Brian Jacques

Brian Jacques (1939-2011) was an English children's author from Liverpool, creator of the Redwall series of animal fantasy novels, which began with Redwall in 1986 and ran to 22 books.

James Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool on 15 June 1939 and died there on 5 February 2011. He grew up in Kirkdale near the docks, left school at fifteen and worked as a merchant seaman, railway fireman, docker, lorry and bus driver, and stand-up entertainer. In the 1980s, as a milkman, he delivered to the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind and began writing stories to read to the pupils, packing them with sensory detail so they could picture each scene. These grew into a handwritten manuscript of about 800 pages. Alan Durband, an English teacher and co-founder of Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, showed it to his own publisher without telling Jacques, which led to its publication.

Redwall was published in hardback by Hutchinson in October 1986, illustrated by Gary Chalk, with a US edition from Philomel Books in August 1987. The series continued with titles including Mossflower (1988), Mattimeo (1989), Salamandastron (1992), Martin the Warrior (1993), The Bellmaker (1994), Marlfox (1998) and The Legend of Luke (1999), ending with The Rogue Crew (2011), published after his death. He also wrote the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman books and the story collections Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales (1991) and The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns (2004).

For collectors. The key book is the Hutchinson first edition of Redwall (London, 1986; ISBN 0-09-165090-9, 311 pages), with a jacket by Pete Lyon. The American Philomel edition followed in 1987 with different cover art by Troy Howell, so the British hardback is the true first.