Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Glimpse Through the Magic Door: Ursula Moray Williams, Gobbolino and the Little Wooden Horse

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Children's Literature in Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The first full biography of Ursula Moray Williams has been published to mark the centenary of her birth. In this article, its author, Colin Davison, assesses her work in the context of her life, paying particular attention to the way that her extraordinary childhood influenced her writing. He also examines new evidence about where her ideas came from for some of her best-known works.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Part of her unpublished memoir, “I Lived in this House,” which describes North Stoneham, appeared in Williams (1969) and Williams (1989). The full typescript is held in the Seven Stories archive in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Information is taken also from Barstow (2000) Recollections of North Stoneham, from interviews conducted by this article’s author, and other sources.

  2. A replica edition of 1981 supports this theory. Although printed on higher grade paper than the wartime original, illustrations show slight fill-in, indicating they have been copied from the printed page, and the only coloured picture is missing.

References

  • Ballantyne, Robert Michael. (1882). The Kitten Pilgrims. London: James Nisbet.

  • Barstow, Harold. (2000). Recollections of North Stoneham. Chandlers Ford: Barstow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davison, Colin. (2011). Through the Magic Door: Ursula Moray Williams, Gobbolino and the Little Wooden Horse. Newcastle: Northumbria Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, Margery. (1961). Intent upon Reading: A Critical Appraisal of Modern Fiction for Children. Leicester: Brockhampton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrap, George and Montgomery, M.E. (1932). Letter to Girl Guides’ Association, 27 January. Williams Family Papers.

  • John, Ursula. (1937). The Adventures of Boss and Dingbatt. London: Harrap.

  • Molesworth, Mary Louisa. (1884). Christmas-Tree Land. London: Macmillan.

  • Moss, Elaine. (1971). Ursula Moray Williams and Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse. Signal: Approaches to Children’s Books, 5, 56–61. (Reprinted from Part of the Pattern, pp. 53–57, by Elaine Moss, Ed., 1986, London: Bodley Head.)

  • Webb, Kaye. (1963). Letter to Ursula Moray Williams, 5 December. Archive of Seven Stories. The Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle upon Tyne.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1926–1927). “A First Class Parcel and Other Stories.” Unpublished ms, Williams Family Papers.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1931). Jean-Pierre. London: A & C Black.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1933a). The Autumn Sweepers. London: A & C Black.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1933b). Grandfather. London: George Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1933c). The Pettabomination. London: Samuel French.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1934). Kelpie, the Gipsies’ Pony. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1936a). Sandy-on-the-Shore. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1936b). The Twins and Their Ponies. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1937). Dumpling. London: Harrap.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1938a). Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1938b). Ursula Moray Williams. In Eileen Colwell (Ed.), The Magic Casement. The Burroughs, Hendon: Hendon Library Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1938c). Interview with Ursula Moray Williams. The Bookseller, 22 December.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1939). Adventures of Puffin. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1941). A Castle for John-Peter. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1942). Gobbolino, the Witch’s Cat. London: Harrap.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1943). The Good Little Christmas Tree. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1945). The Three Toymakers. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1948). Malkin’s Mountain. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1951). Jockin the Jester. London: Chatto & Windus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1955a). Grumpa. Leicester: Brockhampton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1955b). Secrets of the Wood. London: Harrap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1958a). Hobbie. Leicester: Brockhampton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1958b). The Moonball. London: Hamish Hamilton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1959a). The Nine Lives of Island Mackenzie. London: Chatto & Windus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1959b). The Noble Hawks. London: Hamish Hamilton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1968). The Toymaker’s Daughter. London: Hamish Hamilton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1969). Just Right for a Puffin Party. Puffin Post, 3(3), 15–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1970a). Boy in a Barn. London: Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1970b). Letter to Faith Jaques, 24 September. Archive of Seven Stories. The Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle upon Tyne.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1971). Hurricanes. London: Chatto & Windus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1972). The Forgotten Child (Typescript of Speech to Exeter Conference, 14 August 1972). Archive of Seven Stories. The Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle upon Tyne.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1973). Writing for Children (Typescript of talks given in October 1973). Archive of Seven Stories. The Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1974). Grandpapa’s Folly and the Woodworm-Bookworm. London: Chatto & Windus.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1975). No Ponies for Miss Pobjoy. London: Chatto & Windus.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1976). Ursula Moray Williams. In Anne Wood (Ed.), Books for Your Children, 12(2). Federation of Children's Book Groups, Birmingham, p. 5.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1978a). Bogwoppit. London: Hamilton.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1978b). The Loved Ones. 1 June, p. 936.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1985). Spid. London: Andersen Press.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1986). Grandma and the Ghowlies. London: Andersen Press.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1987). Paddy on the Island. Leicester: Andersen Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1989). In Linda R. Andres (Ed.), Something About the Author: Autobiography Series (Vol. 9, pp. 235–250). Detroit, MI: Gale.

  • Williams, Ursula Moray. (1997). Letter to Clive Pearce, 3 November (Private papers).

  • Wood, Anne. (2010). Letter to Colin Davison, 3 March.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1 Bakers Lane, Ashton under Hill, Evesham, WR11 7ZS, UK

    Colin Davison

Authors
  1. Colin Davison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colin Davison.

Additional information

Colin Davison is the author of the first full biography of Ursula Moray Williams, Through the Magic Door: Ursula Moray Williams, Gobbolino and the Little Wooden Horse, published by Northumbria Press, an imprint of Northumbria University. He is a Slavonic Studies graduate and former journalist. He worked in Yugoslavia and Brussels, edited regional daily newspapers in England, including the Western Morning News, and served as Group Editor of the regional newspapers division of the Daily Mail media group. He served on the Code Committee of the UK Press Complaints Commission and acted as a publishing consultant in central Europe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Davison, C. A Glimpse Through the Magic Door: Ursula Moray Williams, Gobbolino and the Little Wooden Horse. Child Lit Educ 43, 113–128 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-011-9144-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-011-9144-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation