Soon-back-in-Print: The Joy of the Snow
With new letters by Elizabeth Goudge!
“A book begins with falling in love. You lose your heart to a place, a house, an avenue of trees, or with a character who walks in and takes sudden and complete possession of you. Imagination glows, and there is the seed of your book.”
💙 Elizabeth Goudge, The Joy of the Snow
Goudge Good News
Recently it was announced by a small UK publisher, Girls Gone By, that they would be reprinting Goudge’s autobiography, The Joy of the Snow, and including some new previously unpublished personal letters by Elizabeth Goudge.
In the last decade GGBP have republished four of Goudge’s books for children, and in the last five years issued more reprintings on account of growing interest, particularly during our read-alongs of the Henrietta books. They have also published The World of Elizabeth Goudge by the late Sylvia Gower, which is a popular book for Goudge fans. (I will be including some info from Sylvia’s book this month for Towers in the Mist!)
About the new edition of The Joy of the Snow, Clarissa of Girls Gone By reports in their newsletter dated for Candlemas, February 2nd, 2024:
“The extra material we are including is a lot of letters (I am not sure quite how many at this stage) from Elizabeth Goudge to Madeau Stewart who worked at the BBC. They begin very formally but then are addressed to 'My dear Madeau' and are letters full of personal detail. They have never been published in full before.
At the moment, we don't know in which format we shall publish the book. Once I have the letters to hand (they have been typed up and are being checked at the moment) then I can do a rough typeset and work out the format. It won't make any difference to the price of the book, just to the size. Please note that we have not finished the cover, and can't do this until we have worked out the format.”
Pre-order
Because they are a small publishing house, it is very helpful for GGBP to have pre-orders so that they know how many to order in the first print run. This will ensure that everyone who wants a copy can have one without having to wait, and makes their job much easier in paying for new editions. Preorders for Smoky House and The Valley of Song were helpful in their printings in the last few years.
If you would like to reserve your copy, go to Girls Gone By Publishers to pre-order their new edition of The Joy of the Snow by Elizabeth Goudge. And be sure to get a copy of Sister of the Angels for this December if you do not have one yet! (This is not an affiliate link. Just my hardy recommendation! I have bought a great many copies from them and they arrive quickly and in great condition here in Pennsylvania.)
If you are in the US, pay using PayPal so that you are not charged international fees on your credit card, and the shipping is very reasonable to the US.
“The only people who will read this book are the people who read my stories and they have so often written to ask me, when did you begin to write?
What is it like to write a book? Are writers inspired?
Does it flow out of them like water from a tap or do they slog?
Do they enjoy their work?
Do they put themselves into their books?
How long do writers have to be at it before they can earn a living?
Do you mind what the critics say?
Have there been other writers in your family?
There have been other questions but these are the main ones and I will try to answer them… but lack of time means that we do not answer them as fully as we should like to do…
(I) will try to make amends now. I began to write as a child in the Principal's House at Wells and have scarcely left off since.”
💙 Elizabeth Goudge, The Joy of the Snow
Possible Grave Memorial Service
For the last couple of years, the ladies at Girls Gone By have also been fundraising to replace a stolen cross from the Goudge family grave at St Mary’s in New Milton. Clarissa says:
“The ecclesiastical permissions suddenly came through this week. Our stone-mason is now in touch with the Churchwarden at New Milton and will go ahead asap. One question I have been asked is whether we would like a special service to commemorate the grave. Please can you let me know if you would be able to go to this (New Milton is in Hampshire).”
I have not read Joy of the Snow but I’m looking forward to it!
Any idea when the memorial service might happen?
I've heard about Girls Gone By publishing from Miranda Mills! Excited to hear about this republishing of Joy of the Snow. I've wanted to read it so I preordered. Thanks for the PayPal tip.