Apologies if this has been discussed before, but we occasionally touch on what books were influences on EMBD and her writing.

I'd love to know what books she actually had access to as a child - OK, it appears that she must have read some Mrs Vaizey, some Charlotte Yonge, some Elsie books and at least the first of the Katy books because they're either quoted or there are incidents that appear to have their origins in them, like Emerence's tobogganing accident, the first sheets and pillowcases party, and the school clock fiasco. We can't know at what age she read them, of course, but I'd be surprised if she didn't come across at least some of them when she was a child. Ideas/ comments, anyone?

She definitely must have read "Liittle Women".

Yes - isn't Jo March supposed to have been part of the inspiration for Jo Bettany?

Sir Walter Scott.

She has Joey reading "Quentin Durward" in the very first chapter of "School at" and has (somewhat improbably, I feel) Jack Lambert having read "Peveril of the Peak" more than once.

Many of the Scots dialect words that EBD uses can be found in Scott.

Although her use of the language doesn't necessarily mean that she fIrst met the books when she was young, her idea that they were something young people would enjoy and voluntarily read suggests that she had read them when a child.

Interesting, Victoria - I must admit I'd overlooked Scott as a possible source of the Scottish words and expressions. I'd always thought more in terms of her possibly reading Neil Munro's 'Para Handy' stories, or perhaps A J Cronin as an adult, but of course, Scott was so very popular with her mother's and grandmother's generations.

I think there's a mention of Ruey reading some of Scott's books, as well. They were certainly very popular at one time.

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Um - that'll be my time! We read them avidly.

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Cestina's dolls houses - Bringing Ospreys to Bavorov

I have Joey reading Dr Jem's well-loved copy of Waverley in Juliet... EBD seemed to have been a big Scott fan.

In Heather Leaves School, she mentions looking for her copy of Misunderstood in her redecorated bedroom (link to Gutenberg copy I organised after reading Heather). Misunderstood was first published in 1869, so definitely a book EBD would be able to read as a child.

If anybody else has pre-1923 books that they want turned into free ebooks, please PM me.

The Crown of Success?

I think we have to assume that's a likely one - she's so obviously familiar with it, and describes it as being something that some of the girls have read.

Kipling? EBD quotes him sometimes.

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Wishes the land of Merlin and magic was real

Again, it's likely, isn't it? Elinor was born in the same year that The Jungle Book was published, and she mentions that in Problem; I'm sure she would also have read Thy Servant a Dog, Puck of Pook's Hill and Rewards and Fairies, and she obviously knows (and references) Stalky & Co. And Captains Courageous might even be what inspired her to write the many CS titles that deal with the reform of an individual.

Edited to correct a typo

Even more specific than all of that is this quote from School at Skelton Hall:



So I think one could guarantee that she knew a great deal about Kipling and had a great deal of regard for him and his writings. She probably even went to Batemans if she can describe it so specifically.

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When she died she left a large collection of her books to Reading University Library, as she had heard about the collection of children's books. There isn't a full list, but authors included EJO, DFB, Winifred Darch, Dorothea Moore, Violet Needham, Mrs Ewing, Rosa Nouchette Carey, Mrs G de H Vaizey, Charlotte Yonge, L T Meade, L M Alcott, all but one of the Elsie and Mildred books, Mary Mapes Dodge, E Stuart Phelps, Susan Warner, also some books mentioned, Crown of success, Martin Pippin, Adventure of the Amethyst. This wasn't all her books, lots more didn't come to Reading.

Oh, excellent, ivohenry - OK, she may not have known them all as a child, but then maybe I should have titled the topic slightly differently. She was so obviously a keen reader!