Lone Pine (books)

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Lone Pine is a series of children's books written by 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 1950s childhood redolent of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books, where children are allowed to have adventures, explore strange places and encounter villains without adult supervision. The later books adjust surprisingly well to the mood of the 1960s and 1970s, as the older characters grow into their late teens and new characters join the Lone Pine Club.

Many of the books are set in Shropshire, England, but some are also based in Sussex (centred around Rye), Dartmoor, the Goathland and Whitby area of Yorkshire and the Southwold and Walberswick area of the Suffolk coast. Additionally, one of the books 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 an important signifier of his beliefs.

The Lone Pine Club's members are as follows: David Morton (Captain), Petronella 'Peter' Sterling (Vice Captain), Richard 'Dickie' and Mary Morton, Thomas 'Tom' Ingles, Jenny Harman, Jonathon 'Jon' Warrender, Penelope 'Penny' Warrender and Harriet Sparrow. Macbeth or 'Mackie' is the Morton's Scottish terrier and is present in all books.

The Lone Pine books are listed below, in chronological order. They are not currently in print unless otherwise stated, but second-hand copies are usually easy to obtain, although these are often the (usually) abridged Armada paperback versions.

  • Mystery at Witchend (1943)
  • Seven White Gates (1944)
  • The Gay Dolphin Adventure (1945)
  • The Secret of Grey Walls (1947)
  • Lone Pine Five (1949) - currently in print.
  • The Elusive Grasshopper (1951) - currently in print.
  • The Neglected Mountain (1953) - currently in print.
  • Saucers Over The Moor (1955) - currently in print.
  • Wings Over Witchend (1956) - currently in print.
  • Lone Pine London (1957) - currently in print.
  • The Secret of the Gorge (1958) - currently in print.
  • Mystery Mine (1959) - currently in print.
  • 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) - currently in print.
  • Where's My Girl? (1972) - currently in print.
  • Home to Witchend (1978) - currently in print.
  • The Flower-Show Hat (short story originally published in 1950 and reprinted in 2000 by the Malcolm Saville Society - currently in print.

Mark O'Hanlon's book The Complete Lone Pine is also currently in print.