Margery Sharp: A Bibliography
The following is a listing of the works of Margery Sharp. It is as complete as I can make it for now. If you see something that is not on this list and should be, I would love to hear from you.
Some of these will be clickable links, to take you to a separate page with a brief (or not so brief) discussion specific to that work. Please be aware that some synopses may contain so-called spoilers; as much as possible I have tried to place these at the very end under ‘Additional Notes’.
Quick stats: Margery Sharp wrote twenty six novels for adults, fourteen stories for children, four plays, several mysteries, and many, many short stories.
General Fiction:
1930: Rhododendron Pie and here
1932: Fanfare for Tin Trumpets (some additional notes regarding A.A. Milne influences here)
1932: The Nymph and The Nobleman
1941: The Tigress On The Hearth (approximate date)
1941: Three Companion Pieces–an anthology of three earlier works
1943: No Turning Back—a novella, published, full length, in Cosmopolitan magazine
1954: The Gipsy in the Parlour
1965: The Sun in Scorpio
1972: The Innocents
1973: The Lost Chapel Picnic and Other Stories
Plays
Meeting At Night produced London, 1934
Lady in Waiting (adaptation of her novel The Nutmeg Tree) produced New York at the Martin Beck Theatre, March,1940; London, 1941; also performed in French, NY 1941. Produced by Brock Pemberton, directed by Antoinette Perry
The Foolish Gentlewoman (adaptation of her novel of same name) produced London, 1949, at the Duchess Theatre; starring Sybil Thorndike; also produced in French, London, 1950
The Birdcage Room television play, 1954
Movie adaptations
The Forbidden Street (from Britannia Mews)
Cluny Brown (from book of same name)
The Notorious Landlady 1962 (based on a short story, The Notorious Tenant) Miscellaneous
Short Stories, etc... This listing is a work in progress. I have listed them in chronological order. (Contributions welcome). Sharp contributed to numerous magazines and other publications. A part of this list was due to help from an online magazine resource, which has been invaluable, as well as supplementing to the list from my own collection. Adding to the intrigue of attempting to compile an accurate listing is the fact that some stories were published under different names, in more than one magazine or collection. Where known, these have been noted.
Moonshine (pm) The Story-Teller Apr 1923
Drawing-Room Tea (pm) The Story-Teller Jun 1926
Modern, That’s Me! The Windsor Magazine Dec. 1929
Special Messenger (ss) Woman’s Home Companion Feb 1932
Midnight Cabaret (ss) The Passing Show Sep 17 1932
Marriages Are Made in Heaven (ss) Britannia and Eve Sep 1932
London Night’s Entertainment (ss) The Graphic Nov 28 1932
Flight of the Infanta (ss) The Grand Magazine Apr 1933
The Second Step (ss) Harper’s Magazine Jun 1934; Argosy (UK) Aug 1942
Interlude at Spanish Harbour (ss) The Strand Jul 1934 [also published under this title in the Lost Chapel Picnic And Other Stories collection, 1973–hardbound book; Also published as The Man Who Feared the Water, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine]
The Snuff Box (ss) The Strand Mar 1935
Camp Follower (ss) Harper’s Bazaar Jul 1935
On The Lake (ss) Harper’s May 1936
Winning Sequence (ss) The Strand Sep 1936 (also in Harper’s, Oct. 1936)
The Salvation of Mr. Clutterbuck (ss) The Strand Oct 1936
Mr. Partridge and the Enemy (ss) The Strand Aug 1937
Lady In Trouble, Harper’s Aug. 1937
Crime at the Coffee-stall (ss) Lilliput Nov 1937
Good Old Julia (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Feb 5 1938 [Julia, Lady Waring]
Table Seventeen (ss) Collier’s Mar 12 1938
Julia Hires Help (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Mar 26 1938 [Julia, Lady Waring]
Party on the Stage (ss) Collier’s Apr 16 1938
Julia Reads a Book (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Apr 23 1938 [Julia, Lady Waring]
Seaside Spell (ss) Collier’s May 14 1938
An Orange Flame (ss) Collier’s Oct 8 1938
You Can’t Forget Me (ss) McCall’s Jul 1939
Face Value (ss) Collier’s Aug 19 1939
Fogbound (ss) McCall’s Nov 1939
The Hyde Park Handicap (ss) Printers’ Pie Dec 1939
Wild Wheat (ss) Collier’s Jan 20 1940
Julia Volunteers (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Jan 27 1940 [Julia, Lady Waring]
Be Cute or Starve (ss) Collier’s Feb 24 1940
The Mirror (ss) Collier’s May 11 1940
The Javanese Hat (ss) Lilliput May 1940
Night Engagement (ss) Collier’s Jul 5 1941 and Lilliput Sep 1941
Much Better Dead (ss) Redbook Magazine Oct 1941
Very Much Alive (ss) Liberty Apr 11 1942
No Turning Back (na) Cosmopolitan Apr 1943
Mr. Hamble’s Bear (ss) Lilliput Oct 1944
The Adventure of the Gent’s Romeo, EQMM Sep 1948
The Lesson — Good Housekeeping March 1950
Amour, Amour — Harper’s Bazaar, Oct. 1951 *
Adventuress at Large (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Mar 10 1951
Thief of Time (ss) Collier’s Aug 9 1952
The Girl in the Grass, (ss) Ladies Home Journal Jun 1953 (The Girl in the Grass was made into a TV movie in 1957 starring Ray Milland and Fay Baker, directed by Ray Milland) *
The Man Who Feared the Water (ss) Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Oct 1954 [see above 1939 entry for Interlude at Spanish Harbour, this is the same story]
The Night at Milburn Lodge — Good Housekeeping Oct 1955 *
Notorious Tenant (ss) Collier’s Feb 3 1956
The Lost Chapel Picnic (ss) Woman’s Day Apr 1956 [reprinted 1973 under same name in book of same name along with a collection of short stories by Margery Sharp]
Driving Home (ss) Good Housekeeping Aug 1956
The Perfect Model (ss) Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Feb 1957
A Matter of Opinion (ss) Good Housekeeping Feb. 1957
Scene of the Crime (ss) John Bull Jun 22 1957
After the Interval (ss) Good Housekeeping, July 1957
The Odd Woman (ss) Ladies Home Journal Aug 1958; another source has title as “The Other Woman”.
The Fifth Candle (ss) Argosy (UK) Jun 1960
Something Light, The Saturday Evening Post Oct 8, Oct 15, Oct 23, Oct 29 1960 (the novel, released as a magazine serial)
The Creative Urge (na) Cosmopolitan Aug 1962
Driving Home, (ss) 1959 Argosy (UK) Mar 1964 *
The Anniversary Gift (ss) Ladies Home Journal Feb 1966
Mead, The Atlantic Sep. 1966
In Pious Memory (n.) Ladies Home Journal Apr 1967 [later in book form, see review here]
Why I Choose This Story (is) Argosy (UK) Oct 1967
The Girl Who Won an Island (ss) McCall’s May 1969
The Echo (ss) Ladies Home Journal Jun 1973
The Adventure of the Gent’s Romeo (ss)
Boating Weather (ss)
Note: I’ve listed these separately as well; and I’m still tracking these down, but have confirmed these are additional adventures of Julia Packett, the popular heroine from the previously published novel The Nutmeg Tree. The Saturday Evening Post published ‘brief adventures’ starring Julia from 1938 to 1951.)
Good Old Julia, (ss) The Saturday Evening Post Feb 5 1938 *
Julia Hires Help, The Saturday Evening Post Mar 26 1938 *
Julia Reads a Book, The Saturday Evening Post Apr 23 1938
Julia Volunteers, The Saturday Evening Post Jan 27 1940
Extra notes
‘The Portrait’ A mystery story found in the anthology of horror/mystery
‘In the Dead of Night’–edited by Michael Sissons, published 1961 London, Gibb and Phillips.
“Risk” Published 1942 in ‘Third Omnibus of Crime’, edited by Dorothy Sayers, Publisher Coward MacCann, Inc. Reprinted in MYSTERY AND ADVENTURE STORIES FOR GIRLS edited by Eric Duthie . Published 1962, London, Odhams
Mr. Hamble’s Bear, first copyrighted 1939 and printed in 1942 under the title Very Much Alive in Liberty magazine (Macfadden Publishing); Lilliput Oct 1944 Argosy (UK) Oct 1967; in the “Author’s Choice” series; reprinted in the 1973 anthology of Sharp short stories Lost Chapel Picnic
Winning Sequence, The Strand Sep 1936, also printed by Harper’s Oct. 1936 (Made into a TV episode on the ‘Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Presents’ original air date: 8 October 1956 — Season 5, Episode 3)
Her Books for Children
There is already a great deal written about Margery Sharp’s books for children, including this comment by Margaret Greaves in the book Children’s Writers:
‘Only a child who reads well can fully enjoy these books, for their subtlest appeal is that of language itself, a delight in words and the rhythm of words for their own sake. These are books for the connoisseur, and blessedly have no design at all upon the reader except that of entertainment.’
The Rescuers
Miss Bianca
The Turret
Lost at the Fair
Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines
Miss Bianca in the Orient
Miss Bianca in the Antarctic
Bernard into Battle
Bernard the Brave
Miss Bianca and the Bridesmaid
The Magical Cockatoo
Melisande
The Children Next Door
The Rescuers Down Under
Are the stories with “Julia” in the title about the heroine of “The Nutmeg Tree?” I’ve always wanted to read more about her!
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Great question! Yes–I believe so but I haven’t been able to verify it in all cases. I am still in the process of tracking down Sharp’s various magazine stories and compiling them. Julia is a marvelous character, I agree!
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About the Julia stories, at least some are about the heroine of The Nutmeg Tree, and I suppose that all of them are. But when you say you are compiling Sharp’s magazine stories, do you mean that you will be publishing them, and if so when do you think it will happen, and where will one be able to get copies?
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This is a project that I have stopped and started several times over the years, as other matters in life have had to take precedence. Sadly, unless someone else is busily working on this unknown to me (and that would be lovely) there is no reprint of Sharp’s short stories in the works. The editors of the short story collection ‘The Lost Chapel Picnic’ did a fine job of selecting her choicest, however. Old, and long out of print, but not hard to find a decent copy. Worth it just for one or two of the stories! Thank you for your interest.
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Thank you so much for this comprehensive bibliography. I have all her books except Fanfare For Tin Trumpets and deeply regret not buying it when I saw it online a couple of years ago…but it was five hundred dollars that I didn’t have at the time! What I don’t have is many of her short stories and I thank you again for this list. I started hunting and found a couple of magazines with her stories. I wanted to let you know I found “Driving Home” (listed here under Good Housekeeping) in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine February 1967 Bought it some years ago in eBay and just found I again this morning as I began the short story hunt. Thank you again! So glad so many people love Margery Sharp as much as I do!
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Thank you—it is always a delight to hear from another Sharp enthusiast! I am glad to hear the website is useful for you. I will make a note of “Driving Home”, and where it additionally can be found. Thanks so much.
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