Margaret Biggs

Margaret Biggs (born 9 July 1929, Orpington, Kent) is a popular and collectible exponent of the girls' School story. She is best known for her Melling School series of books, first published by Blackie in the 1950s. The series is set at a weekly boarding school and is unusual in that it shows boarding school life and home life side by side. The interaction between girls and boys is also atypical of the genre at that time. The Melling series was republished by Girls Gone By Publishers in the 2000s and the reprints whilst retaining the original text and artwork have new introductions by Margaret Biggs, who is ‘taking great pleasure in the republication of her books’. Ms Biggs has also written a new volume in the series,Kate at Melling, set twelve years after the earlier books, which was published by Girls Gone By in March 2008.

Biography

Margaret Biggs moved to Hertfordshire in 1935 where she was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Barnet. After leaving school in 1946, Ms Biggs obtained employment in the editorial department of Evans Brothers publishers where she met Jacqueline Blairman with whom she co-wrote her first school story. Prior to that her published writing had consisted of short stories and magazine articles.

Margaret Biggs married David Cadney in 1953. They have three children.

Works

Melling series

• The Blakes Come to Melling, Blackie, 1951. ISBN B0000CI0SM
  • Republ. by Girls Gone By Publishers, 2004. ISBN 1-904417-38-8

• The New Prefect at Melling, Blackie, 1952. ISBN B0000CI7ZY
  • Republ. by Girls Gone By Publishers, 2004. ISBN 1-904417-51-5

• Last Term for Helen, Blackie, 1953. ISBN B0000CIKD0
  • Republ. by Girls Gone By Publishers, 2005. ISBN 1-904417-64-7

• The Head Girl at Melling, Blackie, 1954. ISBN B0000CIT5P
  • Republ. by Girls Gone By Publishers, 2005. ISBN 1-904417-77-9

• Susan in the Sixth, Blackie, 1955. ISBN B0000CJ83R

• The New Girl at Melling, Blackie, 1956.

• Summer term at Melling, Blackie, 1957. ISBN B0000CJRRL

• Stories of Melling School, Blackie, 1960. ISBN B0000CKLK2 (Containing: The Blakes come to Melling, The New Prefect at Melling, and, Last Term for Helen)

• More stories of Melling School, Blackie, 1961. ISBN B0000CKXIN (Containing: The Head Girl at Melling, Susan in the Sixth, and, Summer Term at Melling)

• Kate at Melling, GGBP, 2008

Other titles

• Triplets at Royders (with Jacqueline Blairman), Sampson Low, 1950?
• Christmas term at Vernley, Blackie, 1951
• Bobby at Hill House, Warne, 1954
• Dilly goes to Ambergate, Blackie, 1955
• The Two Families, Blackie, 1958

Short stories

• "Mary's New Friend" in A Book of Girls' Stories, Golden Pleasure Books, 1964
• Lucinda's Long Afternoon and Pip and the Famous Author in Girls' Choice: A New Book of Stories, Hamlyn, 1965

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References

• Sue Sims and Hilary Clare, The Encyclopaedia of Girls' School Stories, Ashgate, 2000

See also

• The Chalet School series of books written by Elinor Brent-Dyer.
• The genre author Angela Brazil

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