I recently bought almost a full run of “Folly” magazine from a lady who didn’t want her copies anymore. There are a few issues missing here and there, and none of the Christmas specials were included. I missed “Folly” when it was being published. I think we were living in the north east then, and our daughter was very young. I loved Girls’ Own books but wouldn’t say I was a collector. One needed money to collect, and that was something that was in short supply at the time. We visited secondhand bookshops of course. Well, we raised our daughter to love secondhand books! But I was innocent of the existence of “Folly”. I’d seen mentions of it in various places; online, or in the “Friends of the Chalet School” magazine.

But now that I have almost all of the issues, I am in mourning for “Folly”. I am thoroughly enjoying the articles, the funny bits, the letters from members etc. Even the puzzles. There is a website, but there is little content. It seems that interest in girls’ own features of that kind has gone the way of interest in women’s personal websites. (A bug bear of mine.) People have aged in the meantime, interests wain, and there is no room on the bookshelves for the likes of “Folly”. Very sad. So I am more than delighted to have them now, and to enjoy reading them. Dipping in and out of them, on a sunny Easter day.