Whimwondery

Daniel J. T. McKay is a Cambridge-based historian, writer, and illustrator. He is the scion of a long line of cattle farmers in the Australian outback. Growing up in a terrible drought, he learnt to draw in the dust of a dry creek-bed. Having since sought out a green and pleasant land, Daniel recently completed a PhD in History at the University of Cambridge, as a member of Peterhouse, the oldest, smallest (and some might say quirkiest) college. Daniel's work draws on his passion for history and delights in the forgotten, curious and, archaic. Inspired by his surroundings in Cambridge, the burgeoning study of Whimwondery has been growing ever more serious over the past few years and now, for the first time has been ransacked from his imagination and scrawled and scroobled upon the page by ink-smudged hands for the perusal of the public. In the moments when his imagination is chained up and told to behave, Daniel is a historian of political history. Presently, he is a Bye-Fellow of Emmanuel College and Director of their educational enrichment programme. Daniel is also an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society. He has degrees in law, history, and politics, and previously worked in the Commonwealth of Australia Parliamentary Library, the Country Education Foundation, and as a farm hand. Though harbouring no romantic ambitions to be a farmer himself, he retains his love of cows and their frolicsome and silly moods on windy days.

• Agatha Aspinal's Auspicious Archaeofuturometer; Bertram, Bishop of Bumblechester's Brilliant Bustdustbuster; Charlotte Chomondeley-Coyte's Curious Custardolopododdler; Daphne, Duchess of Dorsetshire's Delightful Drinkibbledibbler; Eustace Eddington Esq.'s Enormous Endowerwhopper; Flossie FitzFrederick's Ferocious Fiendboshdongle; General George Gillis-Garsington-Gilfeather's Grandiloquent Gramophubbubler; The Hon. Hugh Hampton-Holdsworth's Haggard Hourhaggler; Isolde Inchebrooke's Irascible Inlinequekeeper; John St. John Jr.'s Jolly Jigglegigglejigger; Katherine Knoughborough's Kindly Kittencareener; Lady Larissa Longmore's Laudable Ludditetrongler; Messrs MacMavor, Milton & Mappin's Mollifying Melanchollycoddler; Norbertina Norrington's Nimble Nookbookling; Ophelia Osborne's Obsessive Oddsockmeetsocker; Professor Peregrine Prufrock-Parker's Pleasant Passionsmoocher; The Queen's Quarrelsome Quibbler; The Rupertswood Rugby & Rowing Club's Ravenous Recipidishler; Sir Saul Saintsbury-Sims' Salubrious Swaggerumpusoon; Teddy T. Trevelyan III's Tasteful Triglyphodraughter; Uncle Uriah's Uncomfortable Unspokenator; Vita, Viscountess Vanburgh's Verdant Vinevertuperator; Wilhelmina Waslett's Winsome Waxwaner; Xerxes's Xylocmacing Xylocanidivonator; Yolanda Yarborough's Yearning Yonderywander; Zurishaddai Zirdlestone's Zooshing Zenithender