Antonia Forest fans....advice needed!

[RosieMBanks]

Just looking at books for the summer holidays. Wondering whether to buy 'Celebrating Antonia Forest' or/and 'The Marlows and Their Maker'?
Just looked at Ebay, and notice that prices seem to have jumped for some titles...ie 'The Cricket Term' over £100! Is there a reason?

A lot of Antonia Forest books are out of print so that's why they are so expensive. A small publisher called I think girls gone by has reprinted a lot of Antonia Forest books over the last few years, but as the reprints sell out then the resell value goes up. It's a shame Faber and a faber doesn't reprint them. I think only the first book "Autumn term" is still in print from Puffin or Faber. I have the Marlows and their maker but haven't seen "celebrating Antonia Forst". I prefer the stories tbh. I did buy a sequel last year but haven't got round to reading it yet.

Such a shame. My mum bought them over the years second hand for 20p a time. Seems sad that children today just can't enjoy them because they're being sold for a fortune

I buy mine from badgerbooks, they have a good range of reproductions and originals.

I read the marlows and their maker, it is pretty good, an easy read and does give some insight into AF and her approach to life. Have not read the other one.

I agree with the others, it's very silly that puffin or faber don't reprint them, all of us who read them in the 1980s would now buy them for our dds....I did say that to a faber publisher I met about 10 years ago but no joy.

Having said that I have been able to buy them for not so unreasonable prices for my gddaughters so I'd keep looking.

My original paperback of Cricket Term is just a pile of single pages now - the glue on the spine has crumbled to dust. I suspect with that particular edition, hardly any survived in a sellable condition.

(I had End of Term & Attic Term from the same time and both have survived much better despite being re-read just as much).

Foyles in London (the main Charing Cross Branch) has a few shelves of Girls Gone By Books, so it's good for a browse but you won't find any rare copies i.e. there'll be nothing that's out of stock at either the Girls Gone By website or Badger Books.

I found Celebrating Antonia Forest a bit meh, but think if you haven't read Marlows and Their Maker, it would be a good read, and there's a lovely bit of discarded plot for Run Away Home

Many thanks - will order 'The Marlows and Their Maker'!

Yy,.celebrating af was basically a precis of all the books and a bit tosh.

The new sequel, otoh is fabulous!!!