Rob Houghton wrote:I see that 'someone' bought the DW copy of 'St Johnathon's In the Country' from eBay that I had on my watch list!
Sorry about that Rob, but I actually blame you and Ilsa!
I'm happy its gone to a good home too. I really only wanted 'reading copies' but there aren't really even any of those under about £10.00 for a few select titles - and none of St Johnathon's In the Country - so I had to go for the tattier wrapper version - which ended up being cheaper than one without a wrapper!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I have all the books in Brydons, Dean and Mr. Simister series and most of her stand alones. I am so glad I bought them in late 2016 and 2017 that I don’t have to compete with all of you.
My copy of 'St Johnathan's In the Country' arrived today, and it looks very good. Even the wrapper isn't too ripped, so for £15 it was quite a bargain! I've looked through it and was interested to see there are several colour plates scattered throughout the text - a nice surprise. I also read the 'Introduction' which as Daisy says, gives a pretty good outline of what happens in 'The Borrowed Garden', which is useful. I'm looking forward to reading it, even though it predates Smuggler's Creek, which I've almost finished.
Also 'The Deans Follow A Clue' arrived today, which is a thicker book than I'd imagined from the eBay photo - and looks equally as interesting. I'm really becoming a fan of Kathleen Fidler, and I hadn't really heard of her until Enid suggested one of her books in the EB Magazine listings.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
Just reading the start of 'St Johnathan's In the Country' and a passage struck me as being rather sexist according to today's way of thinking! It interested me because as we know Enid is always being condemned for sexism - but Kathleen Fidler seems blatantly to be so - with a paragraph that comes across as seriously sexist! this was 1945, so its easy to see that in some ways Enid was ahead of her time in questioning gender stereotypes with George etc.
Mr Cameron, a character in the book, proclaims - "Roger is ready to teach gardening to any boys who wish to learn. You may each have a plot of your very own. What's that, Roger? Girls too? Oh, very well, we shall have some lady gardeners as well. I can see a light shining in Sister Jones's eyes already! And those nice girls who would rather learn to cook, well Ruth and Mrs Hallum will welcome you in the kitchen..."
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I took that to be said in a rather jokey kind of way - as "nice" is italicised in the book, and in the next paragraph Marsdie quotes Mr Cameron "I might be one of those "nice girls" who'll go with Ruth...." which I feel makes it more likely it was said tongue in cheek. I'm sure Mrs Hallam would have been happy for any boys to help in her kitchen too, if it had been suggested.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.
The copy that you were watching arrived this morning, Rob - you did well to miss out on it by the sound of things. The wrapper is not too bad, but the cloth boards are trying to wave goodbye to the rest of the book and some of the colour plates are also trying to 'leave the nest' and have already managed to get loose. I suppose I should be grateful that they are still there!
oh dear! Sounds like I was lucky!! My copy doesn't have a great dust wrapper - its intact but quite faded - and doesn't look as good as the one on the book you bought - but maybe looks are deceptive. I do have all the colour plates - four of them - all firmly in place, and the book is quite clean with good boards. Then again, I think yours was a first edition? Mine is from 1947.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I borrowed the Brydons and Deans books from Wigan Children's Library in the 1960s. For years I have been trying to remember the title of the one where they (the Deans?) went down the old mine shafts on ASHURST BEACON, Dalton, near Wigan. It's the only title I wouldn't mind owning.
I recently read The Deans Defy Danger and The Brydons in Summer by arranging for Liverpool library to get them out of their archive for me to read in the special room!
Could anyone help me with the above title, or know of any websites where you can read them online?
My wife could see the summit of Ashurst Beacon from the front of the house where she lived before we were married. That was long before your escapades, Pete.
"You can't change history as that won't change the future"
I received another Deans book today. One I hadn't heard of until I saw it advertised... "The Deans and Mr Popple." It's good to find a 'new' book in a series - quite exciting really. I also bought a lovely hard back version of "Minnow on the Say", by Phillipa Pearce, so I passed on my paperback copy to my elder daughter whose book collection is bigger than mine!
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.
True, lol! 
