Encyclopaedia of Girls’ School Stories (Volume Three)

The Encyclopaedia of Girls’ School Stories was first published in 2000 and is long out of print. 

This long-awaited revision of the essential guide for any enthusiast of the girls’ school story is compiled by Sue Sims and Hilary Clare, who are the acknowledged experts in the field and have spent decades researching the subject. They have scoured records and copyright libraries and read thousands of books (Sue has the largest collection of girls’ school stories in private hands in the UK) to compile the most extensive data in existence on girls’ school story writers and their books. Among readers of the genre the first edition acquired such status that it is affectionately known simply as ‘The Book’. Not only does it act as a complete reference guide to any writer and her or his books, but the authors’ scholarly, often humorous and always insightful assessments of the writers are a delight to read, guiding readers towards new writers and helping them view old favourites with fresh enlightenment. Our battered copy of the first edition is in sore need of replacing as it’s been browsed so often to see what it has to say about a new acquisition or simply for the pleasure of the writing.

This new edition represents years of further research since the 2000 edition and contains:

• Expanded biographies of every major writer and many minor school story writers, containing a great deal of newly discovered information
• Updated bibliographies listing every English-language school story written in the UK and Commonwealth countries
• Intelligent and witty critical analysis of writers’ strengths and weaknesses
• Extensive quotations to illustrate writers’ qualities
• Entries written by guest experts on particular writers.
• An article on the critical response to the genre
• Essays on the outliers of the genre, including Historical and Fantasy School Stories, Early School Stories, Adult School Stories etc
• New essays on Elsie Jeanette Oxenham and Elinor M Brent-Dyer
• A new essay with bibliography on school stories published since the first edition of the Encyclopaedia.

This edition will also be illustrated for the first time with over 200 illustrations, many taken from the pages of the stories.

Full Contents List

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Critical Response
Alphabetical list of 19th and 20th century authors with full bibliographies

Adult School Fiction
Ballet and Stage School Stories
College Stories
Convent School Stories
Early School Stories (1749-1876)
Evangelistic School Stories
Historical and Fantasy School Stories
The Girl’s Own Paper
Girls’ School Story Papers

Annuals
Guide School Stories
Little Folks
Modern School Stories
Pony School Stories

General Bibliography

The book will be issued in three volumes. Volume Three will include:

Volume Three

Authors N-Z (NB there are no entries for the Letters X or Z)

Girl’s Own Paper

Girls’ School Story Papers

Historical and Fantasy School Stories

Little Folks

Modern School Stories

Pony School Stories

Scottish School Stories

General Bibliography

(Added to website 9 March 2020)