Jane Austen's first publisher

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Some fascinating research here on Jane Austen's first appearance in print.

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Desert Island Pony Books: Kate Lattey

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Today's castaway on the desert island where the horse and pony book rule is author Kate Lattey. She's written three series of pony books all set in her native New Zealand, and I admit I do envy their world, which seems so much less constricted than life here in the UK. I really enjoy her books, and you can read my review of Dare to Dream and Dream On.

You can follow Kate on her website here, which also gives you a free download of the first in her Pony Jumpers series.

Kate's chosen a really interesting set of books – and if you've followed the series so far, you'll be intrigued to see which one she'd throw over the side!


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The five pony books I would choose if I were stuck on a desert island…wow. I have over 100 pony books in my collection, and to choose just five? The concept is almost impossible. There are obvious choices that I’m sure have been mentioned before, many times, by many others – Ruby Ferguson’s entire Jill series and Patricia Leitch’s entire J…
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Desert Island Pony Books: Linda Newbery

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I'm delighted to welcome the next castaway on the desert island where books are allowed. But not many. Linda Newbery has been one of my favourite authors for years: if you haven't read herThe Damage Done or The Nowhere Girl, or The Shell House, or Lob, you are in for a treat. 
Linda's latest book is The Key to Flambards, which the acute will spot uses the name of a very well-known series indeed: K M Peyton's Flambards. That is because this book tells (with the blessing of K M Peyton) the story of Christina's descendants, Grace Russell, and her mother, who are visiting Flambards for the first time around a century since we left it in Flambards Divided. 
I loved it. The more I think about it, the more staggerered I am at how well it weaves together the Flambards we all know with the modern day. 
So it will not surprise you to learn who wrote one of Linda's choices ... 
Linda Newbery's website. Linda runs the Writers Review blog with Adele Geras and Celia Rees…
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Dick Sparrow - 40 Horse Hitch, and Neil Dimmock's 46 Percherons

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Here's a clip of Dick Sparrow driving 40 horses. It's an amazing sight, particularly when the shot changes to show the team from the rear and you get the great incongruity of modern American corporate architecture as a background to the wagon and horses. I love the anticipation in the video: the sense of something amazing being just round the corner is palpable.



Thanks to Christina Wilsdon for telling me about this world record 46 Percheron hitch (alas just stills) but you get the idea.

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