By Gareth Jones – eCommerce Analyst
I can still remember clearly the sense of possibility I felt when Gene Wilder looked at me and asked me to come with him, to follow his lead, in to a world of pure imagination. The song, based on the poem by Roald Dahl, encapsulates what made Dahl’s writing, his genius, truly special, and so valuable to children, and to me. It speaks of a world where anything is possible, where you’re free to be who you are and achieve whatever it is you want:
“Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there’s nothing to it”
I was a huge Roald Dahl fan as a kid, and still am. Whilst “Pure Imagination” spells it out, for me it was the sheer creative brilliance, the boundless detail of his imagination, and the humanity with which he realised his vision, via humour and relatable characters, that really conveyed a world where magic was a matter of fact. Where anything was possible. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book filled with wonders, from the Oompa Loompas to the Great Glass Elevator. A river of chocolate! Fizzy lifting drink! Chocolate via TV! All enabled by none other than Willy Wonka, who I can only see as the author’s surrogate- leading you, the reader, through his magical, marvelous, chocolate factory.
His other books achieved the same thing for me: The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda and, of course, Fantastic Mr Fox. They all share the themes of capturing the reader with a comical, down to earth tone, a relatable main character and then, of course, a truly magical, marvelous journey (not to mention getting one up on mean adults!). His books are filled with fantastical devices: witches with no toes, a fox with unsurpassed cunning or a lift that can go anywhere in space! All of this goes alongside his great characterisation that has created some truly hateable adversaries. Ms Trunchable, the Twits, the Witches, the Knids. His great skill at describing (in almost nonsensical adjectives) such original creations, made them seem so real, and in so doing, made the unbelievable seem entirely achieveable.
“There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you’ll be free
If you truly wish to be”
In loving memory of Gene Wilder (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016)
Happy Roald Dahl Day Human Beans!
Today is a day we look forward to every year without fail, as it gives us the perfect excuse to shout about one of our all-time favourite authors, Roald Dahl.
And today marks 100 years of the wonderful man himself. What better way to celebrate than with an opportunity to win a phizz-whizzing prize?
We’re on a mission to find out which Roald Dahl character is loved the most by our World of Books customers, so tell us who your favourite is and why – for your chance to win two tickets to the matinee performance Matilda the Musical on 3rd December 2016.
You can tell us who your favourite character is and why in any of the following ways:
Good luck to you all! We look forward to reading your gloriumptious entries.
Please only enter if you’re able to attend on that day as tickets are not transferable. Also make sure you have a read of the fine print below.
WORLD OF BOOKS 2016 Competitions Terms & Conditions:
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully prior to participating in World of Books Prize Draw (the “Prize Draw”). By participating in the Prize Draw each participant fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Terms and Conditions.
1. Eligibility for Participation: The Contest is only open to individuals (referred to as “Participants”) Participants must be (i) a resident of the United Kingdom and (ii) over 18 years of age. Participants will only be entered into the contest once and are only allowed to win a prize of two tickets to see Matilda the Musical. World of Books employees and their immediate family are not permitted to enter the Prize Draw.
2. Access to Contest: The Participants enter the Contest by telling us, who their favourite Roald Dahl character is and why. Entries can be made on the World of Books Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/World-of-Books-182386701802396) Twitter (https://twitter.com/WorldofBooksltd – these entries must include @worldofbooksltd) and blog (http://blog.worldofbooks.com/) pages as well as emailed to [email protected]. A purchase or transaction is not required to participate or win. World of Books does not accept responsibility for network, computer, hardware or software failures of any kind, which may restrict or delay the sending or receipt of your entry. Entries must not be sent through agents or third parties. Late or incomplete entries will not be accepted. Any entries made by a person found to be using multiple Facebook/email accounts to enter the Prize Draws will be ineligible. Entries must be made by 23.59 GMT on 18/09/2016.
3. Winner is announced: Those selected to win the prize will be informed on 20/09/2016. Winners of all prizes will be notified via the channel they entered through. If the winner cannot be contacted within 48 hours of the terms of the notification, another entry will be selected and the original winner will forfeit any prize.
4. The Prize: 2 x tickets to see Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in London on 3rd Dec ‘16. This prize cannot be transferred, exchanged and no cash alternative is available. The Prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and non-negotiable. The prize does not include travel or accommodation. There are no cash alternatives and the promoter’s decision is final. World of Books reserves the right to amend the prize or offer an alternative of equal or greater value.
5. Selecting winners: The winner will be selected at random by the World of Books Jury. The Jury’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to this decision.
6. Contest organizer: The Contest is organized by World of Books Ltd.
7. World of Books is not responsible for any lost, late, misdirected, stolen, illegible or incomplete entries. If, for any reason, the Prize Draw is not capable of running as planned, as a result of any causes beyond the control of World of Books which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Prize Draw, World of Books reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Prize Draw and/or select winners from all eligible entries received prior to the cancellation.
8. World of Books reserves the right to (i) withdraw the competition (ii) cancel or change the promotion, (iii) cancel or refuse any individual’s entry and (iv) amend these terms and conditions at any time if circumstances make this necessary.
9. World of Books reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any Participant it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Prize Draw; to be acting in violation of these Terms and Conditions; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person or contestant.
10. World of Books is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Prize Draw or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions in the Prize Draw. World of Books is not responsible for any injury or damage to any Participant or to any computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in connection with this Prize Draw.
11. Copyright: Upon submission, contest entries become the property of World of Books and each Participant relinquishes any claims of ownership or rights therein upon submission of their entry into the Contest. Entries may be shared on the World of Books social and email channels as part of the competition.
12. This Prize Draw shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts
By Sarah Pont – Customer Marketing Manager
From a very young age I was encouraged by my parents to read books and lots of them, because to me it never felt like a chore or something I had to do, I really enjoyed it.
Before the Harry Potter craze really took hold of me (and I mean really – I am still massively obsessed with the wizarding world despite being an actual grown up now) I loved the stories of Roald Dahl.
We get a lot of feedback at World of Books. Most of it positive, some of it quizzical and a few things that we probably can’t share here.
Of course, this is hardly unexpected. We sell around 6 million books a year to customers across every continent and 99% of the time everything goes swimmingly – but there are always exceptions.
