Norman Hunter (author)
Encyclopedia
Norman George Lorimer Hunter (1899-1995) was a British
children's author, best known for his novels' character Professor Branestawm
.
.
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.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
children's author, best known for his novels' character Professor Branestawm
Professor Branestawm
Professor Branestawm is a series of thirteen books written by the English author Norman Hunter. Written over a 50 year period, between 1933 and 1983, the children's books feature as protagonist the eponymous inventor, Professor Theophilus Branestawm, who is depicted throughout the books as the...
.
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 Hunter was performing as a stage magician in BournemouthBournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
.
It was at this time he started to write the Professor Branestawm
Professor Branestawm
Professor Branestawm is a series of thirteen books written by the English author Norman Hunter. Written over a 50 year period, between 1933 and 1983, the children's books feature as protagonist the eponymous inventor, Professor Theophilus Branestawm, who is depicted throughout the books as the...
series, originally intended for radio. The books were published in hardback, with the first illustrated by W. Heath Robinson
W. Heath Robinson
William Heath Robinson was an English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of eccentric machines....
. Other illustrators were to follow, including James Arnold
James Arnold (author & artist)
James Arnold was an English commercial artist who developed a passion for the wagons that he saw on his cycling tours of the countryside in the pre- and post-War years...
, George Worsley Adamson
George Worsley Adamson
George Worsley Adamson was a book illustrator, author and cartoonist who from 1931 held American and British dual citizenship....
, Gerald Rose, David Hughes, Jill McDonald and Derek Cousins. In the 1960s the books were reprinted in Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
, the Penguin children's imprint.
Hunter returned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the Second World War, living on a boat on the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Post-war, in 1949 he went to work in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
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)
External; links
- BBC-H2G2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A626807
- Books at Random http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/author.htm?authorID=2711