Augustus Mandrell's surprises

I'd assumed from Mandrell the narrator's cheeky tone and Mandrell the character's cool demeanor that Frank McAuliffe was British. Then I guessed from the occasional jabs at American attitudes and from the (relatively) greater availability of his books in Canadian bookshops that he might be a Canadian poking occasional fun at the American military. Then I looked at a biographical note and read that McAuliffe was born in New York -- and worked as a technical writer for the Navy. The surprise was delightful, just another of the joys of reading these stories.

P.S. He aims jabs at the British and the French, too -- all amusing.
P.P.S. Bill Crider, an Augustus Mandrell fan of long standing, has some exciting news as well as biographical information about Frank McAuliffe here.

© Peter Rozovsky 2006

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