catalogue DES

babyboomerbooks

......stories that endure......

D.E. Stevenson catalogue
romantic fiction

updated 28th June 2017

Gentle, humorous stories about ordinary people doing ordinary things, people whom you'd like to know.
Very English or Scottish with country settings, sometimes WW2, with our heroine doing her best.
I've loved them since being introduced to Amberwell at the age of ten.

	Amberwell: A family house on the west coast of Scotland, owned by the Ayrtons for many generations. The current children are kept out of the public eye but gradually they grow up and assert their independence. no stock at present Summerhills: Roger flies home to Amberwell on leave from the Army, full of plans for his home and how to help his sisters and young son. no stock at present
	Anna and Her Daughters: They lived a happy carefree life in London with plenty of money: suddenly Gerald dies and there is no money so they have to move to a village and live simply. Eventually Anna is happy - but what about the daughters?
	Bel Lamington: Bel must decide whether to marry her boss or not. A holiday in Scotland and meeting interesting new people helps her decide. Fletcher's End: Bel and Ellis buy a dilapidated old house in the Cotswolds near where her friend Louise lives and turn it into a warm and welcoming home.
	Celia's House: When old Celia Dunne dies her beloved house goes to Humphrey and Alice who bring it to life with children; the youngest is Celia who even as a baby seems to love the house. Collins Australia 1943 hb in good condition without dj; 1/- written on the fep, a square of browning on both end-papers, clean cream pages, tight binding and clean blue board covers. STE117a $10
	Charlotte Fairlie: Tessa invites her headmistress home in the Scottish Highlands for the holidays in the hope that her father will fall in love with her.
	Crooked Adam: Adam is lame so cannot join the armed forces in 1939 but his expertise is necessary to help Dr Cooke, a brilliant scientist, perfect an important secret weapon. However there seems to be a leak of information... Collins 1969 reprint hb with dj both in good condition; clean white pages, tight binding and clean brown board covers. Clipped dustjacket has no marks. STE116 $12
	Gerald and Elizabeth: Bess is a star in the West End of London, Gerald is her brother. They each have secrets. The House of the Deer: Sequel to Gerald and Elizabeth as Gerald takes a deer-stalking holiday in the Highlands.
	Green Money: George is in London being fitted with new boots when he meets Mr Green and agrees to become trustee to his daughter. How was George to know the old man would pop off so suddenly? Collins 1939 1st ed. hb in fair condition without dj; ex-library Victoria League, few spots of foxing on first 6 pages, clean cream pages, loose binding with tape at half-title page second-to-last page, binding cracked at the back end-paper (ie the webbing shows) - but holding together well - and clean green board covers. STE112 $40
	Kate Hardy: Kate moves to Old Quinings and becomes immersed in village life: but her wily neighbour Miss Crease has sensed she has a secret and is determined to get to the bottom of it. no stock at present
	Katherine Wentworth: Katherine is left a widow with her own twins to bring up and an older stepson, Simon. The choices open to Simon are varied and Katherine tries hard to guide him to choose correctly. A holiday in the Scottish Highlands brings everything into perspective. no stock at present Katherine's Marriage: Katherine and Alec work as a team to bring up her twins and stepson, Simon. When Simon is summoned to Limbourne to take up his inheritance life becomes difficult.
	Listening Valley: Antonia was shy as a child and frequently retreated to her "Listening Valley." Marriage to an older man opens her horizons and then in Scotland she finds her real Listening Valley and fulfillment as a woman.
	Miss Bun the Baker's Daughter: Sue takes a job as housekeeper with an artist who is new to the delightful border town of Beilford. no stock at present
	Miss Buncle's Book: Barbara Buncle's dividends have stopped coming and she can't face keeping hens, so the only thing to do is write a book. "I haven't any imagination" she says sadly and writes about her neighbours - who are not impressed. DES's funniest creation and one you can read over and over. Collins 1963 reprint hb with dj both in good condition; a name on the half-title page, clean cream pages, tight binding and clean blue board covers. Clipped dustjacket with browning on the back. STE105 $50 Miss Buncle's Book: Persephone London 2010 new paperback, gorgeous reprint of old favourite with plain grey card dust jacket over card covers and decorative end-papers with matching book mark. A delight! STE105a $40 Miss Buncle Married: Barbara Buncle has to leave Silverstream once her secret is discovered- and finally she finds a desirable residence in Wandlebury. But somehow the neighbours are such wonderful subjects for a novel that maybe they will have to move yet again. Herbert Jenkins 3rd imp. no date given (looks 1930s) hb in good condition with a scanned dj; fep has been removed so no names, clean cream pages, tight binding and unmarked red board covers. STE106 $70 The Two Mrs Abbotts: Barbara and Jerry are the two Mrs Abbotts doing their bit for England during WW2. Collins 1945 hb in good condition with scanned dust jacket; name on board inside front cover, clean cream pages, tight binding and clean brown board covers. STE107 $30
	Mrs Tim aka Mrs Tim of the Regiment: Leaves from the Diary of an Officer's Wife. Hester's humour and gaiety of spirit shine through her everyday doings as wife of an officer and mother of two children. Collins 1959 reprint hb with dj both in good condition; a name and address on the front board under dj flap, a strip of browning on both end-papers, clean cream pages, tight binding and clean blue board covers. Unclipped dustjacket with slightest edgewear. STE101 $45 Mrs Tim Carries On: Leaves from the Diary of an Officer's Wife in the Year 1940. WW2 is under way and Tim is in the thick of it but Hester works to remain her cheerful self. no stock at present Mrs Tim Gets a Job: The war is over and to fill in the time before Tim is demobilised, Hester takes a job as assistant to the formidable Miss Clutterbuck, owner of a private hotel in the Border country. Mrs Tim Flies Home: Leaves from the Diary of a Grass-Widow. Hester has been in Kenya with Tim, now Colonel Tim, and flies home via Rome where she meets Tony by chance - leading to misunderstandings back home in Old Quinings.
	Rochester's Wife: Kit has fallen in love with a married woman. The honourable thing is go away and forget her but how can he leave Mardi with a man who may be deranged?
	Sarah Morris Remembers: Sarah looks back at her life which was totally changed by World War 2. Sarah's Cottage: sequel to Sarah Morris Remembers. Sarah and her husband make a new life for themselves in a Scottish village near Sarah's delightful grandparents. Collins 1968 1st ed. hb with dj both in very good condition; clean cream pages, tight binding and clean green board covers. Unclipped dustjacket has no marks. STE140 $25
	Spring Magic: Frances Field breaks away from her dominating aunt and goes off to a remote fishing in Scotland for a solitary holiday where she meets the officers' wives from a battalion stationed nearby.
	Still Glides the Stream:Will Hastie has returned home to the Scottish Borders after the war and finds things very different from when he left.
	The Blue Sapphire: Julia sat on a seat in Kensington Gardens wearing her new hat and met an extraordinary young man. Fontana paperback 1968 GD/-- chipping at bottom spine, clean tanned pages STE203a $10
	The English Air: Before WW2 Fritz is sent to London by his father, a Nazi official, to report on his English mother's relatives. Nothing is as Fritz expected and when he falls on love with his cousin Wynne and war breaks out he is faced with a dilemma.
	The Fair Miss Fortune: The delightful story of Jane Fortune who sets up a teashop in a small country village and meets romance. Grey Ladies Edinburgh 2011 new paperback, never published before - rejected by Collins as old-fashioned. STE144 $40
	The Four Graces: follows The Two Mrs Abotts with a new cast of characters - the four daughters of a country vicar in WW2.
	The House on the Cliff: Elfrida's inheritance of a house in the West Country means she can leave her impoverished life in London where she struggled as an actress.
	The Musgraves: Esther and her family live in a Cotswolds village. When they move from a large house to a smaller one, some of the family object. no stock at present
	Rosabelle Shaw aka The Story of Rosabelle Shaw: Rosabelle is a sunny-natured child living on a farmhouse near the sea. An unexpected accident brings a stranger into the family: a boy whose tortuous ways and dangerous fascination makes trouble for everyone in the district.
	The Young Clementina: previously Divorced from Reality. Charlotte and Kitty Dean and their friend Garth have a happy and carefree childhood. Then suddenly Garth changes into a miserable cynic and marries someone else. His daughter Clementina becomes his only comfort.
	Vittoria Cottage: Caroline loves her garden and her peaceful village life. Then her sister Harriet, an actress, comes to stay and her son James comes home from Malaya. no stock at present Music in the Hills: Caroline's sister Mamie and husband Jock live and farm at Mureth House in the Scottish Borders. Maybe nephew James will take to the farming life and become their heir... no stock at present Winter and Rough Weather: Rhoda and James have returned from their honeymoon and are living on a remote farm in Scotland. no stock at present
	Young Mrs Savage: Being an Account of Every-Day Events in the Lives of Mrs. Savage and her Four Children. Dinah Savage is a young widow with four children - but "it's not too many" she always says. A charming story with lovely children. Rinehart & Co. New York Book Club edition no date hardback with dust jacket both in good condition; clean cream pages, tight binding and clean blue board covers. Unclipped dustjacket with small chipping at spine ends and a brown stain top lh front. STE121 $50