Michael Bond
Encyclopedia
Thomas Michael Bond, OBE
(born 13 January 1926) is an English
author
, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear
series of books.
school in Reading
. During World War II
he served in both the Royal Air Force
and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army
.
Bond began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to the magazine London Opinion. In 1958, after producing a number of plays and short stories and while working as a BBC
television cameraman (where he worked filming Blue Peter
for a time), his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published. This was the start of Bond's most famous series of books, telling tales of a bear from "Darkest Peru
", whose Aunt Lucy sends him to England, carrying a jar of marmalade. The Brown family found the bear at Paddington Station, and adopted him, naming the bear after the station. By 1967, Bond was able to give up his BBC job to work full-time as a writer. Paddington's adventures have been published in nearly twenty countries, and have inspired pop bands, race horses, plays, hot air balloons and a TV series. Bond stated in December 2007 that he did not plan to continue the adventures of Paddington Bear in further volumes.
Bond has also written another series of children's books, the adventures of a guinea pig
named Olga da Polga
, as well as the animated BBC TV series The Herbs
. Bond also writes culinary mystery stories for adults featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound
, Pommes Frites.
In 1997, Bond was awarded the OBE
for services to children's literature. On 6 July 2007 the University of Reading
awarded him an Honorary
Doctor of Letters
.
Bond is married with two adult children and lives in London, not far from Paddington Station
.
and others
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 13 January 1926) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum....
series of books.
Life
Bond was educated at Presentation College, a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in both the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Bond began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to the magazine London Opinion. In 1958, after producing a number of plays and short stories and while working as a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television cameraman (where he worked filming Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
for a time), his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published. This was the start of Bond's most famous series of books, telling tales of a bear from "Darkest Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
", whose Aunt Lucy sends him to England, carrying a jar of marmalade. The Brown family found the bear at Paddington Station, and adopted him, naming the bear after the station. By 1967, Bond was able to give up his BBC job to work full-time as a writer. Paddington's adventures have been published in nearly twenty countries, and have inspired pop bands, race horses, plays, hot air balloons and a TV series. Bond stated in December 2007 that he did not plan to continue the adventures of Paddington Bear in further volumes.
Bond has also written another series of children's books, the adventures of a guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
named Olga da Polga
Olga da Polga
Olga da Polga is a fictional character and heroine of Michael Bond's The Tales of Olga da Polga series. Unlike his more famous character Paddington Bear, Olga is a teller of tall tales in the style of Baron Münchhausen...
, as well as the animated BBC TV series The Herbs
The Herbs
The Herbs is a television series for young children made for the BBC by Graham Clutterbuck's FilmFair company. It was written by Michael Bond , directed by Ivor Wood using 3D stop motion model animation and first transmitted from 12 February 1968 in the BBC1 Watch with Mother timeslot...
. Bond also writes culinary mystery stories for adults featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
, Pommes Frites.
In 1997, Bond was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to children's literature. On 6 July 2007 the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
awarded him an Honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
.
Bond is married with two adult children and lives in London, not far from Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
.
Paddington Bear Series
- 1958 A Bear Called Paddington (ISBN 0-618-15071-4)
- 1959 More About Paddington
- 1960 Paddington Helps Out
- 1961 Paddington Abroad
- 1962 Paddington at Large
- 1964 Paddington Marches On
- 1966 Paddington at Work
- 1968 Paddington Goes to Town
- 1970 Paddington Takes the Air
- 1972 Paddington's Garden
- 1973 Paddington's Blue Peter Story Book a.k.a. Paddington Takes to TV
- 1974 Paddington on Top
- 1979 Paddington Takes the Test
- 2008 Paddington Rules the Waves
- 2008 Paddington Here and Now
Olga da Polga Series
- 1971 The Tales of Olga da Polga
- 1973 Olga Meets Her Match
- 1976 Olga Carries On
- 1982 Olga Takes Charge
and others
Monsieur Pamplemousse Series
- 1983 Monsieur Pamplemousse
- 1985 Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission
- 1986 Monsieur Pamplemousse on the Spot
- 1987 Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Cure
- 1989 Monsieur Pamplemousse Aloft
- 1990 Monsieur Pamplemousse Investigates
- 1991 Monsieur Pamplemousse Rests His Case
- 1992 Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm
- 1992 Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location
- 1993 Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train
- 1998 Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume One
- 1998 Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume Two
- 1999 Monsieur Pamplemousse Afloat
- 1999 Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume Three
- 2000 Monsieur Pamplemousse on Probation
- 2002 Monsieur Pamplemousse on Vacation
- 2003 Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits the Headlines
- 2006 Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant Midwives
- 2007 Monsieur Pamplemousse and the French Solution
- 2010 Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Carbon Footprint (release date April 12, 2010)
Other
- 1966 Here Comes Thursday
- 1968 Thursday Rides Again
- 1969 Thursday Ahoy!
- 1971 Thursday in Paris
- 1971 Michael Bond's Book of Bears (Editor)
- 1972 The Day the Animals Went on Strike
- 1975 Windmill
- 1975 How to Make Flying Things (nonfiction)
- 1975 Mr. Cram's Magic Bubbles
- 1980 Picnic on the River
- 1980 J. D. Polson and the Liberty Head Dime
- 1981 J. D. Polson and the Dillogate Affair
- 1983 The Caravan Puppets
- 1986 (With Paul Parnes) Oliver the Greedy Elephant
- 1987 (And photographer) The Pleasures of Paris (guidebook)
- 1988 A Mouse Called Thursday (omnibus)
- 1992 A Day by the Sea
- 1992 Something Nasty in the Kitchen
- 1996 Bears and Forebears: A Life So Far (autobiography)