among other things, stamp collecting, cheating on a cross country run, a stray cow, a paintbox, being locked in the boiler room, mounting a play penned by Darbishire, a fake moustache, a forbidden trip to the cinema, Shakespeare, and Mr. Borrowmore, a professional actor. There are the usual clever comic moments when Mr Carter gets Mr Wilkins to moderate his petulant decisions without making his colleague lose face.
Buckeridge is a master of plotting. I discover he wrote plays as well. I must look them out.
Usual setting, usual characters, so the familiar makes comfortable reading. Variety is provided by the plot involving, among other things, stamp collecting, cheating on a cross country run, a stray cow, a paintbox, being locked in the boiler room, mounting a play penned by Darbishire, a fake moustache, a forbidden trip to the cinema, Shakespeare, and Mr. Borrowmore, a professional actor. There are the usual clever comic moments when Mr Carter gets Mr Wilkins to moderate his petulant decisions without making his colleague lose face.
Buckeridge is a master of plotting. I discover he wrote plays as well. I must look them out.
January 30, 2022
A great book to relax with over a long weekend. Laugh out loud humour as Jennings struggles through stamp collecting, cross country running and an end of term concert .
December 21, 2024
This Jennings book is a peculiar mix of amusing moments and more than the usual number of clunky plot contrivances. The incident with the chestnuts, for instance, has Jennings and Darbishire obligingly being absurd purely to facilitate Buckeridge's idea, but then Mr Wilkins' reaction to the results provides a few titters. I do enjoy everything (well, almost!) connected with the school concert and Darbishire's false moustache.
Highlight: the cast members of The Miser's Secret (a play about a man with a moustache) read through the script.
Lowlight: Jennings and Darbishire muck about in the cinema for a very long time, until the author reveals the easy escape route that has been there all along.
Highlight: the cast members of The Miser's Secret (a play about a man with a moustache) read through the script.
Lowlight: Jennings and Darbishire muck about in the cinema for a very long time, until the author reveals the easy escape route that has been there all along.
December 17, 2014
This is another amusing but mostly unremarkable entry in the Jennings saga.
Highlight: The tables are turned as Mr Wilkins finds himself trying to learn a "chunk" of Shakespeare for Jennings, and discovers that committing large amounts of literature to memory in a short space of time is not nearly as easy as he himself has always insisted.
Highlight: The tables are turned as Mr Wilkins finds himself trying to learn a "chunk" of Shakespeare for Jennings, and discovers that committing large amounts of literature to memory in a short space of time is not nearly as easy as he himself has always insisted.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews