Lone Pine is a series of children's books

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 written by Malcolm Saville

Malcolm Saville

Leonard Malcolm Saville was an English author born in Hastings, Sussex. He is best known for the Lone Pine series of children's books, many of which are set in Shropshire. His work places emphasis on place, with the books including many vivid descriptions of English countryside, villages and...

.

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

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...

's Famous Five

The Famous Five (series)

The Famous Five is the name of a series of children's novels written by British author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942....

 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

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, but some are also based in Sussex

Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...

 (centred around Rye

Rye

Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...

), Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...

, the Goathland

Goathland

Goathland is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. It is in the North York Moors national park situated due north of Pickering, off the A169 to Whitby...

 and Whitby

Whitby

Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...

 area of Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 and the Southwold

Southwold

Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...

 and Walberswick

Walberswick

Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century...

 area of the Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 coast. Additionally, one of the books is set in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 (the self-explanatory Lone Pine London). The books reflect Saville's Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

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.

Characters

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, Jonathan 'Jon' Warrender, Penelope 'Penny' Warrender and Harriet Sparrow. Macbeth or 'Mackie' is the Morton's Scottish terrier and is present in all books.

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.