h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello, I noticed you have Elinor M. Brent-Dyer in your potential things to talk about list. I used to love the Chalet School series in my younger days.

Ooh, fab! I still love them, actually. Member of Friends of the Chalet School and everything. Have you read any of her other books?

I never joined the Friends of the Chalet School. I haven't read any of her other books, I'm afraid. Are they as good? Do you have all of the Chalet School books?

I *think* I have almost everything she ever wrote, and the day I completed my CSB collection was a high point in my life!

Friends of the CS has been going for, ooh, about 15 years now - actually, must be longer than that, might be 20 - and the two women who run it also run a small publishing company, Girls Gone By. They now have the EBD copyright and are gradually republishing all of her books, starting with the hardest to find ones. Also lots of them were heavily edited for the paperbacks so they are putting in all the missing chunks.

And they are republishing Geoffrey Trease's Black Banner books, and lots of Lorna Hill, and Antonia Forest (who is officially the Top Author for those of us that care).

I just love all my kidlit - for several years all my books had to live in suitcases under the spare bed, it was when we finally had enough shelf space for all my childhood friends to see daylight again

Well done on getting them all! I think I have 12 left to find. Friends of the CS sound interesting. Yes, I remember reading paperback and hardback versions (of which I only have a few) and noticing the differences. All of my CS books are now, sadly, in a box in the attic as we have no room left on bookshelves! I must look them out and check which ones I definitely don't have. It will be nice to see them again.

http://www.rockterrace.demon.co.uk/FOCS/main.html

is the website, and there's a link from there to take you to Girls Gone By. Anything other than the first half dozen are really hard to find in the shops - even charity shops.

It was really weird when I had completed my collection, for years I had always gone straight to the children's book section whenever I entered a bookshop ... and suddenly, I had nothing left to look for!

Thanks for the link! Will keep searching for my remaining twelve!