Mr Finchley Discovers His England

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The first in a classic trilogy of humorous rural adventures through pre-war England. Mr Edgar Finchley, unmarried solicitor's clerk, aged 45, is told to take a holiday for the first time in his life. He decides to go to Margate. But Fate has other plans in store... From his abduction in a Bentley by a cheerful crook, to his smuggling escapade off the south coast, the timid but plucky Mr Finchley is plunged into a series of the most astonishing and extraordinary adventures. His rural adventure takes him gradually westward through Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and back, via a smuggling yacht, to London. Jerome Jerome meets Mr Bean in this gentle comedy series, which was a runaway bestseller on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. It has been dramatised twice for BBC Radio, with the 1990 series regularly repeated. AUTHOR: Victor Canning was a prolific writer throughout his career, which began young: he had sold several short stories by the age of nineteen and his first novel, Mr Finchley Discovers His England (1934) was published when he was twenty-three. Canning also wrote for children: his trilogy The Runaways was adapted for US children's television. Canning's later thrillers were darker and more complex than his earlier work and received further critical acclaim.

Reviews

Praise for the Classic Canning Series

Quite delightful, with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm The longer we travel with Mr Finchley, the better we come to love him. He makes us share his bread and cheese, and beer and pipe. His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectiousDaily Telegraph

His gift of story-telling is obviously innate.Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writingPunch

A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character [Mr Finchley] runs into one astonishing situation after another, sticking gamely to his resolve that he must take things as they come and accept themNew York Times

What counts for most in the story, as it did for Mr Finchley, is hismounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English sceneThe Times

There issuch a gentle humour in the book Mr Finchley is the ideal EnglishmanDaily Sketch

Author Bio

Victor Canningwas a prolific writer throughout his career, which began young: he had sold several short stories by the age of nineteen and his first novel,Mr Finchley Discovers His England(1934) was published when he was twenty-three. It proved to be a runaway bestseller. Canning also wrote for children: his trilogyThe Runawayswas adapted for US children's television. Canning's later thrillers were darker and more complex than his earlier work and received further critical acclaim.