Can anyone help me to track down this author?

[janebadger]

I run Jane Badger Books, and I republish classic pony titles. I would love to do the four Veronica Westlake novels, but I've been unable to track her down. I'm assuming she wrote under an assumed name, but her former publisher and agent haven't been able to help - as it's so long ago no records exist. I've also drawn a blank with the Society of Authors and the Copyright Licensing Agency.

She wrote four books in the 1950s:
The Ten-Pound Pony
The Intruders
The Mug's Game
The Unwilling Adventurers

This is her biography, as on the dustjacket of her books, if it rings any bells with anyone:

"Born in Devonshire of a distinguised Naval family, Veronica Westlake was educated privately, spending most of her childhood with a large family of Irish cousins, not to mention horses and dogs.

She has had a varied and adventurous career, having at different times been a film extra, a private secretary, fashion model, school-teacher, riding school instructress and freelance writer, and she has travelled in France, Italy and Switzerland. She is keenly interested in books and people, her favourite sports being hunting and ski-ing."

If that sounds at all familiar, do please let me know.

 

[cobgoblin]

I don't know if this will be of any use to you but I searched bmd on the basis that Westlake was her maiden name.
A Veronica T Westlake married one Kenneth A Jones in Holsworthy, Devon. Marriage recorded in June 1958.

? Same person.

 

[janebadger]

Thank you - I'll give that a go.

 

[GreyMane]

You've probably tried this but Wikipedia pages for the publishers - Blackie and Routledge - give their archive holders under "External links". These may contain author/publisher agreements etc
Westlake does seem to be quite a popular surname in Devon !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackie_and_Son#External_links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routledge#External_links

 

[cobgoblin]

Further searching reveals that Veronica Westlake was born in 1939.. So ony 11yo in 1950.
However, could her mother have used her daughter's name as a pseudonym? Her mother's name was Clara Westlake, née Ham.

 

[Skib]

As you probably know the British Library Catalogue does not provide a date of birth. I am a member of the NCC and will have a look for you but I dont want to duplicate other people searching.
I have myself traced copyright when wanting to publish a book, and one needs the will. So need to verify if she married. And the name under which she died. I too saw that the books were written when she was very young but teenagers do write pony books.
This may involve paying for a certificate and for a copy of any will. You would need to PM me as I do this sort of sleuthing through subscription sites.

 

[janebadger]

Thanks Greymane - I've tried Routledge and drawn a blank there.

Cobgoblin - I wonderered if it was her mother's name too, but haven't got anywhere there, as yet. I've also pursued the naval angle, but haven't yet found a Westlake. I did think that might lead somewhere, and the fact it didn't was what made me think it was a pseudonym. Helpfully, it's not listed in the dictionary of pseudonyms I've consulted.

Skib - thank you. There's no will listed under that name on the government wills/probate site, so either she married and I haven't been able to trace it, or it's just not the right name. Will PM you.

 

[HashRouge]

I can't help at all, but I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed the Noel and Henry series that you adapted for Kindle format. I'd never been able to find the original unabridged versions before, so have been very grateful!

 

[janebadger]

Thank you! That's good to know. I love them, and it's been a real privilege to be able to bring them back.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-pound-Pony-Veronica-Westlake/dp/B0000CNNCE Amazon did have it
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5145405.Veronica_Westlake

 

[cobgoblin]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-pound-Pony-Veronica-Westlake/dp/B0000CNNCE Amazon did have it
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5145405.Veronica_Westlake

Erm... It's the actual author that needs tracking

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

lost its cover but is this one you want?? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERONICA...INTAGE-HARDBACK-HORSE-BOOK-1967-/163300826488

wow expensive even iin $ https://www.amazon.com/Books-Veronica-Westlake/s?rh=n:283155,p_27:Veronica+Westlake

 

[Tiddlypom]

I feel that I ought to have heard of a posh horsey family of naval Westlakes if they lived in Devon, it’s the sort of crowd that my late parents would have known when they lived there (since just post WW2). I wonder if they moved out of Devon sometime after she was born.

It’s also the surname of a distant branch of my family, so I should have remembered it too if they were still there in the 60s.

Good luck with the search.

 

[Silver Clouds]

It's probably a long shot but I know quite a few elderly Devon-born-and-bred horse people so will ask them whether they knew anyone by that name, or if they knew of a female author of pony books from that time what the name was.

Not relevant, but I am a big fan of your website and regularly use it when adding to my collection to check whether I'm missing a title, or if a copy being sold as a 'first edition' is likely to be genuine. It is also nice to find out a bit more about the authors. Thank you for providing such a useful and interesting resource.

 

[Skib]

I have sent you a PM with a possible contact address.

 

[janebadger]

Thank you everyone - I'm really grateful.

Silver Clouds, that is the sort of thing that might well help. You never know. I am glad you like the website!

Tiddlypom - you'd have thought they'd be well known, wouldn't you?

IloveCowParsley - thanks - that's definitely one that she wrote!

Greymane - after you mentioned Blackie, I checked and I hadn't contacted them. Their archives are at the University of Glasgow, and might just include correpondence with the authors. I've sent off an email to see what access there is (guessing not much at the moment). And it might well be that the actual years I'm interested in aren't there, which has happened before when I've got all excited about tracking someone down.

 

[Kat_Bath]

Greymane - after you mentioned Blackie, I checked and I hadn't contacted them. Their archives are at the University of Glasgow, and might just include correpondence with the authors. I've sent off an email to see what access there is (guessing not much at the moment). And it might well be that the actual years I'm interested in aren't there, which has happened before when I've got all excited about tracking someone down.

I work for the University of Glasgow, sadly not in the Library/Archives/Special Collections (I'm admin for one of the Colleges) but if I can help, let me know! You never know, an internal email address may just give you an edge...

 

[janebadger]

Thank you so much Kat_Bath - that's really kind! I might well need an inside contact. I'll keep you posted.