BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

The Fourth Bear
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear Paperback - 2007

by Jasper Fforde

Add to wish list

The inimitable Jasper Fforde gives readers another delightful mash-up of detective fiction and nursery rhyme, returning to those mean streets where no character is innocent. The Gingerbreadman-sadist, psychopath, cookie-is on the loose in Reading, but that's not who Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary are after. Instead, they've been demoted to searching for missing journalist "Goldy" Hatchett. The last witnesses to see her alive were the reclusive Three Bears, and right away Spratt senses something furry-uh, funny-about their story, starting with the porridge. The Fourth Bear is a delirious new romp from our most irrepressible fabulist.

Summary

The inimitable Jasper Fforde gives readers another delightful mash-up of detective fiction and nursery rhyme, returning to those mean streets where no character is innocent. The Gingerbreadman—sadist, psychopath, cookie—is on the loose in Reading, but that’s not who Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary are after. Instead, they’ve been demoted to searching for missing journalist “Goldy” Hatchett. The last witnesses to see her alive were the reclusive Three Bears, and right away Spratt senses something furry—uh, funny—about their story, starting with the porridge. The Fourth Bear is a delirious new romp from our most irrepressible fabulist.

Reader reviews for The Fourth Bear

From the publisher

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Enter the seedy underbelly of nursery crime, where characters are never as they seem, in this "brilliantly, breathlessly odd" (USA Today) novel from the renowned author of The Big Over Easy and the Thursday Next series.

"Like the best novels of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, Fforde goes beyond his genre."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Jasper Fforde is able to write diabolically. . . . Outrageous satirical agility is his stock in trade."--The New York Times

Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary long to collar the Gingerbreadman--psychopath, sadist, criminal genius, cookie--who's at large in Reading. Instead, they're demoted to searching for missing journalist Henrietta "Goldy" Hatchett. The last witnesses to see her alive were the reclusive three bears, and Jack thinks something's odd about their story. How could that porridge be too hot, too cold, and just right if it was poured at the same time?

The question is: was there a fourth bear?

Details

  • Title The Fourth Bear
  • Author Jasper Fforde
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York, New York
  • Publication date 2007-08-01
  • Features Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780143038924 / 0143038923
  • Weight 0.59 lbs (0.27 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.74 x 5.16 x 0.76 in (19.66 x 13.11 x 1.93 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Mystery fiction, Fantasy fiction
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Jasper Fforde is able to write diabolically. . . . Outrageous satirical agility is his stock in trade. (The New York Times)

Like the creators of . . . The Simpsons and South Park, Mr. Fforde uses fantasy to dissect real life. . . . He is our best thinking personÆs genre writer. (The Washington Times)

Mr. Fforde manages to bombard the reader with more bizarre detail than most writers would dare to fit in their entire oeuvre, yet he does so with . . . light prose and easy, confident wit. (The Wall Street Journal)

About the author

Jasper Fforde spent twenty years in the film business before debuting on the New York Times bestseller list with The Eyre Affair, the first book in the Thursday Next series. He is also the author of Early Riser and The Constant Rabbit; the Nursery Crime Adventures series; the Shades of Grey series; and the Last Dragonslayer series, adapted for television as a movie. He lives in Wales.

More Copies for Sale

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$2.55
A$5.71 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 7/31/2007 12:00:01 A. paperback. Good. 0.8000 in x 7.7000 in x 5.1000 in.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$2.55
A$5.71 Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$5.30
A$5.00 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books. Used - Very Good. Good shape with typical wear. Has a remainder mark. Paperback Used - Very Good Ships fast! 2007Reprint
Add to wish list
Item price
A$5.30
A$5.00 Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Acceptable
Condition
Acceptable
Edition
Reprint
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$7.03
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Reprint. Acceptable. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.03
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2007-07-31. Paperback. Good. 0x5x7.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2007-07-31. Paperback. Good. 14x81x124.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2007-07-31. Paperback. Acceptable. 0x5x7.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime (Jack Spratt Investigates)

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2007-07-31. paperback. Acceptable. 0x5x7.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.66
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Fourth Bear

by Fforde, Jasper

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2007. Paperback. Acceptable. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear : A Nursery Crime

The Fourth Bear : A Nursery Crime

by Jasper Fforde

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
7
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2007. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Fourth Bear : A Nursery Crime

The Fourth Bear : A Nursery Crime

by Jasper Fforde

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143038924 / 0143038923
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2007. Paperback. Acceptable. Disclaimer:A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA