Malcolm Saville
Encyclopedia
Leonard Malcolm Saville was an English
author born in Hastings
, Sussex
. He is best known for the Lone Pine series of children's books, many of which are set in Shropshire
. His work places emphasis on place, with the books including many vivid descriptions of English countryside, villages and sometimes towns. It is also generally acknowledged to be of high literary value, with, for instance, one of Saville's books, Jane's Country Year being described as "another work which deserves to be valued and read". (Watson 2001)
Saville's writing career, from 1943 to 1982, was an extensive diversion from his working life that began at Oxford University Press
then continued as a publicist
with Cassell & Co. (now part of Orion Books), Associated Press
, and George Newnes
. He was later the editor
of two magazines, taking over one of these - the well-remembered Sunny Stories - from Enid Blyton
when she left to set up her own magazine in direct competition. Several of his 90 books were serialised for broadcast
on BBC
radio
, and his 1953 book The Ambermere Treasure, part of the Jillies series, was serialised by Associated-Rediffusion
, the first commercial television company to broadcast in the UK
, in late 1955 and early 1956; it was therefore one of the first ITV
children's drama series.
Saville had strong moral convictions, and was a practising Christian
.
The Lone Pine series
The Buckingham series
The Jillies series
The Nettleford series:
The Marston Baines series
The Susan and Bill series
The Michael and Mary series
The Brown Family series
Other fiction books
Travel books:
Nature and countryside books:
Religious books
Other non-fiction:
Saville also edited a poetry anthology called Words For All Seasons, first published in 1979 and still in print. Before his death Saville began a book on the Shropshire countryside he loved, called The Silent Hills of Shropshire; he died before he could finish it, but it was completed by Mark O'Hanlon and published in 1998, although it is no longer in print. Mark O'Hanlon's biography of Saville, Beyond the Lone Pine which was published to coincide with the centenary of Saville's birth in 2001, is also now out of print. Another book by Mark O'Hanlon called The Complete Lone Pine - a guide to the entire series - was published in 1996 and was reprinted in an extended hardback edition in 2005; it remains in print today. An anthology of Malcolm Saville's Short Stories is likely to be published by the Malcolm Saville Society but the date has yet to be confirmed.
It should be mentioned that many of the out-of-print books are easily available in second-hand editions; others, however, are considerably harder to find.
'The sign of the Alpine Rose' pub Lutterworth press, 1950 - on my bookshelf as I write this!
Watson, Victor (2001). The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English Cambridge University Press 627-628 ISBN 0521550645
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author born in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He is best known for the Lone Pine series of children's books, many of which are set in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. His work places emphasis on place, with the books including many vivid descriptions of English countryside, villages and sometimes towns. It is also generally acknowledged to be of high literary value, with, for instance, one of Saville's books, Jane's Country Year being described as "another work which deserves to be valued and read". (Watson 2001)
Saville's writing career, from 1943 to 1982, was an extensive diversion from his working life that began at Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
then continued as a publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
with Cassell & Co. (now part of Orion Books), Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and George Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
. He was later the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of two magazines, taking over one of these - the well-remembered Sunny Stories - from Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
when she left to set up her own magazine in direct competition. Several of his 90 books were serialised for broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, and his 1953 book The Ambermere Treasure, part of the Jillies series, was serialised by Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
, the first commercial television company to broadcast in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in late 1955 and early 1956; it was therefore one of the first ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
children's drama series.
Social & family
His marriage to Dorothy (née McCoy) in 1926 produced four children.Saville had strong moral convictions, and was a practising Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
Book list
All dates in the list below refer to the first date of publication. Some of the earlier titles were reissued in revised editions in the late 1960s and early 1970s.The Lone Pine series
- Mystery at Witchend (1943)
- Seven White Gates (1944)
- The Gay Dolphin Adventure (1945)
- The Secret of Grey Walls (1947)
- Lone Pine Five (1949) - currently in print.
- The Elusive Grasshopper (1951) - currently in print.
- The Neglected Mountain (1953) - currently in print.
- Saucers Over The Moor aka Saucers Over The Moon (1955) - currently in print.
- Wings Over Witchend (1956) - currently in print.
- Lone Pine London (1957) - currently in print.
- The Secret of the Gorge (1958) - currently in print.
- Mystery Mine (1959) - currently in print.
- Sea Witch Comes Home (1960)
- Not Scarlet But Gold (1962)
- Treasure at Amorys (1964)
- Man With Three Fingers (1966)
- Rye Royal (1969)
- Strangers at Witchend (1970) - currently in print.
- Where's My Girl? (1972) - currently in print.
- Home To Witchend (1978) - currently in print.
- The Flower-Show Hat (short story originally published in 1950 and reprinted in 2000 by the Malcolm Saville Society) - currently in print.
The Buckingham series
- The Master of Maryknoll (1950)
- The Buckinghams at Ravenswyke (1952)
- The Long Passage (1954)
- A Palace for the Buckinghams (1963)
- The Secret of the Villa Rosa (1971)
- Diamond in the Sky (1974)
The Jillies series
- Redshank's Warning (1948)
- Two Fair Plaits (1948); reprinted as Secret in the Mist in 1952, but reverted to its original title for subsequent editions.
- Strangers at Snowfell (1949)
- The Sign of the Alpine Rose (1950)
- The Luck of Sallowby (1952)
- The Ambermere Treasure (1953)
The Nettleford series:
- All Summer Through (1951)
- Christmas at Nettleford (1953)
- Spring Comes To Nettleford (1954)
- The Secret of Buzzard Scar (1955)
The Marston Baines series
- Three Towers in Tuscany (1963)
- The Purple Valley (1964)
- Dark Danger (1965)
- White Fire (1966)
- Power of Three (1968)
- The Dagger and the Flame (1970)
- Marston - Master Spy (1978)
The Susan and Bill series
- Susan, Bill and the Wolf Dog (1954)
- Susan, Bill and the Ivy-Clad Oak (1954)
- Susan, Bill and the Vanishing Boy (1955)
- Susan, Bill and the Golden Clock (1955)
- Susan, Bill and the 'Saucy Kate (1956)
- Susan, Bill and the Dark Stranger (1956)
- Susan, Bill and the Bright Star Circus (1960)
- Susan, Bill and the Pirates Bold (1961)
The Michael and Mary series
- Trouble at Townsend (1945) - when it was first published, this book was filmed by the Rank OrganisationRank OrganisationThe Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
starring a young Petula ClarkPetula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
. - The Riddle of the Painted Box (1947)
- The Flying Fish Adventure (1950)
- The Secret of the Hidden Pool (1953)
- Where The Bus Stopped (1955) - actually a short story which was published as a book in its own right, although it also appeared in anthologies.
- Young Johnnie Bimbo (1956)
- The Fourth Key (1957)
The Brown Family series
- Four And Twenty Blackbirds (1959) - retitled The Secret of Galleybird Pit in editions published after 1967.
- Good Dog Dandy (1971)
- The Roman Treasure Mystery (1973)
Other fiction books
- Treasure at the Mill (1957)
- The Thin Grey Man (1966)
Travel books:
- Come to LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1967) - Come to DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
(1969) - Come to CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
(1969) - Come to SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
(1970) - Portrait of RyeRye, East SussexRye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
(1976) - The Silent Hills of Shropshire (1998)
Nature and countryside books:
- Country Scrapbook for Boys and Girls (1944)
- Open Air Scrapbook for Boys and Girls (1945)
- Seaside Scrapbook for Boys and Girls (1946)
- Jane's Country Year (1946)
- Small Creatures (1959)
- Malcolm Saville's Country Book (1961) - an updated revision and expansion of the Country Scrapbook and Open Air Scrapbook.
- Malcolm Saville's Seaside Book (1962) - a similar updated revision and expansion of the Seaside Scrapbook.
- See How It Grows (1971)
- Eat What You Grow (1975)
- The Countryside Quiz (1978)
- The Wonder Why Book of Exploring a Wood (1978)
- The Wonder Why Book of Exploring the Seashore (1979)
- The Wonder Why Book of Wild Flowers Through the Year (1980)
- The Seashore Quiz (1981)
Religious books
- King of Kings (1958)
- Strange Story (1967)
Other non-fiction:
- The Adventure of the Lifeboat Service (1950)
- The Coronation Gift Book for Boys and Girls (1952)
- The Story of WinchelseaWinchelseaWinchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
Church (1978) - currently in print.
Saville also edited a poetry anthology called Words For All Seasons, first published in 1979 and still in print. Before his death Saville began a book on the Shropshire countryside he loved, called The Silent Hills of Shropshire; he died before he could finish it, but it was completed by Mark O'Hanlon and published in 1998, although it is no longer in print. Mark O'Hanlon's biography of Saville, Beyond the Lone Pine which was published to coincide with the centenary of Saville's birth in 2001, is also now out of print. Another book by Mark O'Hanlon called The Complete Lone Pine - a guide to the entire series - was published in 1996 and was reprinted in an extended hardback edition in 2005; it remains in print today. An anthology of Malcolm Saville's Short Stories is likely to be published by the Malcolm Saville Society but the date has yet to be confirmed.
It should be mentioned that many of the out-of-print books are easily available in second-hand editions; others, however, are considerably harder to find.
'The sign of the Alpine Rose' pub Lutterworth press, 1950 - on my bookshelf as I write this!
External links
- The Malcolm Saville Society
- Malcolm Saville Online
- An index of his books
- Malcolm Saville archive at University of Worcester
Watson, Victor (2001). The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English Cambridge University Press 627-628 ISBN 0521550645