tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post2187330936749434586..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: Friday's Forgotten Books: Miss Hargreaves - Frank BakerJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-20406751942461971352015-05-26T10:47:07.325-05:002015-05-26T10:47:07.325-05:00I had no idea Baker wrote a book of poems and pret...I had no idea Baker wrote a book of poems and pretended that Miss Hargreaves wrote them. That's hysterical! I went looking for a copy and surprisingly found quite a few of them for sale. But not one mention of Frank Baker or his fantasy novel in any of the sales catalog descriptions! Anyway I thought they were all very reasonably priced and bought the best of the lot immediately. Thanks you for stopping by, Jo, and letting us all know about <i>Wayside Bundle</i>. Looking forward to getting my copy which will have a special place next to my two first editions of <i>Miss Hargreaves</i>.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-10438888128473273902015-05-26T06:15:39.992-05:002015-05-26T06:15:39.992-05:00How wonderful to discover this discussion, albeit ...How wonderful to discover this discussion, albeit a little late! Frank Baker was staying with my grandmother back in the 1950s when I, as a small child, met him. I loved Miss Hargreaves when it came out (he sent a copy to my grandmother) and could never forget its plot. Once read, never forgotten, that one.<br /><br />And did you know of Miss Hargreaves book of poems? A Wayside Bundle? Thereby hangs another story... I have a copy of that rare text too.Jo at Celtic Memory Yarnshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783844924689656726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-26174766315352708632014-10-08T13:00:27.848-05:002014-10-08T13:00:27.848-05:00That's hilarious! I actually was pretty sure I...That's hilarious! I actually was pretty sure I'd read your review, and thought I'd commented, but couldn't see a comment from me and so thought I'd not mentioned it... or that I was going mad... I'm glad that that isn't the case! :D <br />(Although I have read old posts on my own blog and had no recollection of writing them...)<br /><br />Should I admit that I own The Twisted Tree and have yet to read it? I've read Mr Allenby Loses His Way, Before I Go Hence, Stories of the Strange and Sinister, and Teresa, and none have lived up to Miss H - but I will persevere.<br />StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-37752904861487467192014-09-30T11:01:06.736-05:002014-09-30T11:01:06.736-05:00Hello again, Simon! Sorry to tell you that both o...Hello again, Simon! Sorry to tell you that both of my copies are vintage 1940 editions and your name is nowhere in sight. I owned a cheap 1940s reprint of <i>Miss Hargreaves</i> for years, long before the reprint edition from Bloomsbury was released. A book that I understand you had a hand in making possible. Thank you for bringing Constance back to hundreds of happy readers! Later I purchased two fine 1st editions (one a US edition with DJ, the other a UK without) because I love the book so much.<br /><br />Also, you're not coming to this post all that late. You read this review three years ago and posted about it on your own blog (<a href="http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com/2011/11/stuck-in-books-weekend-miscellany_19.html" rel="nofollow">Weekend Miscellany: Nov 19, 2011</a>). You even included a link to my post. Short term memory loss at such a young age already? ;^)<br /><br />I have only read <i>The Birds</i> by Frank Baker (recently <a href="http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-birds-1936.html" rel="nofollow">reissued by Valancourt Books</a>) and thought it very strange but wonderful. Eerie and sinister and sometimes rather funny -- so unlike the Hitchcock movie it supposedly inspired. And so very different from <i>Miss Hargreaves</i>, a considerably more lighthearted book. I own two of his other fantasies (<i>Mr. Allenby Loses His Way</i> and <i>Sweet Chariot</i>), but have yet to read them. The one book by Baker I am very eager to find and read is his thriller <i>The Twisted Tree</i>, but it's so scarce as to be a legitimately rare book. I doubt I will ever find a copy let alone find one I can afford should one ever turn up.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-87113767863930571122014-09-30T06:16:09.864-05:002014-09-30T06:16:09.864-05:00My favourite book! And you might even see my name ...My favourite book! And you might even see my name on the back of it :) I was so thrilled when Bloomsbury published it.<br /><br />Great review, which I'm coming to horribly late. Did you end up reading any other Baker books?StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-65694081746908673392011-06-13T15:41:47.050-05:002011-06-13T15:41:47.050-05:00Ray -
It was careless of me not to give credit fo...Ray -<br /><br />It was careless of me not to give credit for the photo. I have amended the post.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-37549922296725692932011-06-13T15:07:57.133-05:002011-06-13T15:07:57.133-05:00Hi there,
I thought I recognised that particular ...Hi there,<br /><br />I thought I recognised that particular copy of the first edition of "Miss Hargreaves" on your blog... One of the reasons I set up the Supernatural Fiction database from which you took the image (http://tartaruspress.com/b2.htm) was to publicise the book, which is one of my all time favourites. I even published an edition of it (http://tartaruspress.com/hargreaves.htm)<br /><br />Anyhow, I thought I'd recommend as further reading Margaret Rutherford's collection of Edward Lear's poetry, "How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear". Frank Baker writes the Introduction and gives quotations from the poety of Miss Hargreaves. In the novel she reads from her own poem:<br />"Cleft in the narrow gulf of gusty grief..."<br />But in the Lear collection Baker gives us her second line:<br />"My soul is like a cricket on a leaf."<br />It's worth acquiring the book for that line alone :-)Tartarus Presshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03421198616544251552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-49184986045166806922011-03-13T20:22:30.313-05:002011-03-13T20:22:30.313-05:00David here
Thanks for this one. It's even mo...David here<br /><br />Thanks for this one. It's even more of a must learning that the stage version starred the incomparable Margaret Rutherford in the title role.<br /><br />I'll have to look up his dystopian novel THE BIRDS too and that first Lawrentian novel about a Jack the Ripper type killer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-89807460175204150902011-03-11T18:33:01.017-06:002011-03-11T18:33:01.017-06:00Danged if you don't make it sound interesting,...Danged if you don't make it sound interesting, despite the title.Evan Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07620731784654779358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-30011157363772821502011-03-11T11:40:52.618-06:002011-03-11T11:40:52.618-06:00Richard -
No, it's from the prologue to the b...Richard -<br /><br />No, it's from the <i>prologue</i> to the book. It's the opening paragraph, in fact, and sets the whole tone of the book. When I read it I suspected foreshadowing of a bittersweet ending. I'll say no more.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-71105395825193976402011-03-11T11:35:54.719-06:002011-03-11T11:35:54.719-06:00Is that the ending you revel at the end of the rev...Is that the ending you revel at the end of the review, John? I hope not, and yet it so seems it could be. I'll look for this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-43959970639559943622011-03-11T11:10:25.803-06:002011-03-11T11:10:25.803-06:00A great review, John. This is such a terrific book...A great review, John. This is such a terrific book. I first heard about it from Simon over at his blog, STUCK IN A BOOK. I absolutely loved it.<br /><br />I reviewed it as well, but I think I like your review a bit better. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-81089925140687352932011-03-11T11:08:52.150-06:002011-03-11T11:08:52.150-06:00This sounds absolutely wonderful. Of course most ...This sounds absolutely wonderful. Of course most of the books you review on here do. You're kind of bad for my book-lust problem....... :-)Bev Hankinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01127476456755776574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-39860745975523059382011-03-11T07:51:27.860-06:002011-03-11T07:51:27.860-06:00This looks great. I'll try to find it.This looks great. I'll try to find it.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com