The Dribblesome Teapots And Other Incredible Stories

by Norman Hunter

Full of fantastical places like Kumdown Upwardz, Gadzooks and Urgburg-under-Ug, eccentric kings and queens, lessons in kindness, peace and even royal thriftiness, wrapped up in more than a smattering of nonsense, The Dribblesome Teapots brings together ten modern fairy tales to be enjoyed by generation after generation of young readers.

Including original illustrations by Fritz Wegner, this is a charming classic of the future.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Short Stories

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 1971

About the author

Career
Hunter wrote popular books on writing for advertising, brain-teasers and conjuring among many others. His career started as an advertising copywriter and in the 1930s he was performing as a stage magician in Bournemouth.
It was at this time he started to write the Professor Branestawm series, originally intended for radio. The books were published in hardback, with the first illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. Other illustrators were to follow, including James Arnold, George Worsley Adamson, Gerald Rose, David Hughes, Jill McDonald and Derek Cousins. In the 1960s the books were reprinted in Puffin Books, the Penguin children's imprint.
Hunter returned to London during the Second World War, living on a boat on the Thames. Post-war, in 1949 he went to work in South Africa and the fiction writing ceased. On his retirement in 1970, he once again returned to London, where Thames Television had just produced the Professor Branestawm eight-part TV series. He continued writing in his retirement, with his last book published in 1983.
Works (Incomplete)
Simplified Conjuring for All: a collection of new tricks needing no special skill or apparatus for their performance with suitable patter, C. Arthur Pearson (1923)
Advertising Through the Press: a guide to press publicity, Sir I. Pitman & Sons (1925)
New and Easy Magic : a further series of novel magical experiments needing no special skill or apparatus for their performance with suitable patter, C. Arthur Pearson (1925)
The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm, John Lane (1933)
New conjuring Without Skill, Bodley Head (1935)
Professor Branestawm's Treasure Hunt, John Lane (1937)
Larky Legends (1938), republished as The Dribblesome Teapots and Other Incredible Stories (1973)
Successful Conjuring for Amateurs, Pearson (c.1951)
The Puffin Book of Magic (1968), republished as Norman Hunter’s Book of Magic, Bodley Head (1974)
The Peculiar Triumph of Professor Branestawm, Bodley Head (1970)
The Dribblesome Teapots and Other Incredible Stories (1971)
Professor Branestawm Up the Pole, Bodley Head (1972)
Professor Branestawm's Dictionary, Bodley Head (1973)
The Frantic Phantom and Other Incredible Stories (1973)
Professor Branestawm's Great Revolution, Bodley Head (1974)
The Home-made Dragon and Other Incredible Stories (1974)
Dust up at the Royal Disco: and Other Stories (1975)
Professor Branestawm’s Do-It-Yourself Handbook, Bodley Head (1974)
Long Live Their Majesties (1975)
Professor Branestawm Round the Bend, Bodley Head (1977)
Professor Branestawm’s Compendium of Donundrums, Riddles, Puzzles, Brain Twiddlers and Dotty Descriptions, Bodley Head (1975)
Vanishing Ladies, and Other Magic, Bodley Head (1978)
Professor Branestawm's Perilous Pudding, Bodley Head (1979)
The Best of Branestawm, Bodley Head (1980)
Sneeze and Be Slain and Other Incredible Stories (1980)
Professor Branestawm and the Wild Letters, Bodley Head (1981)
Professor Branestawm's Pocket Motor Car, Bodley Head (1981)
Professor Branestawm's Mouse War, Bodley Head (1982)
Professor Branestawm's Building Bust-Up, Bodley Head (1982)
Count Bakwerdz on the Carpet and Other Incredible Stories (1982)
Professor Branestawm's Crunchy Crockery, Bodley Head (1983)
Professor Branestawm's Hair-Raising Idea, Bodley Head (1983)

Wikipedia

Reviews

[Rachael Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a kid was The Homemade Dragon, which is a series of bizarre fairy tales about the clueless denizens of Incrediblania. Although I went on to read and like Branestawm, I loved the potty royals first and foremost, and assumed it had been a one off.

So imagine my surprise when, aged 28, I discovered this. I can only assume it came first, as Incrediblania makes a cameo, albeit spelt differently and with a different King and Queen. Though uncomfortably racist in parts (you don't want to see how he renders the languages of the Orient, or describes Asian music), it was written at a less sensitive time for children. These hiccups aside, it's charming and laugh out loud in places. My personal favourite has to be the cunning dragon who pretends to be a dragon slayer to win part of the kingdom - a formidable beastie, and I would have liked to have seen more of him.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun group of stories. Whenever I need something quick to read, for example now - I’m in the middle of a huge book - this is one of my go to books. It gives me a good laugh! And they are just brilliant, creative stories.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous short stories about clumsy middle class royalty.

[Ceri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered this book earlier when I finished reading The Light Princess by George Macdonald. This is a children's book for older children and it's just really silly. For example the title story is about a queen whose teapot leaks and she offers half the kingdom for one that doesn't, which is obviously a disaster, so the court wizard makes them all leak, etc. I am not sure about this version but the one I had contained some nice drawings of the characters. This was a book I read quite a few times as a child and when my children are a bit older if we can't locate my version then I'll get a version for them.

[Niamh Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered The Dribblesome Teapots from childhood, which is the first story, in this collection of ten short stories for children. It was published in 1969, but originated from stories published in 1938. As a result, the language is very formal old English and the stories are rather over exaggerated and pantomime like, but highly entertaining. All relate to royalty & kingdoms and the bizarre challenges one has as a queen or queen!!!
A lovely step back in time.

[Adrian Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Branestawm-esque slapstick and verbal gymnastics, but this time the stories tightly focused variations on a theme: the king and the queen and the primeminister. Occasionally there is a magician, or a dragon but mostly there are other visiting monarchs. This book not only provided sound guidance for our own Royal Family, but must have kept my generation from Republicanism too. Sir Norman Hunter?

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories and illustrations.