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The Papers of A.J. Wentworth, BA
Close to retirement, A.J. Wentworth, though well-intentioned, is a humourless, ineffective educator of the old school. Despite an unshakeable faith in his own methods, he is ill-equipped to deal with the devious vagaries of the modern schoolboy.
143 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 16, 2019
I thought that The Papers Of A.J. Wentworth BA was gently amusing, but the cover quote of “One of the funniest books ever,” from the Sunday Express is stretching it a bit.
Wentworth is a hapless, inept and hopelessly unaware schoolmaster in a small boys’ boarding school in 1938. Mainly told in the first person by Wentworth himself, we get accounts of various “mishaps” as the boys amuse themselves at his expense, while Wentworth pompously tries to preserve his dignity, oblivious of the fact that the rest of the world is laughing at him. It is very neatly done and cleverly written, so that I recognised some traits of teachers I have known and the attitudes of the boys.
For me this a brief, lightly amusing read rather than laugh-out-loud funny, but there is actually some rather acute character observation underpinning it. Not a classic, then, but certainly worth a read.
(My thanks to Prelude Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)
Wentworth is a hapless, inept and hopelessly unaware schoolmaster in a small boys’ boarding school in 1938. Mainly told in the first person by Wentworth himself, we get accounts of various “mishaps” as the boys amuse themselves at his expense, while Wentworth pompously tries to preserve his dignity, oblivious of the fact that the rest of the world is laughing at him. It is very neatly done and cleverly written, so that I recognised some traits of teachers I have known and the attitudes of the boys.
For me this a brief, lightly amusing read rather than laugh-out-loud funny, but there is actually some rather acute character observation underpinning it. Not a classic, then, but certainly worth a read.
(My thanks to Prelude Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)
September 27, 2019
3.5 Stars – Rounded
If, like me, you are used to (or familiar with) British humor from the pre-war era, or have an interest in linguistic and sensibility histories – this collection will be both entertaining and informative. You’ll find plenty to laugh at and with as the somewhat hapless and frequently clueless Wentworth is an overwhelmed teacher in this upper-crust boy’s boarding school, and isn’t known to have the best control of his impulses. While presenting the stories and anecdotes, some are funny for his reactions (or overreactions) while others have a sense of a man lost in the tide as the world moves along without his input, as he desperately (and with good intent) tries to grab a sense of ‘being a part’ of it all. While the early stories focus on his years teaching before the war, and his particular difficulty with one student, the latter essays are all about his time after joining up for World War II.
As one might expect, some of the references and ‘norms’ are dated, but the general sense of human behavior isn’t changed much – and there are moments where laughter carries through both time and space and situation. While compared to a Woodhouse story, I didn’t find the quasi-condescension and attitude that is more apparent (and overblown), this truly feels more like a ‘get it off his chest while explaining his role sort of series of tales, and is all the more enjoyable for it. It’s not a book for everyone: some of the ‘british-isms’ are quite specific to the time, and hard to intuit from context, and the humor never really hits ‘slapstick’ level, but is subtly tinged with a wry sort of ‘looking back and chuckle’ sort of feeling.
BUT – that being said -I really enjoyed this little venture into Wentworth’s life and the writing of Ellis. Often it felt to me as if my relatives, the great-grands and grands, were telling stories among themselves and we were gathered around missing the ‘adult’ bits, but aware that something special was happening. Solidly presented for those interested n the England of some 75 years ago, to see how humor and language have grown and adapted to modern life, this is a book that many will read an entry and return to it a few days later for another bite.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
If, like me, you are used to (or familiar with) British humor from the pre-war era, or have an interest in linguistic and sensibility histories – this collection will be both entertaining and informative. You’ll find plenty to laugh at and with as the somewhat hapless and frequently clueless Wentworth is an overwhelmed teacher in this upper-crust boy’s boarding school, and isn’t known to have the best control of his impulses. While presenting the stories and anecdotes, some are funny for his reactions (or overreactions) while others have a sense of a man lost in the tide as the world moves along without his input, as he desperately (and with good intent) tries to grab a sense of ‘being a part’ of it all. While the early stories focus on his years teaching before the war, and his particular difficulty with one student, the latter essays are all about his time after joining up for World War II.
As one might expect, some of the references and ‘norms’ are dated, but the general sense of human behavior isn’t changed much – and there are moments where laughter carries through both time and space and situation. While compared to a Woodhouse story, I didn’t find the quasi-condescension and attitude that is more apparent (and overblown), this truly feels more like a ‘get it off his chest while explaining his role sort of series of tales, and is all the more enjoyable for it. It’s not a book for everyone: some of the ‘british-isms’ are quite specific to the time, and hard to intuit from context, and the humor never really hits ‘slapstick’ level, but is subtly tinged with a wry sort of ‘looking back and chuckle’ sort of feeling.
BUT – that being said -I really enjoyed this little venture into Wentworth’s life and the writing of Ellis. Often it felt to me as if my relatives, the great-grands and grands, were telling stories among themselves and we were gathered around missing the ‘adult’ bits, but aware that something special was happening. Solidly presented for those interested n the England of some 75 years ago, to see how humor and language have grown and adapted to modern life, this is a book that many will read an entry and return to it a few days later for another bite.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
April 8, 2025
This book was originally published in 1949 and is one of the many books being republished to bring to the attention of people like me, who would never have read it otherwise!
I was torn between my emotions for poor Mr.Wentworth. I wanted to think of him as a pompous man who deserved the treatment received from both his pupils and his fellow teachers, but in those rare moments when he laughed at the situation himself, I had to think again. Mr. Wentworth is very sure of himself, but his students sound like terrors!. They start the most random of arguments to deviate the class from the topic and hand and he struggles to bring them back to the course and even has the occasional victory. There is a chapter of two to show how his fellow teachers succeed in pulling his leg and another chapter or two when he gets drafted into the army. Some actions towards our unlikely protagonist could be put down as bullying but then a wider background is given it seemed harmless enough for me to find funny. It is lighthearted and simply written, so much so that I have nothing left to talk about the book! If there was more in this book itself, I would have given it five stars but it ended abruptly leaving me wanting to know more.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.
I was torn between my emotions for poor Mr.Wentworth. I wanted to think of him as a pompous man who deserved the treatment received from both his pupils and his fellow teachers, but in those rare moments when he laughed at the situation himself, I had to think again. Mr. Wentworth is very sure of himself, but his students sound like terrors!. They start the most random of arguments to deviate the class from the topic and hand and he struggles to bring them back to the course and even has the occasional victory. There is a chapter of two to show how his fellow teachers succeed in pulling his leg and another chapter or two when he gets drafted into the army. Some actions towards our unlikely protagonist could be put down as bullying but then a wider background is given it seemed harmless enough for me to find funny. It is lighthearted and simply written, so much so that I have nothing left to talk about the book! If there was more in this book itself, I would have given it five stars but it ended abruptly leaving me wanting to know more.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.
September 13, 2019
The Papers of A.J. Wentworth BA was first published as a humorous contemporaneous study of life in a boy’s boarding school immediately before England joined World War Two. It was serialized in Punch magazine over several years.
Poor Wentworth is an overwhelmed teacher who frequently loses his temper with his young charges. In a roomful of Bart Simpsons, Mason is the worst prankster and malcontent. Wentworth throws things at his students and seems perpetually lost.
I guess this passed for humor in between the two world wars in England. Now it is best read as a historical document of a time never to return. The Papers of A.J. Wentworth BA is not funny to a modern audience and is also filled with British’isms incomprehensible to modern American readers. It is a pass for me unless you are researching the time period for an English literature class. 2 stars.
Thanks to Farrago and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Poor Wentworth is an overwhelmed teacher who frequently loses his temper with his young charges. In a roomful of Bart Simpsons, Mason is the worst prankster and malcontent. Wentworth throws things at his students and seems perpetually lost.
I guess this passed for humor in between the two world wars in England. Now it is best read as a historical document of a time never to return. The Papers of A.J. Wentworth BA is not funny to a modern audience and is also filled with British’isms incomprehensible to modern American readers. It is a pass for me unless you are researching the time period for an English literature class. 2 stars.
Thanks to Farrago and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
September 24, 2019
Absolutely cringe-worthy. Arthur James Wentworth is a buffoon, a contemptible believer in his rightness and everyone else’s wrongness. This makes for the most outrageous school room situations where he is tormented by what he believes are boys “of ungovernable insolence.” He forever fails to understand that he will never have the upper hand nor will he have the compassion of his colleagues. He places himself in the most absurd situations with the complete belief that it is all “perfectly natural really”. He is more times than not the subject of the laughter behind the hand.
The extracts the reader is treated to happen between the scholastic year of 1938-9, at Burgrove Preparatory School just prior to England’s involvement in WWII. This is a very short mildly entertaining book which is replete with a love for the eccentric and droll ways of an Assistant Master of Mathematics at a boy’s prep school.
Thank you NetGalley and Prelude Books for a copy.
The extracts the reader is treated to happen between the scholastic year of 1938-9, at Burgrove Preparatory School just prior to England’s involvement in WWII. This is a very short mildly entertaining book which is replete with a love for the eccentric and droll ways of an Assistant Master of Mathematics at a boy’s prep school.
Thank you NetGalley and Prelude Books for a copy.
September 24, 2019
I laughed out loud and loved this book. It's full of gentle humour and you cannot help loving the helpless main character.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
March 15, 2018
This is a humorous book about A J Wentworth, school master at a British school, who teaches Algebra to 11-13 year old children. The entire novel has a touch of Wodehouse to it as it follows the bumbling but sincere actions and reactions in the life of Wentworth, his dealings with cocky, impudent students and in the latter half of the book, his army life during WW II. A light-hearted novel but without any intricacies or convoluted plot of a Wodehouse. Could have been developed much more than the author ventured.
Math references are scattered throughout the book due to his profession but some are particularly funny and outstanding. At one point, he ends up throwing the algebra text (Hall and Knight) at a sleeping student. Students complain about the fact that in one lecture, they have to expand (a+b)(a-b) to a^2 - b^2 and in another lecture, re-factorize it to (a+b)(a-b) ("can't we jolly well make up our minds which is best and leave it well alone, sir?"). The most hilarious one is the exchange about Pythagoras theorem:
(quoted from The Papers of A.J. Wentworth, B.A.)
Wentworth: This morning, we are going to prove that the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.
Student (Mason): Is that likely to happen? I mean, is a right-angled triangle likely to have a square on its hypotenuse?
Wentworth: I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, Mason. If I draw a right-angled triangle on the board and then draw a square on the side opposite the right angle, it has got a square on its hypotenuse. The question whether it is LIKELY to have such a square does not arise.
Mason: Not on the board, sir, no. But I mean in real life. I mean if real-life triangles don't have squares on their hypotenuses there wouldn't be much point in proving that they are equal to whatever it is they are equal to, would it?" (the "it" gets corrected by another student).
Student (Hillman): "I see what Mason means, sir. I mean it would be a pretty good fluke if a triangle had squares on all its three sides at once, wouldn't it, sir?"
The book had a TV appearance in "Curtain Call" in 1952.
Math references are scattered throughout the book due to his profession but some are particularly funny and outstanding. At one point, he ends up throwing the algebra text (Hall and Knight) at a sleeping student. Students complain about the fact that in one lecture, they have to expand (a+b)(a-b) to a^2 - b^2 and in another lecture, re-factorize it to (a+b)(a-b) ("can't we jolly well make up our minds which is best and leave it well alone, sir?"). The most hilarious one is the exchange about Pythagoras theorem:
(quoted from The Papers of A.J. Wentworth, B.A.)
Wentworth: This morning, we are going to prove that the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.
Student (Mason): Is that likely to happen? I mean, is a right-angled triangle likely to have a square on its hypotenuse?
Wentworth: I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, Mason. If I draw a right-angled triangle on the board and then draw a square on the side opposite the right angle, it has got a square on its hypotenuse. The question whether it is LIKELY to have such a square does not arise.
Mason: Not on the board, sir, no. But I mean in real life. I mean if real-life triangles don't have squares on their hypotenuses there wouldn't be much point in proving that they are equal to whatever it is they are equal to, would it?" (the "it" gets corrected by another student).
Student (Hillman): "I see what Mason means, sir. I mean it would be a pretty good fluke if a triangle had squares on all its three sides at once, wouldn't it, sir?"
The book had a TV appearance in "Curtain Call" in 1952.
September 11, 2019
”The Papers of A.J Wentworth, B.A.” by H.F. Ellis follows the misadventures of A.J. Wentworth, a maths teacher at the Burgrove School for boys in England on the eve of World War II. Told in the form of Wentworth’s diary entries, with occasional interjections by other teachers and the friend who has been tasked with compiling and publishing his notes, the book is an episodic series of mishaps that the accident-prone and misunderstanding-generating Wentworth finds himself embroiled in. A quote on the cover calls it “the funniest book ever,” which I think is quite the overstatement—for me, the stories were mildly amusing but never laugh-out-loud funny, and the character of Wentworth himself, who is self-righteous and priggish, is hard to feel much sympathy for. Part of the problem may be that these stories are bit dated, since they were first published in Punch magazine in the 1930s and later in The New Yorker in the 1950s. I also think they’re better suited to being read in small installments as they would have been in their original magazine format; as a book, the episodes have a way of blending together. Perfectly fine and a quick read, but I much preferred Graeme Simsion’s recent “Rosie” trilogy about genetics professor Don Tillman, another teacher who is hapless and socially inept but, crucially, is a lovable character who had me rooting for him from the start.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrago Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrago Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
June 25, 2020
Charming, Deadpan, Buffoonish Chaos
A. J. Wentworth is a marvelous character and his adventures are sure to delight. With a deft touch the author leads us to admire, appreciate, and sympathize with a character, who, in other hands, could end up being pitiable, or worse. After all, Wentworth has no sense of humor, a well developed sense of his own importance, and a tedious lack of social skills and awareness. Somehow, perhaps through Wentworth's essential innocence and well intended block-headedness, we still cheer him on.
This book struck me as a dip and smile book. It is arranged around discreet scenes, events, and bits of business, so there are natural points at which to drop into and then step out of the tale. It, (and reading glasses), may explain why bedstands were invented.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
A. J. Wentworth is a marvelous character and his adventures are sure to delight. With a deft touch the author leads us to admire, appreciate, and sympathize with a character, who, in other hands, could end up being pitiable, or worse. After all, Wentworth has no sense of humor, a well developed sense of his own importance, and a tedious lack of social skills and awareness. Somehow, perhaps through Wentworth's essential innocence and well intended block-headedness, we still cheer him on.
This book struck me as a dip and smile book. It is arranged around discreet scenes, events, and bits of business, so there are natural points at which to drop into and then step out of the tale. It, (and reading glasses), may explain why bedstands were invented.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
April 23, 2020
Princess Fuzzypants here: If you want a giggle, check out this book. It reads like St. Trinians meet Abbot and Costello. School Master Wentworth is a walking disaster, totally oblivious to the chaos that follows him and thinks each thing must be either the fault of an other or bad luck. A lot of bad luck.
He is the butt of pranks and jokes both from his colleagues and the little darlings under his tutelage. His Headmaster is more inclined to laugh at his antics but said Wentworth would be the death of him. Oddly enough when Wentworth joins the military, his Commanding Officer says the same thing. The “diary’ covers the year before the outbreak of WWII and then picks up again during his service and finally at his return to academia. Poor Wentworth is a sad sack but a rather funny, if not pretentious one. His is a world that we shall not see again.
More is the pity.
Four purrs and two paws up.
He is the butt of pranks and jokes both from his colleagues and the little darlings under his tutelage. His Headmaster is more inclined to laugh at his antics but said Wentworth would be the death of him. Oddly enough when Wentworth joins the military, his Commanding Officer says the same thing. The “diary’ covers the year before the outbreak of WWII and then picks up again during his service and finally at his return to academia. Poor Wentworth is a sad sack but a rather funny, if not pretentious one. His is a world that we shall not see again.
More is the pity.
Four purrs and two paws up.
September 29, 2019
The Papers of A.J Wentworth B.A is a classic series about an ineffectual mathematics teacher who first appeared in Punch magazine from 1938. Written as a diary he recounts his time teaching in the all boys Burgrove Preparatory School in the fictional county of Wilminster. Each comic entry details how A.J Wentworth spends his days trying to control his class of unruly boys as he tries to teach them and their attempts to avoid being taught anything.
There are times A.J Wentworth pomposity can be a little annoying but H.F Ellis always manages to bring his character crashing back down to earth through his clumsiness or through the boys continuing attempts to befuddle their tutor.
The humour is light-hearted and as it only over a hundred pages long, is a good way to spend an afternoon.
This book was provided by Netgalley for an honest review
There are times A.J Wentworth pomposity can be a little annoying but H.F Ellis always manages to bring his character crashing back down to earth through his clumsiness or through the boys continuing attempts to befuddle their tutor.
The humour is light-hearted and as it only over a hundred pages long, is a good way to spend an afternoon.
This book was provided by Netgalley for an honest review
October 4, 2019
Poor Mr Wentworth- somehow his best intentions always seem to end in catastrophe! As Maths master in a Prep school he does his best, but somehow one thing leads to another & he finds himself trying to explain how he got himself into such a muddle. Anyone who has had any experience of Prep & Public schools will recognise A. J. Wentworth! Even as recently as the 80's & 90's I can recall some people who, like A. J. has made this setting his home. His bravery at signing up for war really took him out of his comfort zone, but somehow he slipped into the same niche- slightly eccentric, somewhat humourless, fixed on what he thought he should do & ending up in a pickle!
This was a fun read. A.J. was a character that really made you want to try & help him, even though that was probably doomed to failure! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this fun read.
This was a fun read. A.J. was a character that really made you want to try & help him, even though that was probably doomed to failure! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this fun read.
November 29, 2019
The author published this book in 1949. A J Wentworth is a teacher at a boy's boarding school in England. This book is a first person account of his encounters with students and faculty there. Between his stories he tells about his short time in the military during the War.
I loved the stories at his school. The students knew him well enough to know which buttons to push to make him appear a complete fool to the staff there. Some of the conversations are absolutely hysterical and had me laughing out loud. Many of them are just silly.
One of the best things about this book is the vocabulary the author used.
His military experience, however, drags on. Although this is a short book, one begins to wonder if it will ever end. Thankfully, Wentworth returns to the school when his military service is over.
I loved the stories at his school. The students knew him well enough to know which buttons to push to make him appear a complete fool to the staff there. Some of the conversations are absolutely hysterical and had me laughing out loud. Many of them are just silly.
One of the best things about this book is the vocabulary the author used.
His military experience, however, drags on. Although this is a short book, one begins to wonder if it will ever end. Thankfully, Wentworth returns to the school when his military service is over.
May 27, 2021
Good book to read when one is in need of a good laugh (after a rotten day!). This ranks right up there with the best of Briit lit. Reminds me a lot of Woodhouse and even Monty Python. Hilarious book! Highly recommend. Wentworth is many teachers I've known and I think his students characterize us all. They certainly remind me of kids I work with- and I'm not a teacher! Come to think of it, this might make a fine gift for a teacher! Great book!
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
September 2, 2019
A mildly humorous collection of tales of a school master at a school for boys shortly before World War Two.
This is quite a short book, and whilst sections of it did make me laugh (the umbrella fishing incident is particularly entertaining), some parts of it I found rather dull. However, it was a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours, and would probably be much more humorous to others.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is quite a short book, and whilst sections of it did make me laugh (the umbrella fishing incident is particularly entertaining), some parts of it I found rather dull. However, it was a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours, and would probably be much more humorous to others.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2026
I have read this short book quite a few times in my life. It is heart warming and chuckle provoking and a good train journey read, with one's fellow passengers straining to see the title of a book that keeps a smile on the reader's face and occasional snorts of delight. It is absurd and meant to be so; it is the experience of a schoolmaster as he teaches small boys oblivious to their mischief and their wordplay, as he ends up in verbal and physical entanglements. A tonic!
November 18, 2019
Made me gol (giggle out loud).
A short and fun read , giving insight into the many peculiar ways in which different people interpret the same situations.
Reading about A.J. Wentworth and his silly insights makes for a great way to pass the time!
A short and fun read , giving insight into the many peculiar ways in which different people interpret the same situations.
Reading about A.J. Wentworth and his silly insights makes for a great way to pass the time!
February 4, 2020
Quite entertaining the predicaments he finds himself in. Innocent humor from a bygone era. If uni enjoy brush humor, you will find this book amusing. I'm interested to see where it goes from here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest re iew.
September 19, 2020
Laughing Out Loud
The world it was written in and about is long gone, but this book will hit you whatever kind of school you went to. The humour is amiable and gentle, but will also make you rock with laughter. A joyous, uplifting book.
The world it was written in and about is long gone, but this book will hit you whatever kind of school you went to. The humour is amiable and gentle, but will also make you rock with laughter. A joyous, uplifting book.
March 6, 2021
One of the more entertaining characters I've encountered. Anywhere. Poor Wentworth is that rare individual utterly unable to see himself through eyes other than his own, and so his blunders go merrily unchecked, or even (on his part) suspected.
May 1, 2020
Very amusing, and I'm sure in 1949 it was the standard of humour. He actually reminds me of Lardner's main character in You Know Me, Al. By today's standards, definitely amusing.
December 19, 2024
Pretty funny especially where the boys work Wentworth beautifully and the comedic timing is wonderful but best read in short bursts, as it was meant in Punch.
April 28, 2020
Didn’t love it, but it was fun and funny and a slice of a time in part of Britain.
May 19, 2020
It was mildly funny a couple of times. Maybe someone of yore, who had been bachelor school master and had an awkward little service record might be able to associate a bit with this, but nothing else.
Wentworth is a big-time klutz, stiff and unsuspecting schoolmaster. Most incidents happen just because he is too clumsy with every little thing and being the prim victorian he is tries to explain how that incident isn't eccentric at all, which at times can be mildly funny.
The only saving grace is the prose and voice., which does seem like the one coming from a puritanical English old boy through and through. You won't be missing much if you decided to skip this book.
Wentworth is a big-time klutz, stiff and unsuspecting schoolmaster. Most incidents happen just because he is too clumsy with every little thing and being the prim victorian he is tries to explain how that incident isn't eccentric at all, which at times can be mildly funny.
The only saving grace is the prose and voice., which does seem like the one coming from a puritanical English old boy through and through. You won't be missing much if you decided to skip this book.
November 17, 2019
Poor Wentworth! An instructor at Burgrove, a boys’ boarding school during the World War II era, A. J. Wentworth is so literal minded that he doesn’t realize when his colleagues and students make him the butt of jokes. The laughter that fills a room after a prank or a bit of teasing leave the hapless Wentworth puzzled. “I can explain,” he says with injured dignity after every fiasco. From walking out of the headmaster’s office with a maidenhair fern in his arms to getting caught on a fishing line while looking for his umbrella, Wentworth defends himself by arguing “that the whole affair was perfectly natural really.”
His convoluted mishaps reminded me of the old proverb “For want of a nail the kingdom was lost.” Over and over, a physical or verbal stumble triggers a series of events that have Wentworth either threatening to resign or demanding that one of the other instructors be dismissed. “Wentworth! . . . Are you mad?” demands the headmaster, yet Wentworth—forgetful, accident-prone, oblivious Wentworth—forges on through one disaster after another in his openhearted way. For there isn’t a mean bone in Wentworth’s body; even when he has been wronged, his tormentors and rivals can earn his sympathy and friendship.
Through a decade or so, we follow Wentworth’s experiences at the school and his wartime service as an orderly officer, an ironic classification for the decidedly disorderly bumbler. It was a different world, a simpler and gentler time, before cell-phone cameras could capture every humiliation and spread it across the whole world via social media.
In these amusing stories pulled from Wentworth’s imaginary journal and letters and sometimes reflected on by his colleagues, H. F. Ellis has created a delightful book. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
His convoluted mishaps reminded me of the old proverb “For want of a nail the kingdom was lost.” Over and over, a physical or verbal stumble triggers a series of events that have Wentworth either threatening to resign or demanding that one of the other instructors be dismissed. “Wentworth! . . . Are you mad?” demands the headmaster, yet Wentworth—forgetful, accident-prone, oblivious Wentworth—forges on through one disaster after another in his openhearted way. For there isn’t a mean bone in Wentworth’s body; even when he has been wronged, his tormentors and rivals can earn his sympathy and friendship.
Through a decade or so, we follow Wentworth’s experiences at the school and his wartime service as an orderly officer, an ironic classification for the decidedly disorderly bumbler. It was a different world, a simpler and gentler time, before cell-phone cameras could capture every humiliation and spread it across the whole world via social media.
In these amusing stories pulled from Wentworth’s imaginary journal and letters and sometimes reflected on by his colleagues, H. F. Ellis has created a delightful book. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
March 15, 2018
This is a sequel to the "The Papers of A J Wentworth, B.A.". Most of this book is about the retired life and small-town incidents in which Wentworth is caught up but in the last 20% of the novel, he heads back to his old school for a stint and ends up teaching algebra to the next generation (including his former student, Mason's son). It is a nice, quiet read, but should be read after "The Papers of AJ Wentworth".
One of the funnier exchanges from the book:
(quoted from The Papers of A.J. Wentworth, B.A.)
Wentworth: Required to prove that the exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the two interior opposite angles.
Potter: I don't understand how a triangle can have an exterior angle, sir. [...]
Wentworth: [...] If I produce BC to any point D, will you not agree that I have made an angle ACD which may be fairly called an exterior angle?
Mason Jr: But it isn't a triangle any longer! It's more of a corner-flag lying on its side.
One of the funnier exchanges from the book:
(quoted from The Papers of A.J. Wentworth, B.A.)
Wentworth: Required to prove that the exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the two interior opposite angles.
Potter: I don't understand how a triangle can have an exterior angle, sir. [...]
Wentworth: [...] If I produce BC to any point D, will you not agree that I have made an angle ACD which may be fairly called an exterior angle?
Mason Jr: But it isn't a triangle any longer! It's more of a corner-flag lying on its side.
September 29, 2019
Laugh out loud
Wentworth is an assistant master of mathematics in a small English Prep school just before the Second World War. His collected papers and diaries paint a hilarious picture of this priggish, pompous, self-deluded and accident prone man. As his colleagues, pupils and parents run rings around him, he continues to consider himself the only teacher in step.
I read this slim volume over thirty years ago and found it just as funny second time round. It might be imagined that the context of the private middle class school and the world of assistant masters (junior teachers), matrons, locker rooms and boarding pupils would render this wholly out of date, but human nature being what it is, what was very funny then, is just as funny now. Highly recommended.
Wentworth is an assistant master of mathematics in a small English Prep school just before the Second World War. His collected papers and diaries paint a hilarious picture of this priggish, pompous, self-deluded and accident prone man. As his colleagues, pupils and parents run rings around him, he continues to consider himself the only teacher in step.
I read this slim volume over thirty years ago and found it just as funny second time round. It might be imagined that the context of the private middle class school and the world of assistant masters (junior teachers), matrons, locker rooms and boarding pupils would render this wholly out of date, but human nature being what it is, what was very funny then, is just as funny now. Highly recommended.
July 25, 2012
H.F. Ellis is a superb author of humor, who perhaps doesn't get the respect he deserves, and A.J. Wentworth is a brilliant and timeless comic creation. The fun is in the contrast between Wentworth's view of himself and the reality of his role at Burgrove School, where his bumbling and fussy obsessions make him a figure of fun. The humor is devoid of cruelty, however, as the impression comes through that the other members of staff and even the boys may not accord him the respect he thinks they do, and certainly feels he deserves, but they are fond of him. The humor is gentle, but can still make you ache from laughing. A gem.
December 19, 2015
This is real old-school (literally in this case), classic British comic writing. H. F. Ellis's accident-prone prep school teacher first appeared in Punch in the 1930s. He proved so popular that he became a regular fixture of that august magazine. It's a very Pooteresque humour, relying chiefly on the slightly pompous nature of Wentworth and his obliviousness to the pratfalls that lay in wait for him at every turn. The world he inhabits is long gone, but beautifully evoked in these lovely short pieces.
September 13, 2019
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and Farrago in exchange for an honest and impartial review.
I really enjoyed this book, and spent a disturbing amount of time crying helplessly at the disasters that befell A J Wentworth - most of which were caused by his own lack of self-awareness. He is reminiscent to me of the character Lucky Jim.
If you need a bit of a break from the world, and fancy a really good belly laugh you could do a lot worse than read this! Oh, and I am 100% going to buy the other books in the series.
I really enjoyed this book, and spent a disturbing amount of time crying helplessly at the disasters that befell A J Wentworth - most of which were caused by his own lack of self-awareness. He is reminiscent to me of the character Lucky Jim.
If you need a bit of a break from the world, and fancy a really good belly laugh you could do a lot worse than read this! Oh, and I am 100% going to buy the other books in the series.
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