GIRLS GONE BY PUBLISHERS is a "specialist" publisher specialising in reprinting stories and texts, especially of girls' stories, from the early part of the twentieth century. In addition, they republish out-of-print titles which deal with the genre of girls' stories, such as Mary Cadogan's two fascinating books, YOU'RE A BRICK, ANGELA and CHIN UP, CHEST OUT, JEMIMA, of which more in the interview with Mary Cadogan in this issue.
When you buy a book from Amazon, it arrives by post in a carton with an invoice. When you buy a book from Girls Gone By Publishers, it arrives safely packaged, with a letter. "We are pleased to enclose, etc., etc., we hope you will enjoy, etc., etc." It's a personal service, a service par excellence, and it doesn't end there. The quality of the paperback publications is second to none, with full-colour illustrated frontispieces (at least in the two Mary Cadogan titles I mentioned) and a wealth of stunning, well-produced illustrations throughout. GGBP is run by Clarissa Cridland and Ann Mackie-Hunter. Here's what they have to say about themselves:
We re-publish some of the most popular girls' fiction from the twentieth century, concentrating on those titles which are most sought after, and difficult to find on the second-hand market. Our aim is to make these books available at affordable prices (you're telling me!) and to make ownership possible not only for existing collectors but also for new collectors so that the survival of the books is continued. We also publish some titles which fit into this genre. We are also starting a programme of non-fiction titles, some of which are new, and some of which are new editions of previously published titles. With the exception of one title which is published in hardback at its author's insistence, all our books are published as trade paperbacks, using very good quality paper. We reproduce all illustrations from both first editions and reprints, and each book comes with an introduction or foreword. We have two price points: Price A (£9.99) for fiction titles and Price B )£13.99) for non fiction titles. These prices are for UK sales only. Prices for outside the UK are given on the website, which is at
Here's a list of forthcoming titles:
- A Chalet School Headmistress by Helen Barber - recently published
- Peter's Room by Antonia Forest
- No Boats on Bannermere by Geoffrey Trease
- The Mystery at the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer - recently published
- The Best Bat in the School by Dorita Fairlie Bruce
- The Girls of the Abbey School by Elsie J Oxenham
- Elinor Brent-Dyer's Short Stories
- The Chalet School Reunion by Elinor Brent-Dyer
- The New Prefect at Melling by Margaret Biggs
Well, this is a publishing venture that deserves to succeed, with titles by Angela Brazil, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Dorita Fairlie Bruce, Elsie J Oxenham, Geoffrey Trease, Helen Barber etc., etc. In fact, all of the finest girls' story writers from the last century (but no Enid Blyton - yet!) I'm a bloke and I love these stories, I love collecting them, I love reading them, and it would seem that I'm not alone! Among the people who have heaped praise on YOU'RE A BRICK, ANGELA! are Giles Brandreth and Sir Tim Rice. With quality like this and titles that people like us want, GGBP can't fail. If you want to know more about GGBP, click on their logo. Write to them at Girls Gone By Publishers, 4 Rock Terrace, Coleford, Bath, BA3 5NF, UK. Telephone them on 01373 812705, or drop them an e-mail at [email protected]. They'd love to hear from you.
