Dulwich Village

One of the pleasures of being a Jane Shaw fan is that I've made quite a few new friends around the world through her writing. The latest is Ruth Redfern in Crail, Scotland, who sent me this book about Dulwich Village. As all Jane Shaw enthusiasts know, Wichwood Village in the Susan books is based on Dulwich. This book, which was published in 1981, is packed with information and pictures of the area, many of which are places where Susan, Midge, Bill and Charlotte wandered. Well worth getting a hold of. So thanks to Ruth for this gift.

Jane Shaw Quiz 85

In the Susan stories, who is old Vulture?

The answer to Quiz 84: Ricky's real name is Erica. Her full name is Erica Andersen.

Quote of the Day

In an old chest of drawers, unobtrusively mingled with old maps, old water-colours and worthless prints, they found ancient parchments, manuscripts with crabbed old English script, vellum lovingly illuminated by medieval monks. Naturally, the children could not identify them, but that they were the proceeds of previous robberies by the Mad Collector they were certain.

From SUSAN'S HELPING HAND, Chapter 10, Susan Makes a Mistake.

Places in Jane Shaw: Limpopo River

And here is the Limpopo River, which they reach not long after leaving the Parfuri. It certainly is more impressive.

Places in Jane Shaw: Pafuri

In Chapter 4 of Nothing Happened After All, which is mostly set in South Africa, Dizzy and Alison are delighted when they are told that they will be having lunch on the banks of the Limpopo River. They even quote Kipling's description: "the grey-green greasy Limpopo". However, when they get to the river, Alison is surprised that it is "dark brown and muddy". Rob informs them that they have changed course and that the river they are romancing about is actually the Pafuri. The girls are incensed that they have wasted the precious film in their cameras on this river. But Rob and Tommy promise them a brief glimpse of the Limpopo soon and a better one when they are on the way to Southern Rhodesia.

Fivepenny Mystery Chapter 1

The mysterious man in Johannesburg at the beginning of Fivepenny Mystery who turns out to be the evil Ainros.

Quote of the Day

Miss Barclay went leaping down the beach to examine the depth of water, but came back disconsolate. "We could never get Celia round now, disabled as she is - I doubt if any of us could do it, with the waves crashing in like that. Anyway, it's too dangerous to try - there is nothing else for it - we'll just have to climb up beyond high-water mark and wait for the tide to do down. Thank goodness the cliff doesn't become sheer till above high-water mark."

From THE MOOCHERS ABROAD, Chapter 2, The Picnic. Despite the title, the characters spend a considerable amount of time actually getting out of Cornwall. First they are trapped at the school in quarantine for the mumps. Then in this chapter, Celia has sprained her ankle and the girls and Miss Barclay are cut off by the tide and have to spend several hours on the cliff waiting for the tide to go out. It is only in Chapter 5 that they finally leave England. This is in contrast with Jane Shaw's other holiday stories, which either begin already in the foreign country (Breton Adventure, Susan Interferes, Fivepenny Mystery) or see the characters in the new country fairly quickly (Crooks Tour, Twopence Coloured, Susan's Kind Heart).

Jane Shaw Quiz 84

In Crooks Tour, what is Ricky's real name?

The answer to Quiz 83: In Nothing Happened After All, Dizzy and Alison are disappointed to learn that South Africa has no jungle.

Fivepenny Mystery illustration

While I was reading Fivepenny Mystery last year, I published this illustration with comments, which you can read here. But the scan I posted was pretty shabby and the paper was clearly yellowing. Now we have a cleaned up version. This is definitely my favourite scene from all of the Penny books. It is very cleverly written and, as I've said before, it's my opinion that Jane Shaw achieved the highest level of her writing with this book. Fivepenny Mystery was published by Nelson in 1958, when the author was at the pinnacle of her career. It was at this time that she published Susan at School, Susan's School Play and Susan and the Home-made Bomb. 1958 was definitely a very good year.

Jane Shaw Quiz 83

What aspect of South Africa disappoints Dizzy and Alison at the beginning of Nothing Happened After All?

The answer to Quiz 82: At their school, Ricky, Julie and Fay are library monitors.

Quote of the Day

"There, there, don't cry little cabbage," Sara said, and ran through all the French endearments she could think of, followed by literal translations of English ones, each new effort being greeted by a lustier bellow than the one before. Sara was being reluctantly forced to the conclusion that the infant had taken a dislike to her on sight when she saw a gleam of hope. Scrabbling in her bag she brought out a piece of Toblerone, rather tattered as to its wrappings but still recognizable. The crying stopped as suddenly as if a tap had been turned off.

From BRETON ADVENTURE, Chapter 13, Sara Does Some Rescue Work.

Places in Jane Shaw: Arran

This is a view of a place on Arran called Tormusk. Jane Shaw and her husband retired to a very small village  in this region called Balmichael. I was there last year on a day like the one in the picture: clear blue sky, warm sun and beautiful scenery. This photo was taken by David G. Campbell.

Jane Shaw Quiz 82

What extra duty do Ricky, Julie and Fay do at their school in Glasgow?

The answer to Quiz 81: Penny names her dachshund puppy Candy.

Quote of the Day

We went to Bush-pig's home for lunch that day, and had what is called a braaivleis. We would have called it a barbecue. The Logans' beautiful house led on to a beautiful garden with a tennis court and a swimming-pool in the far distance. Many servants in spotless white suits flitted about and perhaps twenty people had this enormous lunch, steak and chops and sausages cooked on an open fire and salads of all kinds and puddings to finish with made of pineapples and grenadillas.

From VENTURE TO SOUTH AFRICA, Chapter 1, The Chance of a Lifetime.

Fourpenny Fair illustration

An illustration from The Fair, Chapter 13 of Fourpenny Fair. Penny and Sid hang the notice they have made advertising the play that the orphans will perform.

Jane Shaw Quiz 81

What name does Penny give to her dachshund puppy?

The answer to Quiz 80: At St. Ronan's, Susan and Midge are Dragons, meaning that their house is St. George's.

Quote of the Day

The rather ancient dinghy which belonged to the school was to be done up to look like a Roman galley and come sailing across the lake from behind the little island. It would mean a lot of work, Miss Merriman warned them, getting the Roman galley ready; there would be prows to make a sail. But far from grumbling about the amount of work involved, everybody was wildly enthusiastic. Messing about with paint was just the kind of thing they liked.

From NEW HOUSE AT NORTHMEAD, Chapter 5, Startling News.

Willow Green Mystery illustration

A scene from Chapter 3, when David mistakes an elderly man in a wheelchair for Mr. Starky and loses control of the wheelchair, which procedes to hurtle down a hill. Much to everyone's surprise, the man enjoys the little jaunt!

Jane Shaw Quiz 80

Which house are Susan and Midge in at St. Ronan's?

The answer to Quiz 79: "Nice woman, little Mrs. Gascoigne," is a phrase frequently used by Uncle Charles whenever he refers to Selina Gascoigne.

Quote of the Day

"Oh, help," said Jennifer, "what is it this time? Some footling little thing you've got, and you expect us to get all worked up about it. You two are always getting excited about nothing. And do sit up, Mike - you look awful leaning over the table like that."

From VENTURE TO SOUTH AFRICA, Chapter 3, Cheering Up Jennifer. We can see that Jennifer really needs cheering up. She's definitely Jane Shaw's grouchiest character.

Penny and Sid

An illustration from Chapter 11 of Crooked Sixpence. Penny returns his lost photo to a grateful Sid.

Jane Shaw Quiz 79

Whose (very much mistaken) catchphrase is "Nice woman, little Mrs. Gascoigne"?

The answer to Quiz 78: Charlotte goes to study art in Perugia

Quote of the Day

"I don't see how we dare risk a meeting," said Caroline, "in case they find out where the book is. We've just got to get to Rhöndorf first."

"Gosh, yes!" said Sara, her impish little face screwed up in an expression of grim determination. "Step on the gas, John, and race them to it."

From BERNESE ADVENTURE, Chapter 13.

Nicky

This is Nicky from the short story Family Trouble. She is probably the most mature and realistic of Jane Shaw's teenage characters.

Jane Shaw Quiz 78

To which Italian city does Charlotte go to study art?

The answer to Quiz 77: Susan and her parents live at Owl Cottage, the house that Mr. and Mrs. Lyle rent when they return from Africa.

Quote of the Day

Ricky and Julie were now hopping about on the pavement like a couple of demented fleas. "We must do something! We must stop them! Caught in the act! What shall we do? How can we stop them?" Ricky was muttering, dithering as usual.

From CROOKS LIMITED.

Margery or Marjorie?

The characters' names are a very important aspect of Jane Shaw's stories and were all given very careful consideration; so much so that she would write stories and leave spaces where the names should be, only filling them in later on after the characters had been well established and a suitable name could be given to them. Even before you meet them, the names Susan, Charlotte and Midge tell you a great deal about them. The same is doubly true for the Gascoignes. So it's a bit surprising that Midge's real name varies a little. In most of the books, when she gives her real name it is spelled Margery, but in Susan Rushes In and A Job for Susan the spelling is Marjorie. A bit unusual for an author who took such care over her characters' names.

Major Banks versus the Bad Bart

When Susan first arrives in Wichwood Village in Susan Pulls the Strings, she makes the mistake of poking her nose into a car owned by Major Banks, inciting the wrath of this hot-tempered neighbour. She and Bill run away in terror and take refuge in the park. Bill explains that his father and the major have been “at daggers drawn” for years because of the children’s mischief. Major Banks is notable as the first enemy to crop up in the series. However, he was too one-dimensional, seemingly capable of nothing but bellowing and roaring empty threats. Although he would resurface in No Trouble for Susan, when Midge, Bill and Susan climb through the window of his house by mistake and find themselves on the receiving end of another diatribe, his role as the gentry menace was usurped by a more sinister and multi-layered character, Sir Arthur Symes. Known to the children as the Wicked Baronet or Bad Bart, this man is one of those people in society who, no matter how awful they are, always have the law on their side. They evict elderly women, trample mercilessly on the vulnerable and exploit people. But it’s always legal and they always get away with it. Like the major, Sir Arthur loses his temper, as he does when Tessa conks him over the head with an umbrella and Susan and Midge kick his bowler hat. But there is a more sinister side to him that makes the children’s blood run cold. However, their accusation that he is a crook is not quite fair. When he finds a 1951 penny that belongs to Susan, he has the grace to return it to her. He is not a thief, but he does try to take advantage of people given half a chance. Rather than steal something, he attempts to persuade the owner to sell it to him for as low a price as possible, as he does when he tries to buy Mrs. Gregson’s expensive book for peanuts after it has accidentally been placed in the bargain bin at Louella’s shop. He is also not above exploiting people, as he does when Bill works for him all day and receives only a pittance in exchange for his labours.

I think that Sir Arthur was definitely the best of the “bad” guys that Jane Shaw created. Major Banks didn’t have much substance with his terrible temper tantrums, and the Gascoignes had too much of it. With all their elitism and snobbery, it’s hard to understand how they amassed so many friends who were always lending them villas and gondolas and houses on the Riviera. In the end, Jane Shaw herself decided to write them out of most of the later stories because they had become so unbearable. Sir Arthur always strikes me as more realistic. He is a miserable old skinflint, but he seems to be content in his isolation, hoarding his collections and making lifelong enemies, an ideal bad guy for a children’s book.

Jane Shaw Quiz 77

In Wichwood Village, who lives at Owl Cottage?

The answer to Quiz 76: Susan's favourite chocolate is nut-milk.

Quote of the Day

Piet cautiously reconnoitred. This was a sight better than picking those foul blackberries, he thought. "No sign of them," he whispered.

"We'll keep on high ground," whispered John, "and make for those elder bushes. Careful at that open bit, keep behind the bracken. Come on."

The two boys wriggled happily off on their stomachs.

From THREEPENNY BIT, Chapter 11, Poor Mr. Port.

Buried Treasures 7

Miss Johnson is nearly run over by her own car.  Susan, Midge, Elizabeth and Tessa have to get to Moreton Grange for the hockey game.

A Timeline for Susan

Sorting out the timeline of the Susan series is not an easy task and it has to be admitted that there are insoluble problems. Unlike the Penny books, which were written and published over a period of five years and in a clear order, with numbers in their titles, the events in the Susan series did not occur in the order in which they were written, part of this complication lying in the four short stories. For example, the first story published about St. Ronan’s was Susan’s School Play. This takes place at the end of the school year and sees Susan and Midge upset with Aunt Lucy for bringing Selina and Peregrine Gascoigne to the show. The story ends with Lord Dulwich announcing that a new hall will be built on the school grounds. The second story about the school was Susan at School, which was the fourth book in the series but the second one chronologically, as Jane Shaw and her publishers decided to go back in time and show Susan’s introduction to St. Ronan’s immediately after her first Christmas in England, as portrayed in Susan Pulls the Strings. Then, after Susan Muddles Through, set about eight months later, it is announced that Gabrielle Gascoigne will become a pupil at St. Ronan’s too, meaning that by the time of the school play at Christmas, Selina should be going along as Gabrielle’s mother rather than a guest of Aunt Lucy. However, there is a different play staged at the end of Susan’s Trying Term and the money raised is to be used to help pay for the new hall, which has already been built! So it is impossible to reconcile the short story and the novels. One solution could be to ignore the short stories, but a clear reference to The Wilsons Won’t Mind is made in Susan at School, when Midge mentions that after her enthusiasm for nursing, Charlotte had become keen on baking. Furthermore, in Susan and the Spae Wife, there is a reference to the events in Susan Muddles Through. This is proof that the original intention was for the short stories to be considered part of the canon. However, the same cannot be said for Susan's School Play and Susan and the Home-made Bomb, which do not blend in with the novels. As mentioned above, the former cannot possibly be reconciled with the novels; the latter stands on its own. Another confusing point is the children’s ages. When Susan goes to live with the Carmichaels, she is fourteen years old. She spends three summers without her parents and yet she is only fifteen in the last book of the series. On top of that, despite the three summers away from her parents, we are told in A Job for Susan that she retained much of her Scottish dialect despite a “two-year sojourn" in England. In the first book, Bill is 10, Susan and Midge are 14 and Charlotte is 16. In the last book, Charlotte is 18, Bill is 12 and Susan and Midge are 15. In fact, Susan and Midge celebrate two Christmases at the age of 15, as clearly stated in No Trouble for Susan and A Job for Susan. This, of course, was necessary to allow the characters to retain their endearing traits. It would be hard to imagine Susan, Midge and Tessa at the age of 17 behaving in the rather childish way that they do. Another point worth mentioning has to do with the changes that take place in society. As the stories were written over a period of eighteen years, it is hard to chronicle the books over any specific space of time. In A Job for Susan there are very casual references to watching television. In the early 1950s, when the series began, much more would be made of having a television in the house, as very few people actually had one. Therefore, total coherence in the Susan stories is not possible. But, just for fun, I’ve had a go at putting the jigsaw together.

Year 1:

Circa November: In Susan Pulls the Strings, 13-year-old Susan is informed by her mother that she will be going to live with her cousins the Carmichaels in London while her parents go to Africa to build a bridge. On 23 December Susan, now 14, arrives in London to live with the Carmichaels. Susan Pulls the Strings chronicles her first Christmas and New Year in London, during which Susan helps to smash a smuggling ring. The events of The Wilsons won’t Mind also take place during this holiday, with Aunt Lucy’s friend Madame Polinskaya springing to the aid of the hitherto down-on-their-luck Wilson family.

Year 2:

January: Susan at School. Susan is a new pupil at St. Ronan’s, where she befriends fellow new girl Tessa, gets a respectable place on the hockey team and hunts for Ronan’s Heap.

Easter: In Susan’s Helping Hand, Susan and Midge return to Wichwood, but they have caught chicken-pox and the family go to Cousin Barbara’s farm in Kent. Susan’s Helping Hand chronicles their adventures with the mysterious Belle and the criminal activities of the Mad Collector.

Summer: Susan Rushes In. Susan and Midge come home for the holidays and meet the Gascoignes, to whom they take an immediate dislike. Susan sets out to save an elderly lady, Mrs. Thorne, from eviction. Midge and Charlotte publish a book about a dragon. The packed summer continues with the trip to Switzerland in Susan Interferes and is immediately followed by Susan Muddles Through on the island of Arran, with the gang getting caught up in Cold War adventures. In the former story, they help the son of a Czechoslovakian dissident seek refuge in London and in the latter they find themselves trying to stop a scientist from defecting to the Soviet Union. They are also obliged to take the Gascoignes to Arran. At the very beginning of the story, Selina marries Sam Pilkington, but the nanny who was meant to look after Gabrielle and Peregrine during the honeymoon breaks her leg, and Aunt Lucy comes to the rescue by offering to take them on holiday for two weeks. When the two weeks are up, the Gascoignes leave. It is after their departure that the short story Susan and the Spae-wife takes place. We know this because the holiday lasts a month and the Gascoignes only stay for two weeks, allowing plenty of time for the arrival of Mr. Rock Carlisle on the island and the robbery at the post office before the fête. Furthermore, when Susan reads Charlotte's fortune, she makes references to Andrew Macphail, the archaeologist Charlotte spends a great deal of time with in Susan Muddles Through. So we can see that The Wilsons Won't Mind and Susan and the Spae-wife fit neatly into the chronology.

September: Gabrielle Gascoigne joins Midge and Susan at St. Ronan’s in Susan’s Trying Term. Susan becomes captain of the hockey team. There is a school play at the end of the term, with Selina and Peregrine taking along some bigwigs from the entertainment industry. It is here that the first broken link in the series occurs.

Christmas: In No Trouble for Susan, Midge and Susan, now 15, return to Wichwood for the holidays. They help out Louella at her book shop and get involved in a play with the Wichwood Players. Susan also helps to save another elderly widow, Mrs. Gregson, from eviction and deals with a gang of Cockney trouble makers. In this book, we are also introduced to Sir Arthur Symes, Mrs. Gregson’s skinflint landlord.

Year 3:

Easter? In Susan and the Home-made Bomb, the gang are back in Wichwood Village, perhaps during the Easter holiday, and help Jennifer Harding take up the offer of a scholarship at the Sloane School of Art. We can imagine that this story is set around Easter time because of the references to the coming school year, which begins in September, explaining why Jennifer is in such a hurry to guarantee her place at the Sloane. We can place the story at Easter time for two reasons: first, this holiday would be just about the only opportunity for the girls to be home from St. Ronan's; and there is a reference to the weather, with the winter being "not far behind" them. Easter usually occurs in the early spring.

Summer: Susan’s Kind Heart. Following their all-time low marks in French, Susan and Midge are sent to Brittany with Charlotte, who has now left school, to improve their French. This story affords Susan and the Carmichael sisters an opportunity to have their own Breton adventure, with all of Jane Shaw's main characters now having visited Binic. There are echoes of the Moochers stories, with the girls tackling a smuggling operation and a ghost, in the shape of a phantom horseman.

Christmas: The Christmas of this year is not recorded, with the series jumping ahead to the end of the next school year.

Year 4:

September: Susan and Midge fly to Venice to meet Susan’s parents on their way back from Africa in Where is Susan? Charlotte is now studying in Perugia and Mr and Mrs Lyle are stuck on their ship due to fears of an outbreak of a contagious disease. There is also a mysterious “Russian spy” following Susan and Midge all over Venice.

Christmas: In A Job for Susan, Mr and Mrs Lyle have rented a house in Wichwood Village and Susan and Tessa are staying there for Christmas. Bill has to earn ten pounds to donate to Oxfam after making a rash promise to one of his teachers. He gets a job as a cleaner and paper boy to achieve this. Susan believes she can hit the jack-pot by finding and selling valuable old coins. And dastardly Sir Arthur is up to his old tricks, trying to buy what he believes to be a valuable painting for a very low price. Susan wants to help Maggie Zimmerli, her landlady, to raise money to go to Paris and train to be a cook.

Year 5:

Easter: In the incomplete twelfth book, Susan in Trouble, Tessa finds out she is going to spend the summer in the USA and Mexico. Susan and her parents are going too and Susan wants to find a way to raise money for Midge to go with them. Susan suggests that Midge should write another story and Midge is not very enthusiastic. The manuscript comes to an abrupt halt at this point.

So there we have it. The events of Susan’s School Play cannot be worked into the timeline at all and no clear explanation is offered regarding when the events in Susan and the Home-made Bomb take place. No attempt was made to reconcile all the short stories with the novels. It is strange that from the summer adventures of Susan’s Kind Heart, the author decided to jump forward a year in Where is Susan? when there was room for more St. Ronan's stories. Her correspondence with her publishers showed that the original plan was to write four or five stories set at the school. There are two reasons why they never materialized, although they are not entirely convincing. First of all, Jane Shaw claimed that she disliked writing school stories. Secondly, by the 1960s, school stories in general were in decline. But that does little to explain why she undertook the Northmead stories for Nelson and A Girl with Ideas for Collins in the 1960s. The huge gap in time in the Susan books may also be accounted for by the fact that two Christmas novels were already part of the series and to add a third one so quickly might seem repetitive. This actually happened later in any case. Readers today often confuse No Trouble for Susan with A Job for Susan. Another consideration is that the content of the stories might be determined by the time of year they were set to be published. Christmas stories may go down as good presents in the festive season, but not if the book is published in time for the summer holidays. I also suspect that the author wished to reunite Susan with her parents and thought that a trip to Venice in summer would be the best way to do this. It would not be a good idea to set this story in the middle of winter, so it was necessary to jump forward a year so that Susan and Midge could enjoy their gondola rides and sightseeing in the summer sunshine.

I often wonder how the series might have continued and what Susan's trip to America would have been like. The series may have got its second wind if the plans to reissue the stories in Armada paperbacks had gone ahead. These paperbacks certainly breathed new life into other series like the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and The Three Investigators. We could have had a very 1970s Susan, perhaps emigrating to Australia, which might have been fun. But perhaps it was best to have the series end when it did, with Mr. and Mrs. Lyle back from Africa and settling in London. In the end, that seemed the right way to do it.

Fula Fiskar, Fifi!

Here's another of the Swedish covers, this time Susan Muddles Through, depicting the dramatic scene when Dr. Maxwell attempts to defect to a "Foreign Power" behind the Iron Curtain with a hoard of atomic secrets after faking his death. The title in Swedish, according to Eva Löfgren in Susan and Friends, means Ugly Fish or Ugly Customers.

Jane Shaw Guide: Miss Pershore

Miss Pershore, nicknamed Miss Plum or The Plum by the Carmichaels, is a character in Susan Pulls the Strings. She lives at Number 14 Tollgate Road. She is a petite woman who is always very elegantly dressed and uses a blue rinse in her hair. A culture vulture, she frequently attends the ballet and theatre and visits art galleries, appreciating modern art in particular. At the beginning of the story, Susan discovers that Miss Pershore has become a close friend of Aunt Lucy, whom she calls Lucia (pronounced Loocher), and that Aunt Lucy has come under her spell and is becoming something of a culture vulture herself, buying alternative-style Christmas cards and hanging strange paintings around the house. Although Miss Plum lavishes expensive Christmas presents like puppets and paintings on Susan and the Carmichaels, the children do not care much for her. Susan is especially put off her because of her blue hair. The Plum makes constant short visits to Paris, ostensibly to soak up the culture. However, Susan accidentally stumbles on a cache of smuggled watches and discovers that Miss Pershore is a member of an elaborate smuggling ring, the proceeds of which finance her expensive lifestyle. When Miss Pershore discovers that Susan knows about her criminal activities, she pretends she has a gun and ties Susan up, leaving her bound and gagged while she makes her escape. But Miss Pershore, for all her skill in the underworld, seems to be of limited intelligence and blabs her escape route to Susan before she leaves, making it easy for the police to arrest her. When she is arrested and out of their lives, the Carmichaels are happy that her cultural influence on Aunt Lucy is removed and life can go back to normal. Polite, well-to-do and thoroughly middle-class, Miss Pershore is the first of a long line of unlikely crooks in the Susan series. Her nickname is derived from the market town of Pershore in Worcestershire, famous for its plums.

Jane Shaw Quiz 76

What is Susan's favourite kind of chocolate?

The answer to Quiz 75: Midge plays the recorder.

Quote of the Day

But after a time things began to sort themselves out and Susan suddenly found that she knew the way to the dormitory without asking Midge or to the various form-rooms without feeling that she would never find her way back and that she would be discovered, days later, still wandering round crazed with cold and hunger. She went to her first house meeting; she heard about the school societies - the Dramatic Club, the Debating Society, Birdwatchers' Club, Puppet Club, Stamp Club - and joined them all.

"You can't," said Midge, "not even a busybody like you can attend all the meetings because half of them are held on the same evening at the same time."

"Well, I'll leave out the Birdwatchers," said Susan. "As a matter of fact I'm not so keen on that because the only bird I know is a sparrow and I'd get jolly sick of watching sparrows. I'll leave out the Birdwatchers-"

From SUSAN AT SCHOOL, Chapter 2, Super Fags.

Anything Can Happen

A different angle of the front cover of the first Dizzy and Alison story, Anything Can Happen. At the age of 18, these girls are the oldest of Jane Shaw's leading characters. The book was illustrated by Thelma Lambert.

Jane Shaw Quiz 75

Which musical instrument does Midge play when the cousins relax in their schoolroom?

The answer to Quiz 74: Peregrine takes an air-gun to Switzerland in Susan Interferes.

Quote of the Day

"Oh, there's Cracknell, you know - I like Cracknell. I think he's a rogue, but I like him. He's a comic turn in himself, and keeps me amused, but he's too often away at the garage on the mainland tinkering with the car. Look, Sir Henry thinks he's a heaven-sent humourist, and if you don't laugh your head off at his jokes he thinks you're being deliberately rude."

Fanny slackened her pace. "Father," she said, "I don't think I feel like going to lunch with him."

"Come on," said Pips.  "I expect the food's gorgeous. Is it, Father?"

"The food is magnificent," her father assured her.

"There you are then, Fanny. Don't be so soft."

From THE CREW OF THE BELINDA, Chapter 15, Re-union.

The Cable-car to Wissifluh

This is the little red cable-car that conveyed Susan and the Carmichaels from Vitznau to Wissifluh and back. Only Bill enjoyed the sheer drops and hanging over empty space in this contraption. Midge, especially, was terrified, claiming that she had "seen a more substantial door on a toy motor-car". When the cable-car arrived for the return journey, the gang were amazed that it came up with a large length of drainpipe tied to the roof and carrying a man and an Alsatian dog that "jumped out nonchalantly, followed by the man, who then leant dizzily over open space and untied his drainpipe". The text then goes on to say that "For perhaps the first time in her life, Susan didn't offer to help". When Susan later suggested a return to Wissifluh, she was met with a firm No from Midge, who for once could not be browbeaten into falling in with Susan's plan. The terror of the Carmichaels and Susan on this trip is very convincing, and that is because Jane Shaw went through the same experience herself and recorded it in detail in her journal.

Jane Shaw Quiz 74

In Susan Interferes, which "toy" does Pea-green take to Switzerland?

The answer to Quiz 73: In Susan Interferes, she discovers that she has a fear of heights.

Quote of the Day

What happened was that in a very few minutes a tiny speck began to swing down the thin silver thread and eventually there arrived at their feet a small red tin box.

Susan felt quite faint. She glanced at the others and was relieved to find rather anxious expressions on all their faces, which gave her courage to say, "Are we supposed to go up a sheer mountain-side in that tin can?"

"I expect it's stronger than it looks," said Charlotte in a quavering voice.

"It had better be," said Midge.

From SUSAN INTERFERES, Chapter 5, Looking for Fräulein Amacher.

Griselda Makes Toffee

A scene from The Magic Basket.

Jane Shaw Quiz 73

In Susan Interferes, which phobia does Susan discover she has?

The answer to Quiz 72: Susan's favourite pantomime is Cinderella.

Quote of the Day

"Oh, Madame Bertholet," I said, "Raoul didn't mind a bit once he got his taxi back. He was a nice boy. Let's forget about these things, we all make mistakes sometimes, let's talk about something else." I cast around in my mind for something to cheer the old lady up, and as usual on these occasions, my mind went completely blank.

From ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, Chapter 13, Surfeit of Bracelets.

Susan's Kind Heart cover

Sara and Caroline visited Brittany in 1939 in Breton Adventure. The Moochers sailed over to Binic in 1951, and Penny paid a visit in 1954. In 1965, Jane Shaw decided that it was time for her most popular character Susan to visit the north of France. The result was Susan's Kind Heart. In this book, the name of Binic is changed to St. Clos. The cover is unique in that it does not depict a scene from the story and has an enticer that makes use of alliteration. The dark-haired girl is Damienne, whom Susan and Midge befriend at the villa. Like its predecessors, Susan's Kind Heart has painstaking descriptions of the region. There are some signs of modernization such as faster cars, more electricity and improved indoor plumbing. But the activities that the previous characters enjoyed like swimming in the grève, long walks round the shops and feasting at the pâtisserie are all part of Susan's holiday too. And, like Caroline and Sara, the original purpose of Susan and Midge's trip to France is to improve their French. The story begins with Aunt Lucy "shuddering" at the girls' report cards from St. Ronan's. She follows Charlotte's suggestion that Susan and Midge should accompany her to Brittany, where she is going to stay with a French family. Predictably, like Caroline and Sara, the girls make very little (if any) improvement to their French. When they arrive in Brittany, they find that the other people they encounter are either English themselves or are foreigners eager to improve their own mastery of our native tongue. As a result, the girls have very little need to actually speak French. It is hard to understand how the families of Jane Shaw's characters are willing to spend so much on their education when virtually no progress is made in any subject.

Jane Shaw Quiz 72

What is Susan's favourite pantomime?

The answer to Quiz 71: Miss Bracken is Uncle Charles's receptionist.

Quote of the Day

And as if things weren't awkward enough, the next day was wet, with a real Blackwaterfoot special which blotted out the whole valley with its steady grey downpour. The domestic arrangements of the cottage being in the hands of Sara at the moment, the girls had been forced over to the Renasay drawing-room for warmth, where a huge fire glowed pleasantly and sent its peaty smell round the room.

From HIGHLAND HOLIDAY, Chapter 7, Sara's Familiar Spirit.

Susan Pulls the Strings

This weekend I re-read Susan Pulls the Strings. It is an interesting story because it is the first in the series and also quite different from all the others that came after it. Several of the Jane Shaw hallmarks are there, such as the coincidences, unlikely crook and Charlotte's impulses, but if you look closely you see that there are some aspects that would never resurface in the later books. First of all, the usually active Susan spends a good part of the story laid up with a chill. There is also a slightly darker side to her. The Susan of the subsequent books would never pull Aunt Lucy into a freezing pond and try to make her ill. Midge is a lot more active. Although there are references to her laziness and how she loves to sleep late, she is on the move a lot more and doesn't keep complaining every time she is asked to do something that involves more than lifting a finger. Aunt Lucy is portrayed as more of an oddball. Like Charlotte, she too has her sudden urges and enthusiasms, but that would be greatly toned down as the series progressed. She would go on to be merely naive in the next few books, unable to understand her charges' dislike of the talented and gifted Gascoignes. By the end of the series, even that trait in her character would disappear and she would just become like everyone's favourite aunt. The story is also different because there is less madcap banter and slapstick comedy. As the 1950s drew to a close, Jane Shaw's editor at Collins would note that her characters were becoming more caricatured. She worked hard to bring this under control, but Susan became more of a busybody, Midge became lazier and the Gascoignes became ghastlier. A possible reason for this is that at Collins she no longer had the editorial advice of Jocelyn Oliver. When he moved to Nelson, Jane Shaw wrote the Penny series for him. There is a marked difference between the slapstick style of the Susan books and the light humour of the Penny series. But whatever the reason for its being different, Susan Pulls the Strings is a unique reading experience.

Jane Shaw Quiz 71

In the Susan series, who is Miss Bracken?

The answer to Quiz 70: Selina Gascoigne marries artist Sam Pilkington, assuming the ridiculous double-barrelled name of Selina Gascoigne-Pilkington.

Quote of the Day

"No, Aunt Lucy," said Susan, "I was lying bound and gagged next door."

"And as for you. Charlotte," went on Aunt Lucy, "I ask you to set the table and you just calmly go off in the middle - what did you say, Susan?"

"I said," said Susan, "that I was lying bound and gagged in the empty house next door."

Aunt Lucy burst out, "Now look here, Susan, I might as well tell you here and now that these stories have got to stop. Nobody thinks it's funny, nobody thinks it's clever, nobody-"

"Aunt Lucy," Charlotte interrupted before Aunt Lucy could work herself up any further, "it's quite true."

From SUSAN PULLS THE STRINGS, Chapter 12, New Year Resolutions.

Buried Treasures 6

The cover of my personal favourite of all of Jane Shaw's books: A Job for Susan (1969). This scene from Chapter 2, A Job for Bill, shows the girls discovering Sir Arthur Symes, a.k.a the Wicked Baronet, a.k.a. the Bad Bart, spying on Susan's house, more specifically the room she has baptized as Bluebeard's Chamber. The artist, whose signature appears in the bottom right-hand corner, is Roger Hall, who would go on to illustrate the British editions of the Three Investigators series.

Jane Shaw Quiz 70

Which local personality does Selina Gascoigne marry in Wichwood Village?

The answer to Quiz 69: The museum that Ricky, Julie and Fay visit in Paris is the Musée Grevin, a waxworks museum.

Quote of the Day

Suddenly Susan, who had apparently been doing some mental arithmetic, said, "Bill, even if they all pay half a crown, which isn't very likely, that only comes to twelve-and-six. It'll be years before we collect enough to buy one truck far less a whole railway."

"I'm trying not to think of that," said Bill.

"But we must think of that," said Susan. "I wish we could sell the puppets for a large sum."

"Nobody in their senses would buy them for a large sum," said Bill.

"Oh, I would," said Susan.

Bill looked at her speculatively. "How much?" he said.

From SUSAN PULLS THE STRINGS, Chapter 8, The Empty House Next Door.

Willow Green Mystery illustration

A scene from Lost Boy, the sixth chapter of Willow Green Mystery. Miss Woodward loses her patience with Bella the cow, who has trampled on her prize-winning garden.

Jane Shaw Quiz 69

Which Parisian waxworks museum do the girls visit in Crooks Tour?

The answer to Quiz 68: Lynette du Toit is the new girl at Northmead who has just arrived from Africa. Despite early misgivings, she becomes friends with Nicky and Kay. 

Quote of the Day

One of the nice things about getting back to Johannesburg was that we plunged into a wild whirl of gaiety. Aunt Helen had a terrific party to meet some of our relations' friends. You never saw such a spread in your life, cold meats of all kinds and the most wonderful salads, not just a bit of lettuce and a tomato, oh no, but glorious mixtures of pineapples and celery and avocado pear and cream cheese and nuts and green peppers and red peppers and asparagus to name but a few, some of them formed into moulds. Even apart from their delicious taste, you never saw anything so pretty.

From NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER ALL, Chapter 8, Interlude in Civilisation. Once again we see Jane Shaw's mastery of long sentences that do not leave the reader feeling out of breath. One sentence in this quote has 64 words.

The Adventures of a Snowman

An illustration from The Adventures of a Snowman (1954, reprinted 1959). Clarissa culminates a night of adventure by catching the poacher. Click on the picture for a much larger view.

Jane Shaw Quiz 68

In New House at Northmead, who is Lynette du Toit?

The answer to Quiz 67: When they returned to Scotland from Africa, Jane Shaw and her husband set up home on the isle of Arran.

Quote of the Day

Operation Peach went off without a hitch. As usual Belinda and Mike were awake as soon as the sun began to stream in their windows. They found a big basket in the kitchen and crept out through the yard in their pyjamas, and quickly filled the basket with big luscious ripe peaches, and secreted them in the 'stable'. Really, the only snag was that they forgot that the grass was still wet at that hour of the morning, and they were horrified to discover on returning to their rooms that the legs of their pyjamas were soaking wet.

From VENTURE TO SOUTH AFRICA, Chapter 9, Looking After Stella.

Looking After Thomas illustration

A scene from Chapter 3 of Looking After Thomas: Night Prowler. Thomas accidentally attacks David in the corridor of their Paris hotel.

Jane Shaw Quiz 67

When Jane Shaw and her husband retired to Scotland, where did they set up their home?

The answer to Jane Shaw Quiz 66: the Carmichaels' maid is Joe Taylor's mother.

Quote of the Day

But Charlotte wasn't going to be mollified by any feeble little jokes, even Susan's; she was still furious. "Why should it upset him to hear that this Julian Gascoigne, whoever he may be, is your uncle?"

"Because we can check up on this bird-watcher, of course," said Gabrielle. "I don't believe he's what he says he is, I don't believe he's an ornithologist. I don't believe he has anything to do with St. Jude's at all."

From SUSAN MUDDLES THROUGH, Chapter 6, Investigating Cap'n Dan.

Crooked Sixpence illustration

A scene from Chapter 3, Fair Waved the Golden Corn: Penny and Laura help Mrs. Greenwood.

Jane Shaw Quiz 66

In the Susan books, what is the relationship between the Carmichaels' maid and Joe the policeman?

The answer to Jane Shaw Quiz 65: Miss Phillimore is the head mistress at St. Ronan's.

Quote of the Day

By tea-time it wasn't Susan that was up, but her temperature. Throughout the afternoon the family had dropped into her room at intervals to commiserate with her, and the cause of all the trouble came down and settled with her under the eiderdown when Aunt Lucy wasn't looking. Susan was very glad to see them all, but she couldn't help wishing that she was in better trim, as she put it, for vistors. Really, she felt very peculiar indeed, and in spite of two hot-water bottles, four blankets, an eiderdown and Chang, she just couldn't get warm.

From SUSAN PULLS THE STRINGS, Chapter 7, Chang Breaks the Ice.

Threepenny Bit illustration

This scan from the opening of Threepenny Bit shows the Carters' car drawing near Bath for their first visit to the Mallory family. In this book they meet Marietjie and Piet from South Africa.

Jane Shaw Quiz 65

In the Susan series, who is Miss Phillimore?

The answer to Quiz 64: Belinda's nickname is Blinky.

Quote of the Day

"No, no," said Diana heartily, "these will be fine. A bit squashed perhaps, but they'll be all right when we pick all that fluff off them."

"Delicious tea we're going to have," murmured Hermione.

Susan had bustled forward and was giving the buns a dust down with the sleeve of her cardigan. "Susan," cried Diana when she saw what was going on, "don't use your cardigan, for goodness sake!"

"It's quite all right, Diana," said Susan, "they won't hurt it, I use it for wiping up ink and jam and everything-"

From SUSAN AT SCHOOL, Chapter 2, Super Fags.

Susan Interferes: Children's Press with Spine

This Children's Press cover scan from 1965 includes the spine. Susan is not enthusiastic about Peregrine being armed during the holiday in Switzerland... 

Collins Annual 1954

The cover of the original Collins Annual 1954 with the first Susan short story, The Wilson's Won't Mind.

Susan Pulls the Strings spine (Children's Press)

A nice scan of the spine of the Children's Press edition of Susan Pulls the Strings. Here we see Susan at the beginning of the very first chapter of the book, doing her maths homework and feeling quite proud that she has worked out a theorem. The subject that she is working on is geometry. She comments, rather oddly in my point of view, that she "quite likes" geometry, if she has a decent point on her pencil. Even more curiously, she goes on to add that algebra is "not bad", but that she doesn't like arithmetic. As arithmetic is the easiest aspect of maths, preferring geometry and algebra sounds unusual, especially in the case of Susan as we gradually come to know her as the not-so-very-dedicated pupil she turns out to be at St. Ronan's. As noted in a previous post, which you can read here, maths teachers turned out to be the most unpopular instructors in all of Jane Shaw's school stories. But the main focus of the first chapter of Susan Pulls the Strings is to let the reader know that Susan will be moving to London to stay with the Carmichaels during her parents' sojourn in Africa, so the subject of her homework is not meant to be very important.

Det Fixar Fifi!

This is the last of the scans that Eva Löfgren has sent me so far, the cover of Susan Interferes in Swedish. The title means Fifi will fix it. The Swedish covers certainly cast the series in a different light.

Jane Shaw Quiz 64

In Venture to South Africa, what is Belinda's nickname?

The answer to Quiz 63: Jean Patrick graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in English Language and Literature.