What Hetty Did
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The seventh and penultimate novel by J.L. Carr, published in 1988 when he was 76 years old. The novel describes the reminiscences of an 18 year old girl, Hetty Beauchamp, who runs away from home and comes across several characters from Carr's previous novels including Emma Foxberrow, a teacher in The Harpole Report and Mr Peplow, from A Day in Summer.
| What Hetty Did | |
 Cover of first edition - 1988 |
|
| Author | J.L. Carr |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Joan Hassall |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | The Quince Tree Press |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 183 |
| ISBN | 0900847913 |
| Preceded by | The Battle of Pollocks Crossing |
| Followed by | Harpole & Foxberrow General Publishers |
Carr was offered an advance of £5,000 for the novel, including paperback rights, but as this was the same amount that he had been offered three years earlier for The Battle of Pollocks Crossing, he decided to publish it himself.[1] The book was published in an edition of 3,000 copies and is the first novel published by The Quince Tree Press. As Carr usually offered to send his books post free, he included the price of postage in the price of the book, which had to be printed on the back. However he based postage mistakenly on the cost of sending a Penguin paperback, and What Hetty Did was printed on superior paper with card covers, so it was heavier than expected and he lost money on postage.[2] However the book sold well at £3.95 a copy and he soon had another 3,000 copies printed.[1] The novel is still published by The Quince Tree Press.
The book is notable for the fact that he gave his name as James Carr on the spine and J.L Carr on the front. Carr was christened Joseph Lloyd and adopted the name 'Jim' or even 'James' in his early 20s.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Rogers, B. (2003). The Last Englishman. The Life of J.L. Carr. London: Aurum Press
- ^ Carr, J.L. (1991). The Passport Interview. Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire: Passport magazine.
