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Good-bye, Mr. Chips and Other Stories
1995, hardcover reprint edition, Readers Digest, NY. Brilliant b&w illustrations throughout. As a young man, James Hilton's novels were all visual delights and he is best known today for this title and the famous Lost Horizon, first published in 1933. Good-Bye Mr. Chips first appeared in 1934. That famous novel is followed here by several short stories, in which the famous character was resurrected. Very nicely done.
197 pages, Hardbound
Published January 1, 1934
About the author
James Hilton
209 books278 followersJames Hilton was an English novelist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for his novels Lost Horizon, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest, as well as co-writing screenplays for the films Camille (1936) and Mrs. Miniver (1942), the latter earning him an Academy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 1, 2025
We should all be so lucky as to have a teacher as wonderful and dedicated as Mr. Chips!
April 9, 2021
"You cannot judge the importance of things by the noise they make... These things that have mattered for thousands of years are not going to be snuffed out because some stink merchant in his laboratory invents a new kind of mischief."
I have found a new favorite character in Mr. Chips! Short for Mr. Chipping, the name of the school teacher protagonist, the 1934 novella and accompanying short stories have been turned to film four times over the years. Timeless and essential, this book touched the deepest parts of this teacher's heart. Have your handkerchief ready, onions abound! And it's SO POWERFUL and MAGNETIC... I just HAD to read it in one sitting!!
It's easy to dismiss this book as "boring" upon reading the synopsis. After all, it is "only" about the life of a teacher spent in service to his school and country, with every life's ups and downs.
But what a magnificent life!! Because of the magnificent kindness, courage and humor of the man, whom no tragedy, no German bomb could stop from teaching. This gentle hero was based on the author's teachers and his own father, who was a headmaster (Principal) as well.
I suppose this book hit hard because it's about teaching in a time of war. And make no mistake, we are in the middle of one.
"All over the world today the theme and accents of barbarism are being orchestrated, while the technique of mass hypnotism, as practiced by controlled press and radio, is being schooled to construct a facade of justification for any and every excess... but there are other and fiercer fires."
The fire to pass on knowledge and kindness is ever burning in the hearts of educators all over the world. And we will let nothing quench it.
"Let us resume our work. If it is fate that we are soon to be interrupted, let us be found employing ourselves in something really appropriate."
I have found a new favorite character in Mr. Chips! Short for Mr. Chipping, the name of the school teacher protagonist, the 1934 novella and accompanying short stories have been turned to film four times over the years. Timeless and essential, this book touched the deepest parts of this teacher's heart. Have your handkerchief ready, onions abound! And it's SO POWERFUL and MAGNETIC... I just HAD to read it in one sitting!!
It's easy to dismiss this book as "boring" upon reading the synopsis. After all, it is "only" about the life of a teacher spent in service to his school and country, with every life's ups and downs.
But what a magnificent life!! Because of the magnificent kindness, courage and humor of the man, whom no tragedy, no German bomb could stop from teaching. This gentle hero was based on the author's teachers and his own father, who was a headmaster (Principal) as well.
I suppose this book hit hard because it's about teaching in a time of war. And make no mistake, we are in the middle of one.
"All over the world today the theme and accents of barbarism are being orchestrated, while the technique of mass hypnotism, as practiced by controlled press and radio, is being schooled to construct a facade of justification for any and every excess... but there are other and fiercer fires."
The fire to pass on knowledge and kindness is ever burning in the hearts of educators all over the world. And we will let nothing quench it.
"Let us resume our work. If it is fate that we are soon to be interrupted, let us be found employing ourselves in something really appropriate."
June 12, 2015
Mr. Chips, an English schoolmaster, looks back on his life and the students that made an impression on him. He was well liked by those around him, and loved the work that he was blessed with. It made me think of some of my favorite teachers that I had, while I was going to school.
March 16, 2017
I know the story, but I cried anyway. What is a life well lived(especially for an educator)? This book answers the question. What is bravery? This book has that. This is a timeless story of love, duty and sacrifice. And also expect to cry.
March 6, 2021
A lovely, heartwarming gem from 1934 I am so happy to have found and read, and the very reason I am participating in the 100 Years of Books challenge.
🍎
“Oh, just one of Chip’s ideas, I expect. The old boy still has ‘em.
.
Chips, in his room again, was not displeased by the comment. Yes, he still had ‘em - those ideas of dignity and generosity that were becoming rare in a frantic world.”
🍎
“Oh, just one of Chip’s ideas, I expect. The old boy still has ‘em.
.
Chips, in his room again, was not displeased by the comment. Yes, he still had ‘em - those ideas of dignity and generosity that were becoming rare in a frantic world.”
September 24, 2011
Super coze.
February 5, 2021
What a purely delightful story this is! This little book came out in 1933. James Hilton tells us the heartwarming story of a lovable schoolmaster named Mr. Chips who taught at the Brookfield boarding school for over four decades. The book is fiction, but Mr. Chips is an amalgamation of many public school schoolmasters of his time. He is probably the most loveable character that you're ever going to meet between the covers of a book. I have had this copy for a number of years in my own library, and finally decided that I need to read and re-read some of my own classics. There are a number that I haven't read even once. This book tells the story of a man who has lived a full life and has filled his days with teaching, mentoring, grooming and caring for young school-age boys. To the uninitiated observer, the world appears to have passed him by, but that is not so at all. All the things that Mr, Chips teaches his boys are valuable life-lessons that stand the test of time, right up to the present day. What a delightful book, and a great way to spend a couple of cold winter days. It's nice to get off the merry-go-round of the world's current state of affairs, and slip into a much quieter and simpler age.
March 4, 2026
This is possibly one of the cosiest, wisest little books. I felt I had stepped into a warm, darling home in its pages.
"What a host of little incidents, all deep-buried in the past -- problems that had once been urgent, arguments that had once been keen, anecdotes that were funny only because one remembered the fun. Did any emotion really matter when the last trace of it had vanished from human memory; and if that were so, what a crowd of emotions clung to him as to their last home before annihilation? He must be kind to them, must treasure them in his mind before their long sleep."
"Where had they all gone to, he often pondered; those threads he had once held together, how far had they scattered, some to break, others to weave into unknown patterns? The strange randomness of the world beguiled him, that randomness which never would, so long as the world lasted, give meaning to those choruses again."
"What a host of little incidents, all deep-buried in the past -- problems that had once been urgent, arguments that had once been keen, anecdotes that were funny only because one remembered the fun. Did any emotion really matter when the last trace of it had vanished from human memory; and if that were so, what a crowd of emotions clung to him as to their last home before annihilation? He must be kind to them, must treasure them in his mind before their long sleep."
"Where had they all gone to, he often pondered; those threads he had once held together, how far had they scattered, some to break, others to weave into unknown patterns? The strange randomness of the world beguiled him, that randomness which never would, so long as the world lasted, give meaning to those choruses again."
June 24, 2024
The old professor, Mr. Chips. Lovable and respected by staff and students alike. This is an easy read. I liked Mr. Chips. We are taken through his triumphs and tragedies, and we get to see much of his thinking. It made me pause to think about all young men, not just his pupils, who get educated with plans for the future only to die in war. So sad. Another thing I liked about this particular version of the book was the addition of a few short stories about the old professor.
April 29, 2024
A trifle written for a different age and audience ... probably men seeking to recall their pre-Great War school days. Still it's charming and a reminder that the teaching profession is little changed in the hundred and fifty years since Chips began his career.
September 29, 2019
Nice book for anyone who has ever taught school.
August 18, 2020
I liked Mr Chips.
February 9, 2023
Whilst the beloved original story is quite rightly a classic, the short stories aren't as good.
July 4, 2024
A really nice book, all the love of schools and teaching, but a little too melancholy for me. Once read is enough
April 29, 2025
I don't know why the students in my country hate this novel. But I love this novel. At the end of this I literally cried. I really enjoyed the story of Mr. Chips. Its amazing 😭
March 20, 2008
I really enjoy this novel, but frankly I cant help but see Robert Donat's face or hear his words while reading it. The memory of that classic 1939 film colours the enjoyment of this novel for me.
January 23, 2016
This is an amazing book. A long-retired teacher sits back, and reflects on his life as an educator. The memories come flooding, both good and bad, as he reflects on the transient nature of memory. I literally could not put this down, and read it in a night.
March 5, 2008
Mr. "Chips" is a very endearing character. Made me think of all my great teachers and hope they're as content with their lives as he was.
December 25, 2015
A lovely, old-fashioned story of a beloved teacher in a boys' school in England. I enjoyed rereading it. The movie was good, too.
March 7, 2008
quick read for a short story. not as good as i had hoped. very english.
October 6, 2013
Charming collection of school tales which have not been diminished by time.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews