Lomax Guthrie - The Diary of a Spycatcher - The Children`s Press - London and Glasgow -

Unconnected with either Oreste Pinto or Peter Wright, The Diary of a Spycatcher is a vintage (`60s ?) children`s book published by the Children`s Press, a subsidiary of Collins (originally William Collins and Sons and now part of Harpercollins). 

For anyone interested in The Children`s Press, this link may be helpful - www.dandare.info/biblio/seagull.htm. Apparently, the original Children`s Press was a pre-war Collins imprint. In the late `40s, they relaunched this series, republishing some of the pre-war stories in new packaging. Given the artwork etc, I do not believe that the book we are looking at here dates from the `40s. It`s possible that it`s a `60s reprint of a story from the `40s, but  I doubt that, and indeed there seems to be a general consensus that it first appeared circa 1968.

 As to Lomax Guthrie, I have been unable to find any information about this writer. Being a bit of a jazz and blues buff I am inclined to suspect that `Lomax Guthrie` was a pseudonym based on the names of folk/blues singer Woody Guthrie and his friend/mentor/biographer Alan Lomax, but that is pure supposition on my part. 

The story is aimed at girls with a taste for adventure and seems to be set in Wales, though the heroine is Scottish. The author, whoever he/she may be, has a nice writing style ;

"Well, there I was, friendless on the train, surrounded by strange faces, bound for an unexplored land, or one at least unexplored by me. I was travelling from Scotland to Wales, from one Celtic twilight to another, as I poetically wrote that night.

I must admit that I did use some rather soppy expressions then, but you must remember I was only 15 at the time, and possibly young for my age. I loved to use several long words where one shorter one would serve equally well, and I am often guilty of dramatic exaggeration for effect. I did think of scrubbing the whole diary and re-writing my tale with classic simplicity...My father laughed like a madman and said "Leave it as it is, Don`t change a word." So here it is, complete and unabridged."

Buy the book and find out how young Margaret became a spycatcher after changing at Crewe !