Britain in Pictures

I have been doing a bit of book sleuthing this morning about a series launched in 1941 by Collins (now HarperCollins) called Britain in Pictures. Apparently, the 132 books in the series were designed to boost morale at a time when Hitler was threatening to cross the English Channel.

The books were written by some very famous writers - George Orwell (The English People), Edith Sitwell (Women), Graham Greene (Dramatists) - and covered everything from British boxing and birds to cricket and farming. There is even a volume on British hills and mountains.

Each slim book is octavo sized and contains black and white illustrations and 'plates in colour'. 

I happen to know about this series through three books that I bought on a now-long-ago trip to England and Scotland. I didn't know at the time their history:

English Novelists by Elizabeth Bowen, English Gardens by Harry Roberts, and British Universities by S.C. Roberts

Each volume runs about 50 pages. Two of my copies still have their original jackets. I bought the three for two pounds each. I don't remember if I purchased them in London or one of the other towns I visited. 

Oh, yes. I was the one going through customs declaring 'books' while everyone else was bringing home woolens, pottery, and tea sets.

Now three does not a collection make, and these three books have been languishing all alone on my shelves for many years, but in the age of the Internet, I feel a little thrill of excitement at the prospect of finding more. 

Who could resist the books that cover Villages, Postage Stamps, Wild Flowers, and The English at Table? And, what fun it will be tracking them down!

Perhaps you, dear readers, have one or two of the series gathering dust on your bookshelves. If so, let me know, and maybe we can strike a bargain.

Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen

Has anyone read Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen?

Well, I have read half of it. Does that count?

I so want to like Ms. Bowen but I do struggle with her writing. The first book I read of hers, The Hotel, was about a group of guests in an Italian hotel. I enjoyed the language but couldn't really understand the hidden meanings in the dialogue. Do people really talk like that?

But back to Eva. She is a woman of twenty-four whose mother was killed in a plane crash and whose very wealthy financier father - who carted Eva all over the world with him - committed suicide. When the novel opens, Eva is on the verge of inheriting her father's fortune. Eva is a tall, uncomfortable woman who was educated by governesses. She doesn't have any friends. The only people in her life are her guardian Constantine; a former English teacher, Iseult and her husband Eric, who take Eva in to live with them; and, the vicar's family of four children. 

Eva decides to leave the home of Iseult and Eric and moves - escapes - to a rather rundown house by the sea. She likes it there. It is quiet. She collects sea shells. She rides her bicycle. She enjoys the isolation.

I liked Eva in that house. It is the first place she could really call her own. Could call a home. On her arrival, she can hardly wait to get rid of the chattering estate agent. Then Eric, the English teacher's husband, shows up. He bosses her around and fiddles with the fire. Next Constantine arrives. She thought she had covered her trail and that people would leave her alone, but alas that is not to be.

We jump ahead eight years. Eva has a son, Jeremy. They return to England after living in America for nearly a decade.  

That is where I left them. At the airport. 

I turned to Wikipedia to find out the rest of the story. It doesn't end well for Eva. And I found out some things: her father and her guardian were lovers; her son was bought on the black market in America and is deaf; she comes to fall in love with Henry, one of the sons from the vicar's family introduced in Part One.

I don't know people who act or think like this. I missed all the clues as to the above Wikipedia revelations. Apparently Ms. Bowen and I operate on quite different levels. At least in this novel.

Should I give up or does anyone have any suggestions?