Attempting to recommend a book as a good introduction, or first novel by a particular author for someone not familiar with that author is a difficult task.   As I have been involved in ATS activities, and the e-mail discussion groups for all four of these authors, I have observed that books that one person loves, someone else hates.  And books that most members dislike, others like a lot.  It seems to depend on the person, their taste, experiences, background and many other factors.

So, on the lists of Stevenson and Heyer books supplied, I have marked certain titles as “not recommended as first” reads. These are the books that I consider to be either very atypical or in a few cases sequels so dependent on the early books in the series that they don’t read well alone.

I am not attempting to cover Sayers' non-mystery writings. For Sayers, I would recommend reading the Lord Peter novels in publication order if possible, as his
personality does develop with time. However, on the LordPeter list every book in the series has been someone’s “first” Lord Peter. These novels are VERY different from each other, so unless you dislike mysteries completely some of them should appeal.  Thirkell readers who remember the conflicts between the Hoisiers boys school and Southbridge in Cheerfulness Breaks In, might see similar issues raised as part of the plot in Murder Must Advertise.  

For most Thirkell fans, I would probably recommend Miss Buncle’s Book as a good potential first D.E. Stevenson. It deals with an issue that Thirkell herself faced and it is among the more overtly funny of Stevenson’s books, with a satirical view of the world that I would think should appeal. It has a plot that Wodehouse could have used by changing the gender of the main character. (Or did he, in a book of his I haven’t read yet?) 

In Miss Buncle’s Book, a young lady, living in a quaint English village with trusted servant finds the dividends not providing enough income. So she writes a book, using the villagers as characters. Her friends and neighbors recognize themselves when the book is successfully published and many get upset and vow to track down the author. However, our protagonist isn’t suspected, as they all feel that she doesn’t have enough brains to write a book.

If you especially enjoy the wartime Thirkell’s, then you might enjoy seeing another view of the same events in the wartime Stevenson’s: The English Air, Mrs. Tim Carries On, Spring Magic, Celia’s House, Listening Valley, or The Four Graces. The Two Mrs. Abbotts is also a great WWII book, but it is a sequel to the two Miss Buncle books and I feel is best read after them.

Georgette Heyer wrote books of many different types. Contemporary romances, serious historical fiction, contemporary mysteries, adventure books patterned after The Scarlet Pimpernel, and regency comedies of manners are some of the major classifications. An Infamous Army, in which the battle of Waterloo is a prominent feature, is so accurate that it has been used to teach students at Sandhurst about that battle. Her serious historical novels are very well researched, but are perhaps less entertaining to some than her lighter fiction where the characters aren’t hindered by fact. A few personal favorites are marked on the list. Fans of Tony Morland might enjoy reading Frederica, which contains Felix, a school boy who is mad about trains, living when trains were VERY new.

The works of these four authors are very different in some ways, but share precise use of language, humor, a moral core, and a geography centered on the British Isles.  

Talk Bibliography	page 2
Booklist	page 3
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