Outside of a Dog: Willans, Geoffrey: Down With Skool!

Jean

Jean wrote on January 2, 2006 at 12:55 PM:

Yay Molesworth! Is this a new edition?

Kate

Kate wrote on January 2, 2006 at 1:56 PM:

No, this is a used copy, but I believe it's in print in the UK if you're looking for one.

FresnoBob

FresnoBob wrote on February 18, 2007 at 11:46 AM:

Kate- I first read this around 1958-9 (8-9 years old) - Even as a child I thought it was hilarious. I hadn't thought about it in quite some time , and about 5-6 years ago , I obtained another copy of "Down with Skool" There were several other books in the "series" and I have listed them here.

Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents (1953)

How to be Topp: A Guide to Sukcess for Tiny Pupils, Including All There is to Kno about Space (1954)

Wizz for Atomms: A Guide to Survival in the 20th Century for Fellow Pupils, their Doting Maters, Pompous Paters and Any Others who are Interested (1956)

Published in the U.S. as Molesworth's Guide to the Atommic Age

Back in the Jug Agane (1959)

The Compleet Molesworth (1958)

I was extremely fortunate to have an uncle who was an editor,writer and book collector , so I got many esoteric books as gifts for holidays and birthdays etc.

It seems to me that either Ronald Searle influenced Shel Silverstein or vice - versa - Get Silversteins "Uncle Shelby's A-B-Z book" This was another of my favorites as a child, although it was attended as an Adult primer. Illustrations are somewhat similar to 'Skool"

I think Willans might have had influences on the Monty Python folks, as I have heard several of Molesworth's epithets used thru out Python skits.

Kate

Kate wrote on February 18, 2007 at 8:22 PM:

FresnoBob: welcome and thanks for the comment. We've since acquired an omnibus from Britain, via Amazon.co.uk, and I've been saving it up as a treat.

I'm not familiar with that Silverstein, however, and I will have to look for it--I love _Where the Sidewalk Ends_ and such, though I loathe and despise _The Giving Tree_.

David Tate

David Tate wrote on February 23, 2007 at 9:21 AM:

I'm not familiar with that Silverstein, however, and I will have to look for it--I love _Where the Sidewalk Ends_ and such, though I loathe and despise _The Giving Tree_.

Sounds like Uncle Shelby is the one for you, then. WARNING: this is not a book for young children, and should be stored as a Dangerous Substance.

"B is for Baby. The baby is fat. The baby is pink. The baby can play. Play, baby, play. Mommy loves the baby more than she loves you."

(I used to perform this book, approximately 28 years ago, at high school forensics competitions. The judges were generally weirded out.)