By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Books such as “The Snowman” “Father Christmas”, and “Fungus The Bogeyman” have all led to his categorisation as a children’s author. Needless to say he runs up against numerous persons in authority, and things don't work out the way he wants. Raymond Briggs adopts a far wider palette of pastel colours whenever Jim dreams, perfectly illustrating his great ambitions and wild fantasies. He created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and, of course, the beloved Snowman.

With this playful style, Briggs expertly transforms common feelings of inadequacy into an endearing and enjoyable experience that speaks across generations, concluding with an optimistic implication that even a misfortunate outcome can be better than no change at all. I must break out …… start a new life …been here for years …might be getting in a rut …something a bit more exciting …more adventurous …… something with more of a challenge … There’s not much opportunity for self-advancement in toilets. Raymond Briggs brings his character to life with a naiveté that is neither childish or simpleminded. If you, or your children, have seen or, ideally, read the Snowman than I can pretty much garuntee you will like this book.Jim Bloggs is dissatisfied with his station in life, and devotes his time to fantasising and imagining a wonderful world beyond his confines. The story follows Jim, a kindly but simpleminded janitor, as he decides he needs a change in his life. Jim’s dream is to be a latter-day Robin Hood, but he is constantly thwarted by red tape and bureaucracy. The people he encounters in his doomed quest run the gamut from literally faceless bureaucrats to imposing police officers. We are delighted to bring it back into print as the first book in an occasional series, Cape Graphic Classics.

But he doesn't understand that a cowboy or highwayman is not a legitimate profession, and everything costs more than he can afford. Along with "When the Wind Blows," which utilizes the same characters, "Gentleman Jim" takes on more of an adult subject than Raymond Briggs is known for, although his characters retain a childlike innocence. He seems to have lead a sheltered life that winds up making his efforts more complicated than they would be for anyone of us. James Bloggs is a creature of poverty and ignorance, and his fantasies are limited and conventional. This book is of it's time, and the joke is often on Jim, who struggles to read, and mispronounces long words.Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. Jim is a middle-aged lavatory cleaner of limited intelligence, dissatisfied with his position, but feeling trapped due to his lack of education. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear. Interesting introduction about whether Raymond Briggs was passed over as the first "graphic novel" creator.