Ten Things about Jasper

My father (as featured in the dedication for The Eyre Affair) was John Standish Fforde, whose name appeared as chief cashier on British banknotes between 1966 and 1970, when he was promoted to director. In the above unfunny cartoon from Punch in about 1968, Dad is revealed as an ink-stained forger. His career as Chief Cashier gave way to legions of jokes at school about how he: ''must have a sore wrist from all that signing'' which made a change from: ''two 'F's? F-F-Ffordee? Did your dad have a stutter?'' As it was, he signed his name only a couple of times for the engravers, far less than I, as a humble writer.

Ten Things You Never Knew About Jasper: (and never thought to ask)

Jasper's dad was Chief Cashier at the Bank of England. Dad bought the original and bequeathed it to me. It's still on his desk at Mum's house. My father (as featured in the dedication for The Eyre Affair) was John Standish Fforde, whose name appeared as chief cashier on British banknotes between 1966 and 1970, when he was promoted to director. In the above unfunny cartoon from Punch in about 1968, Dad is revealed as an ink-stained forger. His career as Chief Cashier gave way to legions of jokes at school about how he: ''must have a sore wrist from all that signing'' which made a change from: ''two 'F's? F-F-Ffordee? Did your dad have a stutter?'' As it was, he signed his name only a couple of times for the engravers, far less than I, as a humble writer.