Anthony Buckeridge wrote 22 novels
chronicling the adventures of JCT Jennings and his best friend Darbishire at
Linbury Court Preparatory School between 1950 and 1977, and another 2 novels in
the 1990s. I loved the Jennings novels every bit as much as I loved Richmal
Crompton’s Just William books. When I first read “Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s (Sorceror’s) Stone” my immediate thought was that there was
something cosy and familiar about the school set up in Hogwarts, and I’ve no
doubt it was my memories of Jennings’ adventures which prompted this feeling.
They’re charming and fairly light-hearted stories, centring on the results of
the literal minded Jennings’ good-natured misunderstandings and the
misadventures arising therefrom.
11 of the books were illustrated by
Douglas (D.L.) Mays. Mays attended my alma mater, University of London
Goldsmiths College, at the same time as Graham Sutherland. He worked for a wide
range of children’s comics and other magazines, including the famous Punch. His
best-known work is the illustrations for Jennings, and other popular children’s
authors of the time like Noel Streatfield. His line sketch work is relatively
typical of the period – illustrative and unfussy, although I do think he was
particularly good at summing up a boy’s personality with just a few well-placed
lines.
