Elizabeth Tugwell

[Domino]

I wonder if any of you have ever read any of this lady's books. There's very little about her on the internet. She wrote novels for schoolgirls somewhere between the mid-1930's and the end of the 1950's. I actually met Miss Tugwell on at least three occasions in the late 1960's. This came about because I worked in a solicitors' office and a colleague, who dealt with probate matters, asked me if I could go with him to her house in Tunbridge Wells to witness the signing of her new will. One of her eccentricities was that she did not feel comfortable meeting people she had not met before. In the event, she must have mentioned writing and I must have said something to indicate that I was interested in writing also, because she immediately picked up on this and was immediately at ease with me. She told me that she had had 11 books published (which she had on display in her bookcase). I was certainly impressed by this. It may sound meagre compared with EB, but it is still quite a feat.
She also told me that she used to try to to make them as authentic as possible. In one of her books, her schhoolgirl heroines were locked in a station master's room in an out-of-the-way railway station and had to spend the whole night there. To get the atmosphere correct, Miss Tugwell sat for a whole night in a station waiting room so she could hear the sounds that they would hear.
Sadly, I cannot now remember the titles of her books, but I have been able to discover these:



I think the dates are of the first editions (but cannot be sure). I seem to recall that the majority of her books were published by Frederick Warne (who specialised in children's books).
I would love to know more about them, if any of you can help.

Domino

[Tony Summerfield]

I always like a bibliographical challenge, Dave, but I'm afraid that I am going to disappoint you here. I have just checked the English Catalogue of Books from 1934 to 1960 and the only Elizabeth Tugwell books listed are the four that you mention, by the publishers that you mention. I can be a bit more precise about the four dates, May 1938 and May 1941 for the two Nelson books (which were both republished by Nelson in the early 1950s), October 1947 for the Hammond book and November 1947 for the Warne book - this last one would seem to disagree with the date that you put. I will check further dates, but in the period I checked it would seem that she just had these four books published, and only the one by Warne.

[Domino]

Thanks for your sleuthing, Tony. I have just checked again on http://www.worldcat.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and they give the publication twice as 1946 for the Warne book.The first names her as 'Elizabeth D. M. Tugwell', the second as just 'Elizabeth Tugwell' . I am not at all sure what that means. Surely there wouldn't have been two editions in one year, or would there?
I am not especially disappointed so much as puzzled. I am fairly sure in my own mind that she showed me a whole row of her published books and I think there were quite a few that were school stories (whereas the 3 covers I found don't seem to suggest that). She may well have begun before 1934. I think she was around 80 when I met her in the late 60's, though far from frail. The trouble is it was 40 odd years ago and I wasn't absorbing the detail as much as I might have done. She might have used a different name, but I think I would have noticed that in the line of books. I also do not think she would have got involved with vanity publishing - it just wasn't who she was.
I was actually thinking that she might have been inspired by EB's school stories, but not on the present evidence (or lack of it).

Dave.

[David Chambers]

Elizabeth Tugwell's Tony puts her foot in it is apparently the first story in Nelson's Jolly Book for Girls if this helps. I wouldn't like to say what year this was printed but have seen it listed as 1940. Possibly there are other annuals like this with Elizabeth Tugwell stories in them?
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/books/anti ... rls-838657

[Kate Mary]

According to the New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors, Elizabeth Tugwell had the married name of Mrs Bennett (surely there cannot be two writers at the same time called Elizabeth Tugwell) and the date 1916, not certain if this is a date of birth or date of first published work, unfortunately that is all the information it gives and does not list any titles.

I'm not sure either how far we can trust data on this site, but I thought I would post this info anyway.

Kate.

[Tony Summerfield]

I have just gone all the way back to 1921 and there are no further entries. I think the books were quite pleased to be looked at as I don't often open these very early ones!

[Katharine]

Oh David, why did you have to show that link - I want that book now!!! I've got one or two old books for girls, I'll have to check out to see if Elizabeth Tugwell had anything printed in any of those.

[Domino]

Kate Mary, I can confidently say that that one is not the same Elizabeth Tugwell, as the one I knew never married.

Tony, thanks ever so much for looking. You never know, I might yet get a clue to the riddle one day.

Katherine. She could well have had short stories in the some of the Jolly Books. Nelson seems to have brought them out on a regular basis, possibly annually. There was definitely an 11th. edition but no clue as to the date. This series seems to have had a lot of boarding school stories. It looks like the Chummy Book was a companion title for younger children.
I don't know what the criteria was for inclusion, but wonder if they invited those authors they had already published.

Domino

[Kate Mary]

Coincidences are weird.

I chose an old annual from my bookcase for a bit of light bed-time reading last night. ("Monster Book for Girls", Dean & Son: undated). I opened the book at random and the story that met my eye was by Elizabeth Tugwell titled 'Seeing Things Differently' about two girls at a gymkhana.

I looked through the contents pages of similar annuals I own but found nothing else by Elizabeth Tugwell at all. Spooky!

[Kate Mary]

Just found a copy of the same edition on ebay if you are interested, Domino.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1950S-MONSTER ... 33812ddc3c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kate

[Domino]

Many thanks, Kate Mary. I'm not looking to buy, however. There are enough books in this house to make me exercise restraint. Else there won't be room for me.

Dave

[Moonraker]

Fascinating. I have just ordered Jill Makes Good from Amazon. £1.50 + p&p.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I notice there's one on ebay for £4.99 free P&P.

[Domino]

Well, Nigel, I shall be interested to hear what you think of it when you've read it, and what it's about.

Domino

[Moonraker]

I have almost finished it. It is a cracking read - not at all what I expected. Set in Cornwall, it follows the adventures (not in the Blyton sense) of a young girl who goes to stay with an aunt and her secretary following her mother's death.