Look what's NOT back in print...

[forgottoremember]

I'm feeling v frustrated that so many books I loved in childhood AREN'T in print, and are only available for insane amounts of money second hand.

For eg
Tilly's House
books by Gunilla Wolde (Thomas bakes a cake etc. etc.)
Benjamin and Tulip

Why is this? Why aren't they republished?

What are your other longed-for books, that can't be got without (not quite) a second mortgage?

[Colyngbourne]

I still have my copy of Charlotte Sometimes (I can see it from here), and also The Swish of the Curtain (with the BBC production pic on the front).

I picked up a copy of The Valley of Song by Eliz Goudge at a church book sale just last week, for 50p.

[Themumsnot]

House at One End Street was reprinted a few years ago. I know I had a copy then because I remember reading it to DD1, but I can't find it any more. But there should be secondhand copies around.

[Goatbongosanonynous]

Colynbourne, I am very very !!!

[Cheddars]

Once there were giants - Martin Waddell

I keep seeing this mentioned on mn but I've never read it. I'd love to read it but don't want to pay ££££

[HiHowAreYou]

Diana2000 I can't believe someone else remembers the hot water bottle book. I used to love that!

[notcitrus]

It was Lily Rose at House from One End St. The others were Kate, James and John, sweet William, maybe a couple more.

Early Chalet Schools are dirt cheap on Ebay - only the later ones are rare.

Was sad to find that charity shops can't sell tatty books of wonderful kids' stories - shelves are filled with shiny nearly-new books and much of the well-thumbed stuff has to be pulped if they don't have a volunteer to sell stuff online.

[forgottoremember]

So interesting to see what people remember... I LOVED Noel Streatfeild - have masses and masses of her books in old editions.

Am not at all surprised that the Chalet School books haven't 'kept': I hated them first time round!

But I still am left wondering WHY these books aren't in print. Take the Antonia Forest ones - someone reprinted them, they ran out, and they're probably more in demand than ever.

It just makes me think that there must be some mileage in someone, somewhere, reprinting all these old favourites...

[vesela]

Great thread! (I nearly added "and what ought to be" to the "look what's back in print" thread).

I wish Ursula Moray Williams' Toymaker books (The Toymaker's Daughter etc.) were in print.

[festivalwidow]

Whatamess is out of print? No! I was really hoping to get some Whatamess books for DD who loves animals (they can't stop printing Hairy Maclary!)

Do Choose Your Own Adventure books still exist? I loved them as a primary schooler and would love to get them for my goddaughter. It was a lovely idea as it encouraged you to work out an ending for yourself. There were a lot of medieval ones IIRC.

[Jusfloatingby]

forgottoremember

Did you get your Noel Streatfeild's from Amazon or are they ones you've kept from your childhood?
I recently ordered two from Amazon - The Bell Family is a lovely old tatty hardback with the name of a girls' school library stamped on the inside. Caldicott Place is a 1990s edition paperback with kids in brightly coloured dungarees and t-shirts on the front. It just doesn't have the same magic. .

[Kveta]

What A Mess is brilliant - my parents kept all our copies so DS and DD can see them when we visit - I got a copy of What a mess goes to school from ebay recently too, so I can relive the drama of the brick being taken for a walk too :o

wish the chalet school was still in print, my parents got rid of my whole collection after I went to uni. god knows how much it would be worth now.

[Jusfloatingby]

Does anyone remember a book/series about dolls that lived in a dolls' house. There was a very snooty doll called something like Anastasia. Can't really remember much else but I know I loved it/them as a child.

[nickeldaisical]

But what about the fabulous books that are in print?

there are currently 14million books in print, and it's impossible to keep all books in print.

sometimes, the books that we remember and loved when we were children, actually turn out to be total crap when we re-read them as adults.
Maybe that's all you had available at the time?
Maybe they weren't actually any good then, but you just imagined them to be?

[suburbandream]

I got a copy of Rebecca's World second hand on ebay recently for about £6. Impossible to find it anywhere else. It's such a great book, am reading it with the DCs at the moment .

[nickeldaisical]

Noel Streatfeild are almost all in print - you might prefer to get them from your local high street bookshop rather than that online site that doesn't pay UK taxes and also doesn't care about the high street...

They are mostly published by Jane Nissen books, but the better known ones are published by Penguin, Harpercollins, Hodder and Oxford.

go to //www.hive.co.uk and type in his name - they'll all come up (and you're supporting local indies by buying from there)

[nickeldaisical]

you can get the Chalet School books from GGBP publishing - www.ggbp.co.uk/

[nickeldaisical]

his name???

her name

[Wigeon]

Whatamess is out of print?!

Discovered that Phoebe and the Hot Water Bottles is out of print when a Mnetter PM'd me (because I mentioned it on a thread) asking if I'd scan in one of the pages of my copy, because her copy was missing a page and it now costs £120!!!

However, in better news, the BBC has recently released a CD of Johnny Morris reading his animal Bedtime Stories ("When I said goodnight to all the animals, I said, well goodnight Gladys..."). Here and and here. I had these on cassette as a child and loved them! Now I love playing them for DD.

[BiscuitNibbler]

Noel Streatfeild was a woman, by the way.

[BiscuitNibbler]

Ah, cross-posts!

[nickeldaisical]

Charlotte Sometimes is available - I've got that here.

I've also got most of the Noel Streatfeild ones here - Theatre Shoes (Curtain Up), Circus Shoes, White Boots, Ballet Shoes, Ballet Shoes for Anna, Party Shoes (Frock)
you can also get Tea By The Nursery Fire, Tennis Shoes,Saplings are all in print again, and a lot of others are going to follow, I'm sure.
the Shoes titles are the American titles.

Once there were Giants is "reprint pending" right now.

Ursula Moray Williams - currently just Bogwoppit and Gobbolino back in print, but I'm sure, again, others will follow.

Choose your own adventures were published by a publisher that's no longer around, and no, they're all out of print too.
but there are similar books coming out gradually.

[nickeldaisical]

Biscuit - I can't type.

[suburbandream]

nickeldaisical - can you recommend anything for 10 year old boys? My son is a good reader but doesn't really enjoy reading IYSWIM, I find it hard to find books that will interest him and I personally can't bear all the beastquest/teenage spy type books. He's reading Terry Pratchett's Amazing Maurice and his marvellous rodents (or whatever it's called) at the moment and is enjoying that one.

[DilysPrice]

Have you tried Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series)? Or Charlie Higsons Young Bond is meant to be better than average teen spy tosh.

[Diana2000]

Does anyone remember a book/series about dolls that lived in a dolls' house. There was a very snooty doll called something like Anastasia. Can't really remember much else but I know I loved it/them as a child.

I think that might be Tottie, The Story Of A Dollshouse by Rumer Godden. Lovely, lovely story.

This thread is making me wish I had a DD to pass on all my favourite books to. Am looking forward to DS enjoying Roald Dahl and the Narnia books but don't think he'll be too fussed about the likes of Malory Towers!