Finding First Edition vintage copies of The Dean's Watch and The Scent of Water for $1 each in a local charity shop felt like a definite blessing. They were in good shape but read and I felt a connection and a responsibility to the person who had owned and loved them. They are in my top 5 Goudge books and started me on a decision to buy vintage copies, slowly, but as gift to myself. Reading is my hobby, really and Goudge can be read and re read and still bring fresh insights as you mature and life changes you. I also have the GGBP editions of ones I am missing as they are so beautifully curated and printed. Again, all in the same spirit of love as the vintage copies from the charity shop. We should never hoard or hide, let the light shine out to all.
Amazing finds indeed! I have heard several readers from Australia say that they have had that luck. The GGBP editions are really lovely as well, and sometimes better than the paperbacks from the 1960-70s.
Little White Horse was the class story book when I was seven and it was the first hardback I saved up to buy out of my pocket money. It was my favourite book in childhood. Then I rediscovered her when a teenager and asked for (and got) the omnibus Eliots of Damerosehay for my eighteenth birthday. I bought most of her other adult titles as Coronet paperbacks in the 1970s and 80s, but then had a long period where I only reread a few chosen titles, such as Green Dolphin Country, Castle on the Hill, Scent of Water and The Rosemary Tree, or those wonderful collections of her writings and short stories: White Wings, At the Sign of the Dolphin and my best loved one, The Ten Gifts. The inn in Herb of Grace has long been my ideal of a place I would love to have as my home.
Even when her books sat on my shelves unread for long periods, so much of my appreciation of places and buildings has been strongly rooted in Goudge’s depiction of the spirit of the place. And I recognise now that many of the values embedded in her books have become my own to aspire to.
Last year I embarked on a project to replace my tattered Coronet paperback editions of her adult titles with vintage hardbacks, and find hardback editions of all her work. I have scoured Abebooks.co.uk and Ebay, as well as local charity shops to find these. Now, there are only a few of the short story collections that I don’t have, although White Wings does contain many of the individual stories from earlier books. I also have bought every ebook edition as well as I appreciate the portability and other benefits of reading on an e-ink eReader.
For a long time I would just dip in and out most of her books, reading treasured passages and promising myself that I would embark on a thorough read of all her books, even her children’s stories that I’d missed years ago. This bookclub has been a wonderful incentive to actually read the books and in a more involved way than I’d done for a long time.
Your thoughts about Goudge are close to, or exactly, the same as mine, and I suspect, many of her fans. Home and what that looks like and feels like is so important to me as well, and Damerosehay has long been my ideal with the Inn a close second. They bring back childhood memories of Grandma's home/farm and garden. Like you Sandra, I have ben slowly replacing my editions with vintage copies, as I can afford to do that occasionally now. I started to do that after the blessing of two First Editions of $1 each in a local country charity shop here in Australia. It spurred me on as they are so special. I agree wholeheartedly with you that this Bookclub brings me more details, knowledge and heart to want to read the novels in a deeper way. It is also fun to share our interest.
That’s wonderful Sandra! So good to hear that reading together has been a help to you! ❤️📚🙏
Yes, all of her books are worth seeking out for sure. I have both the UK & US editions in most of her books so that I can share them here but they are costly. It’s so nice that we can help keep new readers coming in with the new reprints. So glad you found GGBP too!
Oh I should add that I have also bought all the EG titles that Girls Gone By Publishers have released, just to make sure that they know that her books should stay in print.
Would say jump in with us for monthly readalongs! We will be reading The Scent of Water in May. I will post the whole list again soon, or find it in the Books tab.
I was introduced to Elizabeth Goudge as a teenager and fell in love. I collected as many of her books as I could find, and I managed to find quite a few back then (I'm talking late 1960s-1970s). They still have pride of place on my bookshelves. But I have always told people about her! And now that her books are back in print (hurrah!), I recently gifted two of my favorite books to a best friend of mine: Towers in the Mist and City of Bells. I will also be adding titles that I don't have to my own collection. It's tremendously exciting that these magical books are back in print!
You know that I have contemplated "losing" a valuable book or two of Goudge's from my local library, but alas I could not go through with it! I'm loving collecting her books - and have found one or two at low prices in a thrift shop! I'm so thankful you aren't hiding the Elizabeth Goudge light under your bushel, Julie!
She is just too good not to share, Mary! And I know you feel that way too. Reading Goudge has been life changing for me, over and over. She should be read! ❤️📚🙏☺️
Thank you so much for this list! I found Goudge a few years ago and have been slowly working my way through them all as I’ve heard of different titles of hers. But this list is so helpful! I know the ones I am missing now!
Finding First Edition vintage copies of The Dean's Watch and The Scent of Water for $1 each in a local charity shop felt like a definite blessing. They were in good shape but read and I felt a connection and a responsibility to the person who had owned and loved them. They are in my top 5 Goudge books and started me on a decision to buy vintage copies, slowly, but as gift to myself. Reading is my hobby, really and Goudge can be read and re read and still bring fresh insights as you mature and life changes you. I also have the GGBP editions of ones I am missing as they are so beautifully curated and printed. Again, all in the same spirit of love as the vintage copies from the charity shop. We should never hoard or hide, let the light shine out to all.
Amazing finds indeed! I have heard several readers from Australia say that they have had that luck. The GGBP editions are really lovely as well, and sometimes better than the paperbacks from the 1960-70s.
Thank you! This is invaluable information for a fellow Goudge fan.
🙌❤️📚
Little White Horse was the class story book when I was seven and it was the first hardback I saved up to buy out of my pocket money. It was my favourite book in childhood. Then I rediscovered her when a teenager and asked for (and got) the omnibus Eliots of Damerosehay for my eighteenth birthday. I bought most of her other adult titles as Coronet paperbacks in the 1970s and 80s, but then had a long period where I only reread a few chosen titles, such as Green Dolphin Country, Castle on the Hill, Scent of Water and The Rosemary Tree, or those wonderful collections of her writings and short stories: White Wings, At the Sign of the Dolphin and my best loved one, The Ten Gifts. The inn in Herb of Grace has long been my ideal of a place I would love to have as my home.
Even when her books sat on my shelves unread for long periods, so much of my appreciation of places and buildings has been strongly rooted in Goudge’s depiction of the spirit of the place. And I recognise now that many of the values embedded in her books have become my own to aspire to.
Last year I embarked on a project to replace my tattered Coronet paperback editions of her adult titles with vintage hardbacks, and find hardback editions of all her work. I have scoured Abebooks.co.uk and Ebay, as well as local charity shops to find these. Now, there are only a few of the short story collections that I don’t have, although White Wings does contain many of the individual stories from earlier books. I also have bought every ebook edition as well as I appreciate the portability and other benefits of reading on an e-ink eReader.
For a long time I would just dip in and out most of her books, reading treasured passages and promising myself that I would embark on a thorough read of all her books, even her children’s stories that I’d missed years ago. This bookclub has been a wonderful incentive to actually read the books and in a more involved way than I’d done for a long time.
Your thoughts about Goudge are close to, or exactly, the same as mine, and I suspect, many of her fans. Home and what that looks like and feels like is so important to me as well, and Damerosehay has long been my ideal with the Inn a close second. They bring back childhood memories of Grandma's home/farm and garden. Like you Sandra, I have ben slowly replacing my editions with vintage copies, as I can afford to do that occasionally now. I started to do that after the blessing of two First Editions of $1 each in a local country charity shop here in Australia. It spurred me on as they are so special. I agree wholeheartedly with you that this Bookclub brings me more details, knowledge and heart to want to read the novels in a deeper way. It is also fun to share our interest.
That’s wonderful Sandra! So good to hear that reading together has been a help to you! ❤️📚🙏
Yes, all of her books are worth seeking out for sure. I have both the UK & US editions in most of her books so that I can share them here but they are costly. It’s so nice that we can help keep new readers coming in with the new reprints. So glad you found GGBP too!
Oh I should add that I have also bought all the EG titles that Girls Gone By Publishers have released, just to make sure that they know that her books should stay in print.
Me too!
I can’t believe that I’ve missed out on reading her-she sounds wonderful. Which of her books would you recommend as a starter?
Would say jump in with us for monthly readalongs! We will be reading The Scent of Water in May. I will post the whole list again soon, or find it in the Books tab.
I was introduced to Elizabeth Goudge as a teenager and fell in love. I collected as many of her books as I could find, and I managed to find quite a few back then (I'm talking late 1960s-1970s). They still have pride of place on my bookshelves. But I have always told people about her! And now that her books are back in print (hurrah!), I recently gifted two of my favorite books to a best friend of mine: Towers in the Mist and City of Bells. I will also be adding titles that I don't have to my own collection. It's tremendously exciting that these magical books are back in print!
Yes it is!! 🙌📚❤️🙏
You know that I have contemplated "losing" a valuable book or two of Goudge's from my local library, but alas I could not go through with it! I'm loving collecting her books - and have found one or two at low prices in a thrift shop! I'm so thankful you aren't hiding the Elizabeth Goudge light under your bushel, Julie!
It is so exciting to find her in a charity shop. I know that I have squealed aloud.
She is just too good not to share, Mary! And I know you feel that way too. Reading Goudge has been life changing for me, over and over. She should be read! ❤️📚🙏☺️
I wish that her collection of short stories: The Golden Skylark and Other Stories, would be reprinted!
Me too! Her short stories are wonderful. We will have to work on that. 📚❤️
We are so blessed in the last few years by so many classics coming back into print, especially from the 20th century!
Yes so true!! And these books are so precious too as they are the words of women finally being written down. Amazing. 📚❤️
Love this. I think it is important to share these timeless writers. I will for sure be diving into Elizabeth Goudges works.
👏❤️📚🙌🙏 Exciting to hear that!!
Thank you so much for this list! I found Goudge a few years ago and have been slowly working my way through them all as I’ve heard of different titles of hers. But this list is so helpful! I know the ones I am missing now!
So glad to hear that! This is the perfect time to buy.