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Adventures of Uncle Lubin
Uncle Lubin attempts to rescue his nephew who has been abducted by the horrid Bag-bird.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1902
About the author
W. Heath Robinson
161 books18 followersWilliam Heath Robinson (31 May 1872 - 13 September 1944) was an English cartoonist and illustrator best known for drawings of ridiculously complicated machines for achieving simple objectives.
His brothers, Thomas Heath Robinson and Charles Robinson were also artists.
In the U.K., the term "Heath Robinson" entered the language during the 1914–1918 First World War as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance, much as "Rube Goldberg machines" came to be used in the U.S. from the 1930s onwards as a term for similar efforts. "Heath Robinson contraption" is perhaps more often used in relation to temporary fixes using ingenuity and whatever is to hand, often string and tape, or unlikely cannibalisations. Its continuing popularity was undoubtedly linked to Second World War Britain's shortages and the need to "make do and mend".
His brothers, Thomas Heath Robinson and Charles Robinson were also artists.
In the U.K., the term "Heath Robinson" entered the language during the 1914–1918 First World War as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance, much as "Rube Goldberg machines" came to be used in the U.S. from the 1930s onwards as a term for similar efforts. "Heath Robinson contraption" is perhaps more often used in relation to temporary fixes using ingenuity and whatever is to hand, often string and tape, or unlikely cannibalisations. Its continuing popularity was undoubtedly linked to Second World War Britain's shortages and the need to "make do and mend".
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 23, 2025
A must read for anyone who believes that the best way to solve a problem is with a healthy dose of creativity and a wonderfully ridiculous machine.
February 1, 2021
The Adventures of Uncle Lubin is a book I read to the children, largely because I wanted to read it myself more than any other reason. I’d bought it at the William Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner after being entranced by his illustrations and amused by the examples of his writing. It tells the journey of Uncle Lubin, a dishevelled dwarf-like man in a tall hat and wooly socks, who ventures sea, air and land to rescue his nephew from the evil bag-bird.
I read this book to the children over video call with a camera attached to my glasses, this means they could see the pictures as I read, because it being the story of an artist, the pictures are particularly important to the story. In fact, in the text, it sometimes tells the reader to look at the picture to understand what is happening, tying words and pictures together very tightly.
The writing style is simple, most of the pages arrange the words to look like funnels. This is reflected in the rather anticlimactic way many of the adventures end. Uncle Lubin is caught suspended on the moon, he might fall! Which he does - and it’s not that bad. Uncle Lubin has to scour the sea, so he makes a boat. These anticlimaxes add to the whimsy of the text but also the charm/ It’s pretty clear that he will be successful by the end and no lasting harm will come to him and it makes the adventures more fun, if a little less gripping. The times Uncle Lubin is in genuine trouble though, he wiggles out of them with charm and ingenuity.
The book reminded me a little of The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear in its winning illustration and comic, inconsequential action but is mercifully short, even a manic-pixie-dream-person like me doesn’t need 400 pages of whimsy. If the book consisted only of the words, I’d have passed it off as a reasonable but nowhere near essential book. However, add the wonderful layered illustrations and it is an utterly winnin little book for adults (and children may like it too).
I read this book to the children over video call with a camera attached to my glasses, this means they could see the pictures as I read, because it being the story of an artist, the pictures are particularly important to the story. In fact, in the text, it sometimes tells the reader to look at the picture to understand what is happening, tying words and pictures together very tightly.
The writing style is simple, most of the pages arrange the words to look like funnels. This is reflected in the rather anticlimactic way many of the adventures end. Uncle Lubin is caught suspended on the moon, he might fall! Which he does - and it’s not that bad. Uncle Lubin has to scour the sea, so he makes a boat. These anticlimaxes add to the whimsy of the text but also the charm/ It’s pretty clear that he will be successful by the end and no lasting harm will come to him and it makes the adventures more fun, if a little less gripping. The times Uncle Lubin is in genuine trouble though, he wiggles out of them with charm and ingenuity.
The book reminded me a little of The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear in its winning illustration and comic, inconsequential action but is mercifully short, even a manic-pixie-dream-person like me doesn’t need 400 pages of whimsy. If the book consisted only of the words, I’d have passed it off as a reasonable but nowhere near essential book. However, add the wonderful layered illustrations and it is an utterly winnin little book for adults (and children may like it too).
September 30, 2018
I purchased this book in paperback format as a gift for my eight-year-old nephew. I also bought it in digital format so that I could pre-read it before I gave it to him. This is something I often try to do when I'm giving a book to someone, especially a child, so that I know the content and we can enjoy talking about the story once they've finished reading it. I've never heard of this book previously, but the description stated that it was a classic and the story line sounded quite appealing so I thought I would give it a try. I am very glad I did. It was a fun group of stories set in a chapter book style which makes it a very good book for young readers. It is easy to read and has a nice, flowing presentation of words on each page that "breaks up" the typical full paragraph style of most other books. This gives it a uniquely whimsical and eye-catching emphasis. The author also illustrated the book with many absolutely wonderful pictures throughout the stories. I hope that my nephew will enjoy the book as much as I did, and I think this would be a delightful addition to any young person's (boy or girl) library.
August 18, 2020
I like so much about this book. I like the illustrations, so detailed and inventive. I like Uncle Lubin - the perfect non-Disney character. He's very old, very ugly, and dressed in rags. I like the episodic narrative - so like real life - first one thing happens and then another. There's no logical step-by-step narrative. I like the simple acceptance of life - death occurs, of course, and serpents want to swallow you whole, and people are left alone on islands. But there's no sermonizing. I like that Uncle Lubin always comes up with a solution - he puts salt on the sea-serpent's tail and plays his concertina until the dragon-snake is hopelessly entangled in knots - he builds a boat and an Air-ship. He's sometimes sad and sometimes very discouraged, but he never gives up his search for his nephew. This is the core of the book. It is a message that we all like to hear - that there is someone who will search the world over to find us and keep us safe.
April 24, 2023
In a thrift store, debating whether or not to purchase, I saw this short note on the copyright page:
"This edition is dedicated to the Williamson family, whose fondness for Uncle Lubin has lasted through four generations, and whose dog-eared first edition allowed the present one to see the light of day."
Y'all, someone knows how to advertise right at me. I pray that ChatGPT does not pick up such skills.
Anyway, kindly Uncle Lubin's main occupation is looking after his baby nephew Peter. Alas, while Uncle Lubin is napping, the nefarious Bag-Bird snatches Peter away and flies off to the moon. Undaunted, Uncle Lubin builds an airship to follow him. But no! Just as Uncle Lubin was about to rescue Peter, the Bag-Bird flies off with him again, and poor Uncle Lubin's airship has been damaged by the pointy end of the crescent moon. How will he get back to Earth?
Chapters are extremely short; in not too many pages and not too many sentences, Uncle Lubin is off on the next episode in his quest. W. Heath Robinson was mainly an illustrator, and the illustrations for the book are exceptionally numerous, with a caricature style which to me bears a similarity to Tenniel.
It was a fun short read, and I liked it well enough that I read it to both DS2 (7) and DD2(5) in one 20 minute sitting, to great success. DD2 was genuinely worried about the perils that Uncle Lubin found himself in, and was pleased with his escapes.
Robinson is now best known as a British Rube Goldberg. I will certainly keep his eye out for more of his work.
"This edition is dedicated to the Williamson family, whose fondness for Uncle Lubin has lasted through four generations, and whose dog-eared first edition allowed the present one to see the light of day."
Y'all, someone knows how to advertise right at me. I pray that ChatGPT does not pick up such skills.
Anyway, kindly Uncle Lubin's main occupation is looking after his baby nephew Peter. Alas, while Uncle Lubin is napping, the nefarious Bag-Bird snatches Peter away and flies off to the moon. Undaunted, Uncle Lubin builds an airship to follow him. But no! Just as Uncle Lubin was about to rescue Peter, the Bag-Bird flies off with him again, and poor Uncle Lubin's airship has been damaged by the pointy end of the crescent moon. How will he get back to Earth?
Chapters are extremely short; in not too many pages and not too many sentences, Uncle Lubin is off on the next episode in his quest. W. Heath Robinson was mainly an illustrator, and the illustrations for the book are exceptionally numerous, with a caricature style which to me bears a similarity to Tenniel.
It was a fun short read, and I liked it well enough that I read it to both DS2 (7) and DD2(5) in one 20 minute sitting, to great success. DD2 was genuinely worried about the perils that Uncle Lubin found himself in, and was pleased with his escapes.
Robinson is now best known as a British Rube Goldberg. I will certainly keep his eye out for more of his work.
September 13, 2017
I really like the work of William Heath Robinson in general and very much so in this book. The text is minimal, the illustrations are wonderful. I think that the "mer-man" on page 61 0f my copy (1992 David R. Godine, Publisher, Inc. paperback) looks very much like George Bernard Shaw, but would Shaw have looked that old in 1902?
How could anyone not like a children's book this beautifully illustrated in which Uncle Lubin and his rescued (at last!) nephew "lived happily ever after?"
How could anyone not like a children's book this beautifully illustrated in which Uncle Lubin and his rescued (at last!) nephew "lived happily ever after?"
December 5, 2025
There's a little bit of Baron Munchausen in Uncle Lubin. There's a little bit of Dino Buzatti's Sicily-invading bears in Uncle Lubin. And there are echoes of John Tenneil in the illustrations that go along with these simple, goofy stories.
A lucky find at a local thrift store, Uncle Lubin seems to be among the last of the late 18th century whimsies, before the dreary world of childrens' literature. Glad I found it. Something to eventually warp the grandchildren with.
A lucky find at a local thrift store, Uncle Lubin seems to be among the last of the late 18th century whimsies, before the dreary world of childrens' literature. Glad I found it. Something to eventually warp the grandchildren with.
March 10, 2019
Delightful in every way.
October 13, 2019
an outstanding part of my childhood
July 10, 2020
A cute little book, able to read in 10 mins, and great artwork by W. Heath Robinson, whose artwork is as fantastic as Arthur Rackhams!
February 20, 2021
A fantastically inventive book, both from the art and the layout of the text. Spellbinding.
November 24, 2023
Found this cute illustrated children's story at a thrift store. Was a fun, very quick read. Nice illustrations, simple story. Imaginative. Happy ending. Cant complain.
March 17, 2025
Full of whimsy and beautifully illustrated.
March 15, 2017
This was a quirky children's book with gorgeous illustrations. We went to an exhibit opening at the Delaware Art Museum that is currently featuring illustrations by Heath Robinson and discovered this book. It was very fun and the kids enjoyed this quick read.
June 22, 2014
I've enjoyed sharing this one with my kids. I read it when I was young and was captivated by the crazy illustrations of Heath Robinson. The story itself is very random but not without direction.
The drawings and plot are wildly inventive and mind expanding. And they're the kind of illustrations with lots of detail that can be commented on as you move through the book, such that you'll find yourself flipping back to see where an item such as an umbrella was in the previous setting.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit) was exposed to Heath Robinson when he was young. Ah yes, here's a video talking about the influence: http://vimeo.com/75810532
The drawings and plot are wildly inventive and mind expanding. And they're the kind of illustrations with lots of detail that can be commented on as you move through the book, such that you'll find yourself flipping back to see where an item such as an umbrella was in the previous setting.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit) was exposed to Heath Robinson when he was young. Ah yes, here's a video talking about the influence: http://vimeo.com/75810532
July 14, 2008
The story here is funny and sweet, but I like this book most of all for its wondrous pen and ink drawings. It's all the best of Heath Robinson - whimsical contraptions, fantastic settings, and marvelous characters. And this volume is beautifully produced by Godine.
April 28, 2012
What a delightful little book! Another one that I just picked up at a second hand book sale but so precious. It's written in exactly the way I like children's books to be written and now I'm feeling really inspired to actually write some similar stories. Absolutely fantastic read!
May 24, 2010
Wonderful drawings, though the story is almost entirely superfluous.
November 20, 2013
found this book in a free pile. best treasure ever. the illustrations are creepy and fantastic.
April 6, 2015
everybody knows that if you put salt on a sea monster's tail it dies. but sea monsters live in the sea SALT WATER dammit. answer me that W. Heath Robinson!
September 11, 2016
Quaint story with wonderful pen and ink illustrations.
September 30, 2015
Whimsical & fun!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews