| Click on Title or Image for details and user reviews. Follow such "New(7) Used(2) from £9.99" links right below the shopping cart to see a list of offers from various sellers (example). |
|
|
The Complete Stalky and Co. (Oxford World's Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rudyard Kipling
Creator: Isabel Quigly
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £3.86
You Save: £5.13 (57%)
New (15) Used (11) from £3.11
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 191693
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0192838598
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780192838599
ASIN: 0192838598
Publication Date: February 11, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 4 - 5 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Hogwarts - the Original October 15, 2008
Don't get me wrong. I am not recommending that all the millions of fans still suffering withdrawal symptoms after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series should attempt to find a new fix in these pages. Quite the contrary. Be warned. Unless you are at least as much of a bookworm as Hermione Granger, and with as high an IQ, you are not going to be able to understand at least two thirds of this book until you hit your mid and later teens - and even then it's probably no more than 5 per cent at most of readers who will persevere through their initial reactions of incomprehension of the language, references and setting, and quite likely revulsion at some of the attitudes and incidents described, to the point when they are suddenly hooked - by the humour, the gloriously creative language, the anti-authority attitudes of our unconventional heroes, the mass slaughter of sacred cows, the insights into adolescence, and education, and preparation for the adult world, and much much more. And then they'll come back to it again and again, and gradually make sense of what they couldn't understand first time round, as their vocabulary and historical knowledge widen, and love it more and more.
You need to be clear about this too : this book contains absolutely no witches, wizards or magic, and no one saves the world from a Dark Lord. (Also the wise, heroic, and maverick Headmaster is, to the best of my recollection, married. Plus the student heroes are on excellent terms with the sympathetic and understanding school chaplain. So any members of the lunatic fringe of the American Christian Right for whom Harry Potter is anathema can safely let their precious children read this - just don't hold me answerable for the consequences! :) )
Nonetheless, I stand by my review title. It's not just that these stories and the earlier "Tom Brown's Schooldays" (by Thomas Hughes) between them are the ancestors of the entire school story genre, and that every subsequent fictional British school,from Greyfriars through St Custard's and St Trinian's to modern tales set in inner city comprehensives, owes them an incalculable debt, whether or not their authors have ever read the originals. It's that J.K.Rowling is quite clearly one of the five per cent of readers on whom these stories left an impression as indelible as a Dark Mark.
Here you will meet the 19th century ancestors of Padfoot, Moony, Prongs and Wormtail, and of the Weasley twins, ancestors whose motto could so easily have been "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!". How Stalky & Co would have LOVED a Maurauders' Map! (But they managed just fine without one.)Here you'll find that Dumbledore had a Muggle precursor or two, with decidedly unconventional but insightful educational methods, to set beside Gandalf and Merlin. Here you'll find furious inter-House feuds and ingenious practical jokes, and pompous prefects, and vicious bullying, and be brought up short and forced to think, as the boundaries between bullies and victims become very blurred indeed. Here you'll even find a story entitled "Regulus", which is where I as a teenager, and I'd be willingly to bet, JKR too, was first and memorably introduced to the tragic and inspiring story of the Roman namesake of Sirius's younger brother.
And most memorably of all you'll be introduced to Kipling's own avatar, Beetle, the complete antithesis of every conventional school story hero, who has Hermione's omnivorous appetite for books, but none of her principles or work ethic, Neville's clumsiness but none of his sweet nature, Harry's glasses but none of his sporting talent or interest, and who carries psychological scars, as a victim of severe bullying in his past. (In Kipling's own case, this was in a foster home as well as in his early years at school, as his autobiographical story "Baa Baa Black Sheep" - not one of the "Stalky & Co Tales" - painfully relates.)An unattractive, clever oddball of a boy, frequently resentful and vindictive, and stigmatised for faulty personal hygiene - who has nonetheless been lucky enough to find security with two inseparable and loyal friends who will stand with him against all the world. And especially against his arch enemy, a bitter, sarcastic, strict, unpopular man, head of a rival House, who constantly singles him out, often unfairly, as the butt of ridicule, and the focus of suspicion :
"Oh, how did Beetle do?"
"The necessary dates and his handwriting defeated him, I'm glad to say. I cannot accuse myself of having missed any opportunity to castigate that boy's inordinate and intolerable conceit."
The antipathy is mutual, and profound, and presumably mirrors the real life relationship between the author as a boy and a former teacher. Yet in the later stories Kipling shifts his ground and encourages us to see other aspects of this deeply flawed man that command our respect and even sympathy - his scholarship, his passionate love for his subject, his dedication to his usually thankless task of getting his pupils through the exams they need to pass in order to pursue their careers, even his protectiveness towards the boys in his house and capacity to show understanding and support to one particular pupil going through a difficult time.
If you're not convinced now of Kipling's influence on JKR , I can't imagine you ever will be. (Indeed, it's not just the Stalky stories. The "extra" later stories were published in collections in 1925 and 1926 where a number of other stories seem to me to resonate strongly with themes and ideas in the Harry Potter books. "On the Wall" is one example.) And if you DO decide to buy the book and give it a try - I hope some of you will - you should certainly get one laugh, at the spookily appropriate name of the the Half-Blood Prince's literary progenitor.
Stalky for people with too few bookshelves March 11, 2008
When I was young I had a serious Kipling period, but not so serious that I bought all his stuff. To get all the Stalky stories you had to buy various books that I did not want to buy and keep. Or so I thought. In The Complete Stalky you get all the stories in one volume.
The present day young probably won't like the book much for it describes something that is mostly history, but I am old enough to have seen a very authoritarian school system and when I read the book the first time I recognised all the teachers.
Worth perservering February 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Stalky & Co. is not an easy book to get into as just about everything in it seems alien to the modern reader: the language, the classical references and the "Coll." itself with its archaic practices and rituals as a training ground for young men to run the British Empire. But there comes a point where you suddenly get snatched in to the main theme: three incredibly bright but "outsider"-type adolescents fighting it out against the system and having bags of fun - not innocent fun, more Schadenfreude - in the process. And you're brought back to your own days, albeit in a very different school, where you were also "passed over" to be a prefect because you didn't quite fit in some undefined way, and were determined to show "them."
Of course, "Stalky & Co." is totally un-P.C, not just in the nature of the activities described (from illicit smoking to shooting cats to some serious bullying violence)but also in the underlying theme of Machievellian one-upmanship and "survival of the fittest" that runs through the stories.
What is perhaps most remarkable is the absolute self-confidence of Stalky and his chums themselves. And although many aspects of the book are morally questionable and politically dodgy, this supreme belief in their own worth from the main characters is refreshing in today's bleating victim society.
 I did not like it! October 25, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Quite horrible! I am a Kipling enthusiast and own most of his published work. I find that, in general, the Kipling audio-books are enjoyable but not this one. The tales are not suitable for the female voice - the accent and mispronunciation of English place names equally inappropriate. If you have time to spare, compare this offering with the excellent "Plain tales from the hills" by Martin Jarvis
Roderick Deeming
Darker than you'd expect... April 5, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Kipling has, justifiably on the whole, a reputation for being the Poet Laureate of the British Empire, from which his work has suffered, particularly in these postcolonial times. Stalky & Co is no exception - it was written with the view of encouraging more 'stalky' (a bending-the-rules-type cunning) boys to join up to the British Army after the humiliating defeat of the Boer War.
Don't let this put you off however. Kipling is far more ambivalent concerning the Empire than most people think, and this comes across in the book's darker passages. Aimed at teenage boys (not little kids), the three main characters of Stalky, M'Turk and Beetle (an autobiographical incarnation) get up to traditional public school 'high jinks' and larks, but also some rather morally questionable activities too. The reader gets swept up in the irresistable sense of fun, camaraderie and not a little schadenfreude, then gets stranded, asking themselves whether the pranks they've enjoyed are strictly acceptable. But the feeling you're left with is a deeply satisfying one of watching the geeky, unpopular underdogs getting one over on the arrogant big boys.
Enjoy it and savour the nastiness of public school as well as its idyllic side!
|
We display the lowest priced offers from a list of new and used items. It is clearly indicated right before the displayed price on whether the displayed item is new or used, i.e. "Buy Used: £8.00" or "Buy New: £8.00".
For more options to buy new (or used) just follow the link that looks like this "New (7) Used (2) from £9.99" right below the shopping cart. The link will not be displayed if there is no other offer.
Free UK delivery available for offers from Amazon.co.uk (terms & conditions) with indication of "Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping" (example). Offers from other sellers are subjected to delivery charge of £2.75 per book. More about free delivery, click here. |
|
|
| Browse by genre |
|
Audio CDs
Languages: Michel Thomas Language Courses, Rapid Language Courses, Courses For Children,
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Gaelic, Irish & Welsh, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese
Biographies & Memoirs
Business, Finance & Law
Children's Books: Book & CD Gift Packs, Children's Modern, Classics, Education, Harry Potter, Language, Music
Authors: Blyton, Enid, Rowling, JK, Wynne Jones, Diana
Comedy: Comedy Classic, Contemporary Comedy, Bill Bryson, Billy Connolly, Blackadder, Dead Ringers, Fast Show, Hancock, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Monty Python, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Goon Show
Crime, Thrillers & Mystery: Child, Lee, Christie, Agatha, Cornwell, Patricia, Francis, Dick, Grisham, John, Rankin, Ian, Smith, Wilbur
|
Fiction: Literary Classics, Religious, Unabridged, Western
Health, Family & Lifestyle: Personal Growth, Relaxation & Meditation
History: BC-1500, 1501-1700, 1701-Present, This Sceptered Isle
Horror: Herbert, James, King, Stephen, Koontz, Dean
Music
Poetry & Drama
Radio Shows: Dead Ringers, Hancock, The Goon Show
Religion & Spirituality
Romance: Austen, Jane, Binchy, Maeve, Bingham, Charlotte, Collins, Jackie, Cookson, Catherine, Steel, Danielle
Science Fiction & Fantasy: Fantasy, Science Fiction, DiscWorld, Dr Who, Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, Tolkien
Sports, Hobbies & Games
Travel
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2006 © audiohome.co.uk, an audio books store Privacy Notice | Delivery | Customer Service | Buying Guide | Search Audiobooks Quickly | | My favourite authors: |
| In CDs: |
| Adams, Douglas |
| Bennett, Alan |
| Bryson, Bill |
| Christie, Agatha |
| Covey, Stephen R. |
| Cornwell, Patricia |
| Dahl, Roald |
| Dickens, Charles |
| Ludlum, Robert |
| Rowling, JK |
| Stevenson, Robert Louis |
| More authors... |
| |
| In cassettes: |
| Adams, Douglas |
| Bennett, Alan |
| Bryson, Bill |
| Christie, Agatha |
| Cornwell, Patricia |
| Dahl, Roald |
| Dickens, Charles |
| Ludlum, Robert |
| Rice, Anne |
| Stevenson, Robert Louis |
| More authors... |
|
|
|
|
Over 30,000 audio books,