Uncle - Softcover

J. P. Martin (1879–1966) was born in Yorkshire into a family of Methodist ministers. He took up the family vocation, serving when young as a missionary to a community of South African diamond miners and then, during the First World War, as an army chaplain in Palestine and Egypt, before returning to minister to parishes throughout the north of England. He died at eighty-six from a flu caught while bringing pots of honey to his parishioners in cold weather. Martin began telling Uncle stories to entertain his children, who later asked him to write them down so that they could read them to their own children; the stories were finally published as a book in 1964, when Martin was eighty-four. The jacket to the first edition of Uncle notes that “the inspiration for these stories seems to come from the industrial landscape that [Martin] knew as a child. . . . He still likes to take his family and friends on walks through industrial scenes. He also enjoys painting the wild and beautiful landscape where he lives. It is not enough to say he loves children; he is still continually visited by them.”

Quentin Blake is one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators working today, having illustrated more than three hundred books by such authors as Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken,
and Roald Dahl. A prolific writer of books for children himself, Blake was appointed the first Children’s Laureate of England in 1999.

Neil Gaiman is an award-winning author of novels, short stories, and graphic novels. Among his works are the children’s books Coraline, The Wolves in the Walls, and The Day I Swapped My
Dad for Two Goldfish; the Sandman graphic novel series; and the fantasy novels Stardust and Neverwhere. Originally from England, Gaiman now lives in the United States.

“Very few books exist at such a pitch of consistent imaginative glee, and Uncle is one elephant who should never be forgotten again.” —The Telegraph

“This is fantasy in the grand style; in the tradition of Lear and Graham. Younger readers will take it at face value and enjoy it thoroughly. Older readers will be able to see into the depths of these adventures.” —The Times Educational Supplement

“The Times Literary Supplement called the books ‘spellbinding’, the Observer predicted that they could become ‘a classic in the great English nonsense tradition’, while the Times Educational Supplement likened the books to Alice in Wonderland, a comparison that has been made many times since...Uncle’s disappearance continues to mystify his devotees. The books contain many of the elements of the best English children’s literature. There is the blurring of the line between the human and the animal kingdom, made familiar by Beatrix Potter and A.A. Milne. There is the quirky humour of ‘Toad of Toad Hall’ or ‘Alice’. And the books are illustrated by the wonderful drawings of Quentin Blake.” —The Economist

“The books are very funny, installing a large cast of unlikely characters...in a world of mildly squiffy logic...And the illustrations are among Quentin Blake’s best work, scrawls and splotches that finally and unarguably distill character. But most important, this is political satire of a high order — Animal Farm for pre-teens, but wittier and more relevant to our own world.” —The Independent (London)

“There can be few people under 50, and nobody under 40, who don’t feel that [Quentin Blake’s] merry or melancoly figures were part of their childhood. He has been described as a ‘national institution,’ and he as the trappings: an OBE...the first Children’s Laureate...as well as winning Hans Christian Andersen Award from the International Board on Books for Young People [and] appointed Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.” —The Sunday Independent (London)

"Uncle’s neglect may be partly due to the fact that in the supposedly egalitarian age in which we live he is an unfashionable figure—a millionaire elephant in a purple dressing gown exercising one man rule over 'Homeward,' a vast moated castle rather like a combination of Manhattan and Battersea Fun Fair. The Wind in the Willows, Robinson Crusoe, and many other classics would, I suspect, find it hard to find favour with modern publishers in search of inoffensive matter with the right kind of message. Such people could easily mistake the violent horseplay in Uncle for cruelty and be uneasy about political undertones." —The Sunday Times

"J.P. Martin’s books are very funny or satirical depending on one’s own depth in reading. Uncle is a magnificent take-off of the benevolent despot. It is all a matter of tradition. You ask any class 'Who’s heard of Alice in Wonderland' and up goes a forest of hands. Uncle is on the same level and should be more widely read and enjoyed." —The Junior Bookshelf

"I’ve never met a child who didn’t love Quentin Blake." —Daily Telegraph

"Those who fall for it may find that many lasting shared jokes spring from J.P. Martin’s eccentric story...A classic of British nonsense, the book was originally published in 1964 at the behest of the author’s grown children, who wanted the stories they heard in their youth passed down to the next generation. And a most elegant nonsense it is, utterly silly and deeply sophisticated at the same time...In the tradition of the best English children’s literature..." —Newsday