LITTLE LIGHT

The first edition wrapper as it first appeared by Anne Proctor

sub-titled as 'A New Lone Pine Story' this would, at first sight, appear to be a continuation book of the long-loved series of adventure stories by Malcolm Saville. This is not exactly the case. Shortly after its publication the Saville family raised this objection to its being so labelled and changes were immediately made to the dustwrapper design. The second wrapper has the words A New Lone Pine Story removed from the front and a paragraph of the rear flap blurb removed as was the Lone Pine Tree logo thereon. The book takes the main characters of the Lone Pine Series, starting with a newly married Jon and Penny, and leads them into an adventure which starts when they come house-hunting in Rye. The mystery leads them into friendship with other Lone Pine characters they meet for the first time !

'corrected' wrapper First Edition 2006

You see this isn't the Jon and Penny who lived at the Gay Dolphin, nor had their neighbour Fred Vasson ever been an hotel handiman, and yet although they have different pasts, they are the same characters. Penny is the same bubbly girl, Jon the same untidy, intelligent character, and I warmed to them like meeting old friends again.
This didn't start out as a review, but as I can imagine that there'll be some harrumphing and pshaww-ing about this book, I shall state where I stand. I like it.
The writing is good - I know that because the characters live and I cared what happened to them. They were true to their characters as created by Malcolm Saville, and the adventure is true to his moral code as well.
Admittedly it is all a bit confusing, my eyebrows shot up more than a few times, but I did care about these people and wanted to know what happened next. I admit that I even felt chokey on occasions. And that, to me, makes it a good book. (And I bought it - no complimentary copy here !)

So - thank you Sam, I hope you write more !

First edition:
Hardback book; blue cloth, red blocking on front board and spine. Spine has title, author and publisher, front board has title and author and has the Newnes-style Lone Pine tree logo at bottom right.
5 inches x 7.5 inches overall; 230 numbered pages followed by an advertisement page for the Malcolm Saville Society.
There are map endpapers, not credited, but no illustrations except a title page vignette of a doorway, again not credited.
The dustwrapper is a full wrap-around picture of the London location of part of the adventure, by Anne Proctor. The front flap sets the theme for the adventure, and mentions the Malcolm Saville connection, while the rear flap fills in some of the background to author and story. ISBN 978-0-9549069-1-7; cp £18.