Captain Najork

[jazzfish]

I bitch a lot about my job, but every so often something brilliant happens. Like last week, when I found a large collection of children's stories containing (among others) How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen, written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by the inimitable Quentin Blake. I'd read A Near Thing for Captain Najork many years ago (in another children's anthology, no less) and had all but forgotten how delightfully surreal these stories are.

"She fancies you," said Tom. "I can tell by the way she looks at you sideways from underneath her iron hat."

---

"After them!" cried Captain Najork. He and his hired sportsmen hopped into his pedal-powered snake and away they undulated.

And how can you not love a character named Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong Najork?

Both books are in print in the eminently fortuitous nation of Great Britain. With any luck I'll be able to get them in at work, though.

Comments

[desfido.livejournal.com]

Made a comment, noticed the last part of it was stupid since I hadn't paid sufficient attention to the last part of your entry. So I deleted it. And now I don't feel like retyping the first bit.

Anyway, could you perhaps try to get a copy for me as well when you try to get them? It'd be much appreciated.

[jazzfish]

I think I've read Mouse and His Child at some point but I can't remember. I've certainly read a few of the Frances books.

Sadly I was unable to snag the Cpt Najork books through work. So, I'll either be ordering them through Amazon.co.uk or begging someone I know Over There to pick them up. (Probably the first.) Happily, I've got a copy of The Russell Hoban Omnibus at work, which has a lot of his stuff in it, and I'll probably be buying that next weekend.