who remembers Cynthia Harnett - The Woolpack, Ring Out Bow Bells etc?

[bossykate]

I have just re-read these even though they are children's books. Marvellous. Think she is out of print now...

Fell Farm Christmas, Marjorie Lloyd. The children walked miles and miles, and they called the little one the Infant and there were very odd, but appealing illustrations. Like pictures from a colouring book.

Can't face William Mayne anymore, or hand it over to kids. That may be ridiculous because he was such a good writer.

Kitty Barnes, anyone? She Shall Have Music.
I used to wish there was a sequel but I never heard of one if there was.

oooh yes

they were SPLENDID

she wrote that one about the printing press also, i think

Loved them bk. Am v. sad to hear so much of her writing is o/p
Have already outed myself on here as big fan of Rosemary Sutcliff, and also Andre Norton.
I remember reading C Walter Hodges' The Namesake around the same time as The Woolpack, plus the Marjorie Lloyd Fell Farm books
The author I REALLY wish they would reprint is Paul Berna. He wrote ripping adventure stories, set in France in the 50s and 60s, and Puffin went bananas and translated the whole lot. We loved them at school, turns out dh adored them too so we have a few very precious and tatty originals, but he has vanished from the UK children's literature scene entirely.

Slowreader, if you enjoyed Kitty Barnes did you read the two Elfrida Vipont books about a young singer, The Lark in the Morn and the Lark on the Wing? They were two more favourites.

Does anyone remember The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge? Loved that book. I even bought a copy when an adult to read. Of course I can't find it now when DD would enjoy it.

This thread has reminded me of so many treasures.

Does anyone remember The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge? Loved that book. I even bought a copy when an adult to read. Of course I can't find it now when DD would enjoy it.

This thread has reminded me of so many treasures.

The Little White Horse is still in print, and Puffin have recently reprinted Linnets and Valerians, another E Goudge children's book.

Thanks for the recommendations Marina, I have put them on the wish list that I cart round 2nd hand shops.

Anyone remember The Children Who Lived in a Barn?

Children Who Lived in a Barn has been reprinted by the fabulous outfit Persephone (it is fabulous, but I have to say so, 'cos it belongs to dh's auntie). I continually wish I could persuade her to do a whole devoted run of Children's Nostalgia.

I think there might be a gap in the market there bink - Persephone (love them too) could so easily reprint Antonia Forest, Elfrida Vipont, Marjorie Lloyd, Cynthia Harnett, Elizabeth Goudge, Hilda Lewis and many others - using nursery vintage wallpapers and textiles for their endpapers and bookmarks.
Is NB really your dh's aunt ?

yes - have you met her? She's lovely

No, sadly. But her business is a good deed in a naughty world of corporate publishing.
Get her round for lunch and twist her arm. I bet a LOT of her loyal readers have children or grandchildren to share this sort of vintage publishing with...

Bink, thank you have just put myself on the mailing list. Can we send dh aunt a wishlist?

The thing is - lovely though she absolutely is - she has I think very firmly-thought-out, private, ideas about what she wants on her list. I've tried in the past, probably a bit feebly, to suggest things - & you get the sense that you can't really come up with anything she's hasn't already considered (& made a decision about). However, lunch - yes - a meet-the-MN-culture-vulture-promising-market-segment? That might be an idea.

And the nursery textiles, that's rather a genius touch if I may say so

Well I have emailed her a list anyway! It is very short.
I suppose it is sometimes a case of wrenching rights back from original publishers.

I believe that is definitely an issue with Antonia Forest currently slowreader such a shame. Gravy-stained library copies going for £££ on abebooks while a Persephone Young Readers series would look lovely and raise the profile of all this magical, challenging, enjoyable writing .
I would say this of course but you are never too young to understand the pleasure of a book as an artefact. Both ds and dd already have Folio Society volumes of their own, plus proper editions of AA Milne, and Everyman children's titles, on their bookcases
And whoever encouraged Conn Iggulden to go with that attractive retro styling for The Dangerous Book for Boys was a shrewd person. The presentation made all the difference between my thinking, maybe...and my buying it immediately.

Gosh Bink, your dh's aunt is fast! I am very impressed.
She has just emailed me back to say she is not an Elizabeth Goudge fan!

I can see her point to an extent slowreader. I enjoy EG but am always conscious of feeling a tad shifty about doing so IYSWIM

I suppose she is one of those authors whose breath you can almost feel on the back of your neck sometimes...
But then so is E Nesbit.
And Philip Pullman absolutely pants...

I don't suppose anyone would like to start a small publishing company with me would they?

Delighted to hear The Children Who Lived in a Barn reprinted - oh yes, I remember the haybox!

i will speak to my friend in publishing about this. she doesn't do children's books but in the past has done well by bringing things back from publishing oblivion... she should have contacts if nothing else.

after all, children's historical novels such as the thieves of ostia series do well...

I am sure ds relishing The Thieves of Ostia has sharpened my memory of some of the great children's history books I read bk.

Meindert de Jong is another one I should like to see reprinted. I wish there was a modern imprint like the old fashioned Puffins. I am sure Kaye Webb chose her books for love as well as money. Good luck with your publishing friend bk. Which publishers would it be?

Paul Berna - the Hundred Million Francs man? If you like those Marina, do you like Emil and the Detectives too? I always thought they were in the same "area"

I know how you feel about William Mayne - I felt the same when I found out about Marion Zimmer Bradley's personal life - but if we never read anything written by unsavoury people we'd deprive ourselves of lots of pleasures!

I presume everybody knows about Girls Gone By?

Thanks for reminding me - I shall rush off and see if my mother has kept my old copies and immeidately read them to my sprogs. I loved The Woolpack.