Rube Goldberg Device: Or more specifically, its British cultural equivalent the 'Heath Robinson contraption'. note Robinson, whose name entered the language in the UK slightly earlier than did Goldberg's in the US, was similarly known for his whimsical drawings of elaborate mechanical devices constructed from everyday objects, designed to pull off either absurdly simple or improbably niche tasks. Hunter's creation of Branestawm was effectively a distillation of the various balding, bespectacled, professorial types who appeared operating these machines. The pair were a perfect fit, and Robinson illustrated 1933's first book in the series The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm with the likes of a 'burglar-catching machine', 'potato-peeling machine' and 'pancake-making machine'. Later books' illustrations, by different artists, kept faithfully to this style. Narratively indispensable to the series. Many of the plots essentially run on these, and various other (unseen) products of the Professor's "inventory" are mentioned in passing.
Sequel Gap: One of the most extraordinary patterns of releases in literature. The second book was published in 1937, after a moderate but fairly unremarkable four-year gap. The third one arrived in 1970, thirty three years later. Then between 1972 and 1983 a further ten books emerged all in a rush.
