G. E. Farrow facts for kids
George Edward Farrow (born March 17, 1862 – died 1919) was a British author who wrote many popular children's books. He was born in Ipswich, England. Not much is known about his life, which makes him a bit of a mystery!
Early Life and Career
George Farrow grew up in Ipswich, England. His father, also named George, made cement. George Edward went to school in London and America.
In 1891, he worked as a clerk for the government's tax office. He lived in Hackney, London, at that time. By 1901, he was living in Hammersmith, and his job was listed as 'Author'. His mother lived with him during these times. He also lived for a while in Brook Green in West Kensington.
His Wonderful Books
George Farrow wrote more than thirty books for children! He loved hearing from his young readers. He would answer their letters and even let their ideas guide his next stories. This was similar to how the American author L. Frank Baum worked.
Farrow wrote exciting adventure tales and poetry. But he was most famous for his funny, nonsense books. These stories were like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. His most well-known series was about a character called the 'Wallypug'.
The Wallypug Series
Here are some of the books in the popular Wallypug series:
- The Wallypug of Why (1895)
- Adventures in Wallypugland (1898)
- The Wallypug in London (1898)
- In Search of the Wallypug (1903)
- The Wallypug in Fogland (1904)
- The Wallypug in the Moon (1905)
He wrote thirty-four books in total! His last book, The Mysterious Shin Shira, came out in 1915. Other books he wrote include The Missing Prince (1896) and The Little Panjandrum's Dodo (1899).
A Mysterious Author
It's quite surprising that we know so little about such a popular writer! We can only find a few small facts from the introductions to his books. For example, he had a favorite armchair named Pendennis. He also had a dog named Gip. His friends called him 'Gef'.
In his book introductions, he often asked young readers to write to him. This makes some people wonder if he was lonely or didn't have children of his own. He also changed publishers quite often. This might mean he wasn't happy with the deals they offered him.
For a long time, people weren't even sure when he was born. They thought it was 1866. This was partly because of a funny note in a book from 1898. In it, he joked about a young fan wanting to marry him when she grew up. He said it would take her nearly 25 years to catch up to his age!
What happened to George Farrow after 1915 is also a mystery. The author Noel Streatfeild once joked that he must have "softly and suddenly vanished away," like a character from a Lewis Carroll poem.
