Imagining the Imaginary

"I should hate and detest A.F. Harrold, but sadly I can't. Firstly, because I witnessed, stupidly early on a grey Saturday morning in Ilkley, the funniest of events. All the man did for the first fifteen minutes was mumble about a plastic pear that he'd found on the teacher's desk, but it was the wittiest ramblings I've heard, not to mention the drama he created when he actually read one of his poems - the classroom sat silent, enraptured. 

Git.

Then, secondly, there is The Imaginary, though it wasn't called that at the time. It was called 'Rudger' - terrible title, but I quickly forgave him, because the story that followed was simply electric. Like nothing I'd read. I wondered for a while if Neil Gaiman had written it, but at the same time, knew he hadn't. This was different, wholly original and totally strange. What it also had, and still has, is the most enormous, beating heart. Heart that came straight from A.F. and Emily. Heart that means it remains, ten years on, an extraordinary story. One of my absolute favourites.

So whether you find The Imaginary via this booklet, the coming movie (eek!) or courtesy of the original book, consider yourself lucky. 

Just read it. Read it and then tell your friends." - Phil Earle

"Heartfelt, illuminating insights into the truths and imaginings behind the extraordinary The Imaginary."  - Sophie Anderson

"A fascinating insight into the creative process behind a modern classic." - Christopher Edge

"A moving and fascinating insight into the creation of a truly stupendous book." - Hannah Gold

“It's fascinating to read about how The Imaginary came to be, and underlines to me a lot about why it's such a deep and rewarding read. But AF Is wrong on one count, this is not an unnecessary imaginary thing, it's a necessary imaginary thing! Thank you so much AF and Emily for a beautiful book.” - Emily Drabble, Booktrust

“'If you don't try, you don't try' - A deeply touching and intimate journey into the creative process and story behind 'The Imaginary' and its fascinating evolution from mind to page to screen.” - Mat Tobin, Senior Lecturer in Education: Primary English and Children's Literature, Oxford Brookes University

Thanks to Emily Gravett for the original art, to Bloomsbury for allowing us to use the endpaper design for our cover, and to Richard Ponsford for the design and typsesetting of this project.