Malcolm Saville - Lone Pine Club, etc.

[Lenoir]

It’s great to see these covers. They are very nice. I have never seen any of these books in hardback with a dust jacket.
I’ve just managed to collect one hardback in the Lone Pine series, and that is my battered 1950 edition of Lone Pine Five.

[Moonraker]

I've just taken a look at the MS website and thought it very poor.

This thread has whetted my appetite to re-read some of these books. The Gay Dolphin Adventure is, as I recall, my favourite, and made me travel to Rye in Sussex to seek out the Mermaid Inn, on which the Gay Dolphin was based. I remember enjoying the romantic episodes of the books, being the same age as the characters when I last read them.

I am so pleased to live nearby to the secret entrance to the Cave of Books, so it won't be too long before I am ensconced in more of Tony's Treasures!

[Pippa-Stef]

This thread has whetted my appetite to re-read some of these books. The Gay Dolphin Adventure is, as I recall, my favourite, and made me travel to Rye in Sussex to seek out the Mermaid Inn, on which the Gay Dolphin was based.

I never really got into The Gay Dolphin Adventure if I'm honest, the adventures that contains the Warrenders, but without Peter, Tom, and Jenny especially, I found it harder to get into. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy them, it just took me a few more reads than the others to appreicate the magic of them.

I remember enjoying the romantic episodes of the books, being the same age as the characters when I last read them.

I never thought of you as a Romantic before Nigel! However, I do enjoy the romance in these books as well, it often allows the plot to go a little further off the rails than possible because the older members of the group leave things to the Twins, which as expected, ends in total disaster. Plus, romance, or lack of it, is an underlying current in Not Scarlet but Gold (Which is certainly one of my favourite books!).

[Anita Bensoussane]

The Gay Dolphin Adventure is, as I recall, my favourite, and made me travel to Rye in Sussex to seek out the Mermaid Inn, on which the Gay Dolphin was based.

I never really got into The Gay Dolphin Adventure if I'm honest, the adventures that contains the Warrenders, but without Peter, Tom, and Jenny especially, I found it harder to get into.

I enjoyed The Gay Dolphin Adventure very much but I did groan at another book (I've forgotten which one it was) in which the plot depended partly upon Penny having some kind of mystical dream.

I read somewhere that the writer of the sitcom Just Good Friends was a fan of the Lone Pine series, hence the use of the name Penny Warrender for one of the main characters.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I am so pleased to live nearby to the secret entrance to the Cave of Books, so it won't be too long before I am ensconced in more of Tony's Treasures!

Trust Nigel to rub it in, making us more green with envy. When he calls pretend to be out, Tony. Or better still bar him from the cave.

[Pippa-Stef]

The Gay Dolphin Adventure is, as I recall, my favourite, and made me travel to Rye in Sussex to seek out the Mermaid Inn, on which the Gay Dolphin was based.

I never really got into The Gay Dolphin Adventure if I'm honest, the adventures that contains the Warrenders, but without Peter, Tom, and Jenny especially, I found it harder to get into.

I enjoyed The Gay Dolphin Adventure very much but I did groan at another book (I've forgotten which one it was) in which the plot depended partly upon Penny having some kind of mystical dream.

I might be mistaken Anita, but that wouldn't have been Treasure at Amory's(sp?) would it? I know that plot relies heavily on Penny and her dreams...

[Daisy]

I think you're right Steph. Treasure at Amory's came to my mind too. It's not one of my favourites from the series.

[Pippa-Stef]

Spoiler AlertThough I'll try to be as vague as possible. I'm just putting it out there!

Yes, same for me. It's not my favourite. I think this is party because Penny and Jon are so central to the action and you get the feeling that by this book, Malcolm Saville had written himself into a dead end with them.
I also feel the lack of David's involvement in this story the most, as it's right after Not Scarlet but Gold, which for those who have read the books, know how the dynamic of the Lone Pine group changes. In Treasure at Amorys which is the next book, David is not all together interested in this adventure his friends seemed to have found, being a little more homesick for Shropshire than usual. Thus it leaves Jon, Penny and the Twins to carry the story, which although at some points the story works, the lack of involvement from David can be felt because the story is not so ordered as the other ones.

The last couple of books of the series though, I will admit, have this feel about them. As Malcolm Saville decided to allow his characters to grow up and change in the process, he did loose a certain aspect of the Lone Pine group that is crucial.
However, I enjoyed the fact that they were allowed to grow up,it gives a different feel to the books and you can watch the characters grow, whereas with the Famous Five, you don't get the full force of the gathered knowledge.

I'm going to shush now, because I could literally go on for pages and pages, and I don't want to bore anyone.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Pippa-Stef and Daisy. I'm sure you're right that it was Treasure at Amorys - probably one of my least-liked titles.

Good observation about the "lack of involvement" of some of the characters as the series progresses. In Home to Witchend it seems that romantic relationships become the "adventure", with catching crooks being secondary. It's the only book that makes me think, "Thank goodness for Mary and Dickie!"

[Pippa-Stef]

Good observation about the "lack of involvement" of some of the characters as the series progresses. In Home to Witchend it seems that romantic relationships become the "adventure", with catching crooks being secondary. It's the only book that makes me think, "Thank goodness for Mary and Dickie!"

Where would the books be without Dickie and Mary?! They almost make a George, only younger!

[Julie2owlsdene]

My first ever Malcolm Saville book has arrived. I'll read it once I've read Secret Island for the readathon, as I'm also reading Barbara Stoney's book as posted in an earlier thread.

[Pippa-Stef]

Which book did you get Julie? Are you starting from the beginning?

[Julie2owlsdene]

It's not a Lone Pine, one Steph. It's called The Secret of Buzzard Scar. I have ordered a Lone Pine book which hasn't yet arrived and I believe that is the first of the series. Mystery at Witchend!

[Pippa-Stef]

Ahh cool! Well have fun reading them! :O)

[RDMorrell]

I've been collecting this series since I first found out about it in another thread on this forum ages ago. All my editions are by Girls Gone By. They really are well worth getting. Girls Gone By actually published the last two books first, these being Where's My Girl? and Home to Witchend. These are now out of print, but I managed to get them just before or just after that happened. Since publishing those final two books, Girls Gone By have gone back to the beginning and started from the first book, Mystery at Witchend. They are now up to the tenth volume, Lone Pine London. Please be aware that the first three books, as well as the last two, are all out of print. But I'm sure it must still be possible to obtain them from second-hand dealers. Best to get them while they're fresh out though, really.

I do agree with what some other people have said about some of the chapters being a bit long. But they are generally full of suspense, humour and other qualities that make for great stories. The geographical info is fascinating too, so definitely a good series to collect. Avoid abridged Armada or Merlin editions, though. There was another publisher in the 1980s that put out nice-looking hardbacks, but they're abridged as well.