Brian Jacques

We have many of the books written by Brian Jacques including the Redwall series and the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. Come in and check them out!

If you like Brian Jacques' books, you might also like these Redwall readalikes.

Brian Jacques (he pronounces his last name "Jakes") was born in Liverpool, England in 1939. Brian's father loved to read, and passed this love on to his son.

As a child, Brian read books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson. He wrote his first story at the age of 10 for a school assignment. His teacher did not believe that a boy so young could write that well, and accused Brian of being a liar! However, another teacher, Alan Durband, saw how talented Brian was and encouraged him to continue writing. But at the age of fifteen, Brian left school and started work as a merchant seaman. He had many other jobs too! He worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a long distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a policeman, a postmaster, and a stand up comic! During the 1960's, Brian and several of his friends even formed a folksinging group.

While working as a truck driver, Brian delivered milk to a school for blind children. He wrote the story of Redwall for the children at that school. He "painted pictures with words, so that they could see them in their imaginations." When Brian's old teacher, Mr. Durband read Redwall, he showed it to a publisher without telling Brian. This led to a contract for the first five books in the Redwall series.

Today, Brian Jacques still lives in Liverpool and, in addition to writing, he hosts his own weekly radio show. He has two grown sons and a terrier named Teddy. He likes to do crossword puzzles and still loves to read!

If you'd like to know more about Brian Jacques or his books, visit his website at Redwall Abbey.