Whenever Uncle Fred arrives in London, problems get solved, true lovers are reunited, and his nephew Pongo goes into spasms. Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred, is back “to spread sweetness and light” wherever he goes . . . much to the dismay of his nephew Pongo. Whether disguised as an eminent nerve specialist helping the ailing upper class, an anesthesiologist ready to help clip a parrot’s claws, a major returned from an exploration of Brazil, or simply George Robinson of 14 Nasturtium Road, East Dulwich, Uncle Fred is always available to help people in need (even more so if a false identity is involved). Included are three novels—Cocktail Time, Uncle Dynamite, and Service With a Smile—and the short story “Uncle Fred Flits By.”

Whenever Uncle Fred arrives in London, problems get solved, true lovers are reunited, and his nephew Pongo goes into spasms. Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred, is back “to spread sweetness and light” wherever he goes . . . much to the dismay of his nephew Pongo. Whether disguised as an eminent nerve specialist helping the ailing upper class, an anesthesiologist ready to help clip a parrot’s claws, a major returned from an exploration of Brazil, or simply George Robinson of 14 Nasturtium Road, East Dulwich, Uncle Fred is always available to help people in need (even more so if a false identity is involved). Included are three novels—Cocktail Time, Uncle Dynamite, and Service With a Smile—and the short story “Uncle Fred Flits By.”

ýWitty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny.ýýArabella Weir Three sparkling volumes featuring that most effervescent of peers, Trederick, fifth Earl of Ickenham Perhaps it is due to the fact that his wife Jane keeps a watchful eye on him for much of the time, but when Lord Ickenham breaks free he becomes pure dynamite and bumps-a-daisy as billy-o. These three stories, ýUncle Fred in the Springtimeý, ýUncle Dynamiteý and ýCocktail Timeý, will vouch for that. Foiling a plot to relieve Lord Emsworth of his beloved prize pig, the Empress; arranging a little match-making for his love-lorn nephew Pongo Twistleton; knocking off Sir Raymond Bastableýs topper with a Brazil nut: there really are, as Uncle Fred himself admits, ýno limits, literally none, to what I can accomplish in the springtimeý.

Humorous and involved tale of the attempted kidnapping of the prize pig, the Empress of Blandings.

Pongo Twistleton is in a state of financial embarrassment and it's not for the first time. Uncle Fred, meanwhile, has been asked by Lord Emsworth of Blandings to foil a plot to relieve him of the Empress, his much-adored prize pig. Along with Polly Pott (daughter of dear old Mustard), they form a deputation to Blandings Castle, a party of innocent imposters bent on doing 'a bit of good to two loving hearts'. For, as Uncle Fred himself admits, 'there are no limits, literally none, to what I can accomplish in the springtime'.