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Wizard of Boland
The Wizard of Boland
The gnomes of the Forest of Boland are horrified to find a dragon sleeping in a cave near their village; but the wicked Wizard Homm is delighted to see the same dragon browsing among the willows in the forest because he needs some dragon's blood to work his best spells. But the Wizard's greed is his downfall.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1959
77 people want to read
About the author
B.B.
192 books41 followersSee also Denys Watkins-Pitchford
Denys James Watkins-Pitchford MBE was a British naturalist, children's writer, and illustrator who wrote under the pseudonym "BB" and also used D.J. Watkins-Pitchford.
Denys Watkins-Pitchford was born in Lamport, Northamptonshire on the 25th July 1905. He was the second son of the Revd. Walter Watkins-Pitchford and his wife, Edith. His elder brother, Engel, died at the age of thirteen. Denys was himself considered to be delicate as a child, and because of this was educated at home, while his younger twin, Roger, was sent away to school. He spent a great deal of time on his own, wandering through the fields, and developed a love of the outdoors, which was to influence his writing. He had a great love of the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing and drawing, all these things were to influence his writing greatly. At the age of fifteen, he left home and went to study at the Northampton School of Art. He won several prizes while there, but was irked by the dry, academic approach, and longed to be able to draw from life.
While at the Northampton School of Art, Denys won a travelling scholarship to Paris. He was later to say that he could not remember how long he had spent in Paris, but Quinn suggests (p. 50) that it was probably about three months. He worked at a studio in Montparnasse, and attended drawing classes. It is unknown exactly where he studied. In the autumn of 1924, he entered the Royal College of Art in London. In 1930 he became an assistant art master at Rugby School where he remained for seventeen years. While at Rugby School he was to begin contributing regularly to the Shooting Times and start his career as an author and illustrator. He wrote under the nom de plume of '"BB"', a name based on the size of lead shot he used to shoot geese, but he maintained the use of his real name as that of the illustrator in all his books. He later illustrated books by other writers, and sold his own paintings locally.
Denys James Watkins-Pitchford MBE was a British naturalist, children's writer, and illustrator who wrote under the pseudonym "BB" and also used D.J. Watkins-Pitchford.
Denys Watkins-Pitchford was born in Lamport, Northamptonshire on the 25th July 1905. He was the second son of the Revd. Walter Watkins-Pitchford and his wife, Edith. His elder brother, Engel, died at the age of thirteen. Denys was himself considered to be delicate as a child, and because of this was educated at home, while his younger twin, Roger, was sent away to school. He spent a great deal of time on his own, wandering through the fields, and developed a love of the outdoors, which was to influence his writing. He had a great love of the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing and drawing, all these things were to influence his writing greatly. At the age of fifteen, he left home and went to study at the Northampton School of Art. He won several prizes while there, but was irked by the dry, academic approach, and longed to be able to draw from life.
While at the Northampton School of Art, Denys won a travelling scholarship to Paris. He was later to say that he could not remember how long he had spent in Paris, but Quinn suggests (p. 50) that it was probably about three months. He worked at a studio in Montparnasse, and attended drawing classes. It is unknown exactly where he studied. In the autumn of 1924, he entered the Royal College of Art in London. In 1930 he became an assistant art master at Rugby School where he remained for seventeen years. While at Rugby School he was to begin contributing regularly to the Shooting Times and start his career as an author and illustrator. He wrote under the nom de plume of '"BB"', a name based on the size of lead shot he used to shoot geese, but he maintained the use of his real name as that of the illustrator in all his books. He later illustrated books by other writers, and sold his own paintings locally.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 27, 2021
I came across this book at a book fair and bought it because I’d never heard of the author before and also because I like to read and have vintage, out of print books in my collection. The story is similar to the Enid Blyton books with a wizard, spells, gnomes, etc. The descriptions of nature are wonderful. The time frame is not clear as there is a train, but not all the characters are familiar with it. Helda doesn’t wear shoes and her father wears ‘braies’. The village people never have baths! The readers get a sense as to why witchcraft (and wizardry) prevailed in olden times. However, I doubt if the book will appeal to the present generation of Harry Potter fans.
I found a stock control card with the name of Hardings Booksellers, Tobacconists and Confectioners stamped on it. The address is High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset and the last circulation date written is 24-May-1979. I wonder if the shop is still there. The book has travelled half the globe to India!
I found a stock control card with the name of Hardings Booksellers, Tobacconists and Confectioners stamped on it. The address is High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset and the last circulation date written is 24-May-1979. I wonder if the shop is still there. The book has travelled half the globe to India!
May 31, 2018
Nowhere near as fun or imaginative as the FoBLR. Shame!
September 25, 2018
A simpler story than The Forest of Boland Light Railway, but I enjoyed it as much. I have now read 7 books by BB and can recommend all but Little Grey Men Go Down the Bright Stream.
October 29, 2023
Stunningly exciting and clever . Made me want to search for gnomes in forests and generally explore more
April 13, 2024
Considering it is a children's story it is a surprisingly harsh read. Funny characters and brilliant descriptions.
October 2, 2019
BB - very cool name for an author!
The interesting thing about this book is that it has an anti-hero as the main character. The wizard of the title is a nasty piece of work - mean, greedy and cruel. It's a decent story and well written, with a few different characters and magical creatures. I didn't enjoy it that much, though, and writing this review a few months after reading it can't remember much about it. So it can't have been that memorable! There are a few illustrations through the book, which I like, but I'm not in a hurry to read it again!
(I would give it away, but my brother wrote his name in it when he was a kid and then handed it on to me, so I feel strangely attached to it.)
The interesting thing about this book is that it has an anti-hero as the main character. The wizard of the title is a nasty piece of work - mean, greedy and cruel. It's a decent story and well written, with a few different characters and magical creatures. I didn't enjoy it that much, though, and writing this review a few months after reading it can't remember much about it. So it can't have been that memorable! There are a few illustrations through the book, which I like, but I'm not in a hurry to read it again!
(I would give it away, but my brother wrote his name in it when he was a kid and then handed it on to me, so I feel strangely attached to it.)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews