"Merry Hall" by Beverley Nichols is a gentle book and was a firm friend through my childhood. It was the book I returned to when I was down or stressed or ill and even when I bought a newly published set of Nichol's books, I couldn't bear to part with my original copy of Merry Hall so it sits alongside the new edition on my bookshelf.
9th September is the anniversary of Beverley Nichols birthday. He is probably an author who is unknown to many of you as he was born in 1898 and wrote from the 1920s onwards but I was introduced to a trilogy of his children's books when I was small- "The tree that sat down", "The stream that stood still" and "The mountain of magic" and I was enchanted. My Mother gave me my original copy of Merry Hall and I moved into a world of adult enchantment courtesy of the same pen.
I haven't read Merry Hall, but I have copies from my childhood of "The tree that sat down" and "The stream that stood still". Read them both again recently. Also I have a copy of his autobiography "Father Figure". Must read that again too.
Must be going back to second childhood as I have re read all the CS Lewis books and John Masefield's "The Box of Delights" and "The Midnight Folk" too.
@zambianlass Thanks so much. This project is an opportunity for us to share things that are so precious and personal to us and I'm so pleased that "Merry Hall" will always after be part of my year.
@gardencat Beverly Nichols wrote many many books and lots are "of their time"- 1920s and 30s- so are so less relevant to today but" Merry Hall" is timeless. It is a gentler world of his beloved cats, lilies and a host of fantastic characters in the local village.
@onewing I've never before met anyone that actually read "The tree that sat down" and the others. I too must reread them. I did read "Father Figure" years ago though the only thing I remember of it was that he had a pretty rotten childhood. When I was at school, I wrote to Beverly Nichols and got the most delightful letter back from him, then quite elderly but still writing beautifully. It's one of my most treasured possessions. Do read "Merry Hall"- it's timeless!
@angelar Thanks Angela I will check out Merry Hall. If I can't get it from the library I am sure I will be able to buy it on Abebooks for only a few dollars. I knew I could feel a birthday coming on ha ha.
His father was an alcoholic and Beverley Nichols hated him.
September 15th, 2013
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Must be going back to second childhood as I have re read all the CS Lewis books and John Masefield's "The Box of Delights" and "The Midnight Folk" too.
His father was an alcoholic and Beverley Nichols hated him.