Here is a quick post about Mary Stewart books. I have started looking out for her novels in bookshops and libraries and then photographing any I find (of course this also leaves me open to the temptation of buying *even more copies* of her novels). Here are the snaps:
I took this photo earlier today in the fiction section in Edinburgh Central Library. As I hope you can make out, this photo shows all five of Mary Stewart’s novels set in Arthurian times plus four of her suspense novels. Well done, Edinburgh Central, I call this a pretty good Mary Stewart selection! Less pleasingly, I was also in Blackwell’s bookshop (Edinburgh’s oldest bookshop) and they had no Mary Stewart books instore at all – although, of course, they can order her books on request.
I took this photo in Waterstones (Princes Street, Edinburgh, branch) about a week ago. My Brother Michael was alone in the Crime section and I moved it over to join the Mary Stewarts in General Fiction, making the total selection in this shop one Merlin book plus eight suspense novels, all in the beautiful new covers. This lovely selection proved too much for me and I had to break my already pretty generous rule of buying no more than one Mary Stewart a month… as you can see in my tweet:
Could life be any better than this? In the cafe at @natlibscot gloating over my Mary Stewarts from @Waterstones_Edi pic.twitter.com/d4957sceTh
— Allison (@AllisMcD) October 26, 2017
During the summer I paid a rare visit to the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and found this selection of Mary Stewarts:
Six suspense novels is pretty good, I am glad to see a love of Mary Stewart in Glasgow as well as Edinburgh.
In Dunfermline, I haven’t been able to take a photo of any Mary Stewarts – I’d like to think they are all out on loan but the Fife-wide catalogue shows a horrid lack of her novels: they hold only 12 Mary Stewart books in total, including an omnibus from 1981. So that is about 1 Mary Stewart per 3 libraries. This makes me sad!
This small library is just a few minutes’ walk from Mary Stewart’s past Edinburgh home: I was so glad to see it display her latest book The Wind Off the Small Isles soon after its 2016 re-issue that I blogged about it here.
I took this photo as I began this Mary Queen of Plots blog last year. Writing has caused my Mary Stewart book-buying to escalate absurdly and now my collection is more like this:
Hmm. Okay, let’s move on, nothing to see here! I want to finish this post with a plea: I’d love to see your photos of Mary Stewarts – novels perhaps sitting on your bookshelves or spotted in libraries, bookshops or charity shops. Let’s start a photo album!
And here is an addition to the photo album, thank you ‘Blue Skies’ for this beautiful photograph (funny, I fancy a cuppa now…)
Linda Borromeo (you can see her author website here) has sent this lovely photo of (some of) her Mary Stewart books – thanks for sharing, Linda!
Mary Queen of Plots 
Great idea to do this! Iwill try to take a photo!
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Wonderful! Thanks for supporting this idea
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I will get my books out and photograph them. It may take a little time – I live in a small flat and the many, many books have taken over to the point that bookshelves are double-filled and there are stacks in corners. The beautiful new Mary Stewart covers have been too much to resist, haven’t they?
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Hi Lenelle, It sounds as though you have a good collection to display! I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t resist the new covers, and I’m looking forward to seeing and sharing your photo.
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Would love to be involved with this! Do I add a photo in the comments section and if so how do I do that? Or do I email the photo to you?
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Thanks for wanting to be involved! Hadn’t thought about the best way to do this but wordpress can be quite spammy with images so it might be best to email me the photo.
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Love the photos! Great idea! Will keep an eye open for a potential photo in my local Waterstones…but last time I was there, they didn’t have any Mary Stewart books at all! 😦
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Thanks, Rosetta! Dunfermline Waterstones also lacks Mary Stewarts – no matter how many times I look!
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It was so much fun taking a tour of Mary Stewart books around Edinburgh! I felt a bit of a thrill when you mentioned the storied bookshop of Blackwell’s—so much history within its walls, but alas, no Mary Stewart books there. I’m the same as you, I love the ceremony of savoring and, yes, gloating over books I’ve found and just purchased. I will take a picture of my Mary Stewart collection soon.
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Thanks, Linda! I had higher hopes of Blackwell’s, perhaps there will be some another time (and I did pick up a lovely new I Capture the Castle – Macmillan books UK have reissued many classics in gorgeous little gilt-edged hardbacks). It’s good to know you like to gloat over books too and I’m looking forward to seeing your photo.
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Love love love I Capture the Castle! A good friend loaned me her copy several years ago as it one is one of her favorites and she wanted to share with me. I was not disappointed I absolutely loved the book! I went on to read everything else that Dodie Smith wrote but Castle is definitely the best. 101 Dalmatians was also very charming. I’m actually re-reading Castle right now.
I will get a picture email to you of my Mary Stewart shelf in my green room which is my library/tearoom/parlor.
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I hope you are enjoying your reread, I am hopeful of making a start on Castle this weekend. I’m looking forward to sharing your photo of MS books!
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So pleased to find your blog! I’ve only recently discovered Mary Stewart. I’ve just bought 6 hardbacks 🙂
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Hello Lucina and welcome to Mary Queen of Plots! I’d love to know what you have read so far and which six hardbacks you have bought – Mary Stewart wrote suspense, about Merlin and King Arthur, children’s books and poetry, so hopefully there is plenty for you to enjoy. Thanks for popping by 🙂
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Thanks for the welcome 🙂 The ones I’ve read so far are: My Brother Michael, The Moon Spinners, This Rough Magic, Nine Coaches Waiting and Touch Not the Cat. The last two were Christmas presents in the lovely new paperback editions. The ones I’ve just bought are all 2nd hand hardbacks: the Hollow Hills, the Gabriel Hounds, the Ivy Tree, Airs above the Ground,Wildfire at Midnight, and Thunder on the Right. Oh, and The Crystal Cave, which I’m currently reading. I’ll try and take a photo in the next day or two.
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Hi Lucina, I have just replied to your comment on My Brother Michael and now I see the answer to my question: you are reading The Crystal Cave! I’d love to hear your take on Mary Stewart’s historical fiction/fantasy as distinct from her suspense novels.
You seem to have an extensive collection of Mary Stewarts already and I would love to see and share a photo on here if you get the chance to send one.
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