Molesworth

Hilarious book I had as a child. Even funnier when read as an adult.

If you're at all familiar with English boys' schools in the 1960's and 1960's, or simply know or were a precocious, prematurely wizened young chap, or if you love misuse of the English language with hilariously bad spelling, you MUST get hold of this collection of the four Molesworth books. Add to the text the drolly brilliant sketches of Ronald Searle, and you have the perfect embodiment of an entirely imperfect English boys' school. Whether you were 11 when you read them at one of these institutions, or you're 65 now, you'll still find yourself rolling on the floor crying with laughter! A classic!

This was indeed banned in England for its atrocious spelling. As a product of Grammar skools this has had me in stitches as a tiny and now as an -ahem- older chap. This has all of Searle's Molesworth books, and the illustrations are priceless. It is an exact copy of the dog-eared original I used to have un the U.K. so if you are worried it may be condensed, abridged or edited (as I wondered) fear not, here it is in all its glory. Descriptions of masters are wonderful and expecially moving is Nigel Fotherington-Thomas' Maters' speech for getting the benefactor award ("Cor blimey guv'nor, strike a lite etc etc")

This book arrived in good shape. There's no point in reviewing the writing - it's a classic. E Fielding

Reprint of the classic Molesworth series, now in one book. A brilliant satire of 1950s British private schools as seen through the eyes of pupil Nigel Molesworth, as any fule kno (hem hem). If you don't know the series, now's your chance to learn. If you do know of it, here's your chance to get a clean copy that isn't falling apart.

Some of the humor is a bit out of date since schools and schoolboys have changed since the 1950s, and it may not always be clear to Americans (it's a small boarding school for boys in England), but it's still funny, snarky and affectionate, and the drawings are wonderful.

I first saw this when I was 9, and my English teacher recommended that I read it but only if I worked on my spelling. I now have spell check, but the book is still hilarious. A modern reader might need to check some of the references, and an American reader may be out of their depth , but as an image of 50's Britain it is spot on.

An English friend gave me this book years ago, knowing that I would love it. I recently chose it as a gift for a fellow Anglophile who is also sure to become a "Molesworth" fan. Molesworth is not for everyone, but will appeal to people who appreciate English humor and/or who understand the English school system. Uproariously funny.

Adoro a arte de Ronald Searle, e por causa dele comprei o livro, mas a prosa de Geoffrey Willans é igualmente deliciosa. Wordsworth (que na verdade é uma coletânea dos quatro títulos escritos por Willans, falecido precocemente) oferece um divertido e exagerado retrato dos internatos para meninos da Inglaterra dos anos 1950s.

IT'S BRILLIANT

I first encountered the Molesworth books whilst still at school and thoroughly enjoyed him as the antithesis to the hearty kind of boarding-school stories that were still prevalent (Even though I am not that ancient I was still being overseen by teachers wearing gowns and struggling with my Latin prep.) The strange and slightly sinister Searle illustrations were both intriguing and repellent.Over the years not only had my original copies disappeared but also Molesworth phrases- as any fule kno - kept on popping up incurrent writing. This encouraged me to buy the complete Molesworth in the Penguin classics edition.I am so glad I did. I found that although these books purported to be about a schoolboy they are definitely better appreciated by an adult. I have had to replace them as bed-time reading since repeatedly laughing out loud is neither conducive to peaceful co-existence nor to restful repose. A lot of the satire and cultural references must have completely gone past my younger self since I can't remember them being this witty or amusing. These are genuinely worthy of being called classics. (It has taken an enormous effort not to write this review in the Curse of St Custards idiosyncratic spelling or to quote him repeatedly. )Therefore I believe that everyone who read Molesworth when young will enjoy re-reading them immensely and everyone who has not - irrespective of age and gender- has an absolute treat in store.

A wonderful book, but, one might suppose, largely incomprehensible for younger generations, as it describes a largely vanished world. To really appreciate it, one must have gone to a grammar school or "public" school in Britain or the colonies in the 1950s or before. But give it a try. Nostalgia at its best!

I was delighted to find this book available for purchase. I got it to read on my Kindle app for iPad. Our family had the hardcover book when I was young, and my brothers and I just loved it -- as did my parents. It had been awesome to revisit this funny version of school life through the eyes of a young boy.