''Lone Pine'' is a series of
children's books written by English author
Malcolm Saville.
Although they were written over a 35-year timespan, between 1943 and 1978, the characters only age by a few years in the course of the series. The earlier books evoke visions of an outdoor 1940s and '50s childhood reminiscent of
Enid Blyton's
''Famous Five'' books, in which children are allowed to have adventures, explore strange places and encounter villains without adult supervision. These ''Lone Pine'' books were illustrated by
Bertram Prance
Bertram Stanley Prance (5 December 1889 – 9 August 1958) was a British artist, poster artist and illustrator who worked as a cartoonist for ''Punch'' magazine among others.
Early life
Prance was born in Bideford in Devon in 1889, one of f ...
(1889-1958).
Bertram Prance - illustrator of the ''Lone Pine'' series - Malcolm Saville website
/ref> The later books adjust to the mood of the 1960s and '70s, as the older characters grow into their late teens and new characters join the Lone Pine Club.
Many of the books are set on or around the Long Mynd and Stiperstones
The Stiperstones ( cy, Carneddau Teon) is a distinctive hill in the county of Shropshire, England. The quartzite rock of the ridge formed some 480 million years ago. During the last Ice Age Stiperstones lay on the eastern margin of the Welsh i ...
hills in south Shropshire, England, but some are based in Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
(centred on Rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
), Dartmoor, the Goathland
Goathland is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is in the North York Moors national park due north of Pickering, off the A169 to Whitby. I ...
and Whitby area of Yorkshire and the Southwold and Walberswick
Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, around ...
area of the Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
coast. One book is set in London, the self-explanatory ''Lone Pine London''. The books reflect Saville's Christianity and moral values, and the phrase "From Loyalty to Love", which is the Lone Pine Club's motto, is a signifier of his beliefs.
Characters
The Lone Pine Club's members are: David Morton (Captain), Petronella "Peter" Sterling (Vice Captain), Richard "Dickie" and Mary Morton, Thomas "Tom" Ingles, Jenny Harman, Jonathan "Jon" Warrender, Penelope "Penny" Warrender and Harriet Sparrow. Macbeth, or "Mackie", is the Morton's Scottish terrier and is present in all books.
Books
*''Mystery at Witchend'' (1943)
*''Seven White Gates'' (1944)
*''The Gay Dolphin Adventure'' (1945)
*''The Secret of Grey Walls'' (1947)
*''Lone Pine Five'' (1949)
*''The Elusive Grasshopper'' (1951)
*''The Neglected Mountain'' (1953)
*''Saucers Over The Moor'' (1955)
*''Wings Over Witchend'' (1956)
*''Lone Pine London'' (1957)
*''The Secret of the Gorge'' (1958)
*''Mystery Mine'' (1959)
*''Sea Witch Comes Home'' (1960)
*''Not Scarlet But Gold'' (1962)
*''Treasure at Amorys'' (1964)
*''Man With Three Fingers'' (1966)
*''Rye Royal'' (1969)
*''Strangers at Witchend'' (1970)
*''Where's My Girl?'' (1972)
*''Home to Witchend'' (1978)
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lone Pine
British children's novels
Children's mystery novels
Series of children's books
Shropshire