Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Cheers for Me | 1962 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 2 | That’s Me in the Middle | 1973 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 3 | It’s Me Again | 1975 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 4 | Me Bandy, You Cissie | 1979 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 5 | Me Too | 1983 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 6 | This One’s on Me | 1988 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 7 | Me So Far | 1989 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 8 | Hitler vs. Me | 1996 | Donald Jack | Buy |
| 9 | Stalin vs. Me | 2005 | Donald Jack | Buy |
The Bandy Papers by Donald Jack is a nine-book comic historical fiction series narrated by Bartholomew Wolfe Bandy, a Canadian farm boy who joins the Royal Flying Corps in World War I and somehow fails upward through history. The first book, Three Cheers for Me, was published in 1962 and won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. Jack continued Bandy’s story over the next four decades, with the final book, Stalin vs. Me, appearing in 2005.
Bandy is a gifted pilot but a social disaster. He offends generals, blunders into political crises, and routinely makes enemies of the people who should be his allies. The comedy comes from the gap between how Bandy sees himself and how everyone else sees him. Despite the humor, the series does not shy away from the real costs of war. Jack uses Bandy’s oblivious narration to land some sharp observations about military bureaucracy, colonial politics, and the absurdity of conflict. The books work both as historical adventure and as satire, which is probably why they stayed in print for so long.