Talk:Peter Dickinson

Flight of Dragons link
Am I correct in thinking that the edit linking The Flight of Dragons book to a page on the film of the book should more properly be linked to a reference in the main body of the article? Perhaps what is needed is a section on TV/Film adaptations. The Devil's Children was televised (and shortlisted for a BAFTA). There are probably others.--Plad2 (talk) 07:12, 26 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Moved link to the film to a footnote.--Plad2 (talk) 07:26, 21 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Beside more important things, I have expanded that listing in the list of Works, relying on our article The Flight of Dragons (the film). -P64

Is there really anything in the film that's based on the book, other than the title? I'm considering removing the "partly based on" phrase. The book is a really, really clever explanation of how huge dragons can get around the volume/area scaling problem of winged flight that turns out also to explain everything from why they breathe fire to why you have to sacrifice maidens to them, while the movie is a piece of fluff. Briankharvey (talk) 20:35, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

Alternate titles
Beside more important things, I have arranged most of the list of Works in two columns. In retrospect I see that with a narrow screen the layout would be much superior with "Children's picture books" at the bottom of the first column.
 * done 2012-11-21 -P64

There were several Works listings with (usually parenthetical) notes "also published as alternative title" or "apa alternative title. The later is no good at all but the former is too long, especially in the two-column layout. So I have presumed that the given primary titles were original, the alternatives subsequent, and have converted all to "; later, alternative title".

Where alternative titles are those for U.S. editions of identical works, many of our author biographies and book articles use "; or alternative title (US)" or "in the US, alternative title". That is better if the alternatives are in fact U.S. titles.
 * The 'alternative' titles are, in fact, the UK titles. I have swapped the order and marked the US titles as such. (I also removed "The Blue Hawk" from the adult list; it was also in the YA list, where it belongs.) Briankharvey (talk) 20:38, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

For those works and editions covered by ISFDB, it is a priceless source on alternative titles. It provides so much data including exact title, and dollar/pounds symbols identify U.S./U.K. editions even if publisher is unknown or missing. (Of course some data are missing and some editions are missing.) --P64 (talk) 21:02, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Time and the Clockmice, Etcetera
Although this is a children's book, and it includes pictures, it is not a "children's picture book." It's mostly text; it has a plot; it is aimed at older children (10-year-olds, maybe?). I moved it up. Briankharvey (talk) 20:44, 16 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Oh. Without reading here first, just now I restored it (while relocating subsection Children's Picture Books to column one and identifying several illustrators). All this per Dickinson's own retrospective coverage of his "Books for Children and Young Adults". If/when you revise that, please include a Note.
 * --P64 (talk) 21:53, 21 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I restored this listing to subsection "Novels for children and young adults" with a (hidden) comment noting the classification by Dickinson and directing editors here.
 * The first US edition was 128 pages and recommended by Kirkus for ages "8–18" at the head and "8+" at the foot (review 1994-06-01).
 * --P64 (talk) 05:27, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Here are bibliographical notes on the seven books including Time that Dickinson groups as "Children's Picture Books". LCCatalog is the default source but lead numerical links are WorldCat "Formats and Editions" ordered by date.
 * Children's picture books
 * IronLion (Boston: Little, Brown, 1972) 46pp [WorldCat 1973 illus Marc Snow 46pp]; 1986(uk) illus Baynes 32pp
 * Hepzibah (1978) -- no record any date [30pp]
 * Giant Cold (1984) New York: Dutton, 1st ed. 69pp -- UK ed. at WorldCat
 * A Box of Nothing (1985) -- 1988 NY: Delacorte 110pp
 * Mole Hole (1987) -- no record any date [12pp]
 * Chuck and Danielle (1996) two US eds. both 115pp illus. Kees de Kiefte -- [WorldCat oclc=38924813: UK ed. 135pp illus. Robin Lawrie] -- Audiobook read by Andrew Sachs

IICC, only Chuck and Danielle among the seven was illustrated by different people for the first UK and US editions. Pauline Baynes illustrated a later UK edition of Iron Lion. Some others may have multiple illustrators too.

WorldCat data for the two not in LCCatalog.
 * Hepzibah (Twickenham: Eel Pie Publ., 1978) unpaged oclc=219898342 30pp illus. Sue Porter; US 1980 29pp
 * Mole Hole (1987) oclc=17402515 Notes: 	"A Bedrick/Blackie Book." "First published 1987 by Blackie & Son Ltd." Description: 	[13] p. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. Responsibility: 	by Peter Dickinson and Jean Claverie.

Time and the Clock Mice, Etcetera
 * LCCatalog: NY: Delacorte 1994) 127pp us Summary "An old man who is called to fix the huge, elaborate Branton Town Hall Clock built by his grandfather nearly 100 years ago discovers an intelligent group of mice living inside the clock."
 * WorldCat: one record for the first edition London: Doubleday 1993 127pp uk

--P64 (talk) 21:12, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Jimmy Pibble
The article notes that he is the hero of a series, but says nothing else about him, e.g., London police detective, stuck in his career, tends to get weird cases, etc. Should I add all that? Briankharvey (talk) 20:44, 16 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, please do, briefly and factually, or try to find a reference if coverage is more substantial.
 * This article includes a lot of information but it relies (both for content and organization) too heavily on his record of book awards and runners up. Reorganization in "Life" and "Writer" (or Career) sections is overdue. And the latter should be organized partly by theme with whole paragraphs devoted, for instance, to the Jimmy Pibble series.
 * --P64 (talk) 21:53, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

Genre(s)
We do not put Dickinson in any infobox writer genre(s). In the lead we say especially "children's books and detective stories" which suggests but doesn't say especially detective stories when not writing for children. In Works our subsection heading is Mystery fiction for adults. In the footer we cat him (English) crime fiction writers and (Eng) fantasy.

Elsewhere we distinguish crime fiction, detective stories, and mystery fiction.

What about science fiction v fantasy?

How many of the CYA novels are realist rather than speculative fiction? and/or contemporary, historical fiction, prehistorical?

--P64 (talk) 20:03, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Official website presentation of Books
Peterdickinson.com has been revamped. (I imagine that "they" noticed my 2012-12-16 citation of the long page, "Books for Children and Young Adults" updated 24 June 2008.)

For example "Books for Children and Young Adults" has been replaced by at least 38 pages, one each for 37 books under a directory to which the old link now redirects.(old link) Dickinson's prose introduction to each book now appears in the middle of its page as the Author Comment in italics.(Eva, for example)

"Talks and Essays" separately presents some material formerly linked to the books.

"Books" now purportedly covers all of his books. At least coarsely it classifies all but three.

His latest book is published by "Peter Dickinson Books". --P64 (talk) 21:54, 19 December 2012 (UTC)
 * I added two 2012 titles; moved 1 Poetry and 4 Short fiction out of "Other books". We now list the same books they do ("complete listing of Peter's books"). We also match their three residual "Other Books" (children's) --where "they" explain why not fiction or nonfiction (nor poetry).
 * Our "Mystery fiction for adults" (21) match all the books they do not call either Children's or Poetry. They put all but three in "Crime and Mystery" (18) and do not classify these three:
 * The Green Gene (1973)
 * A Summer in the Twenties (1981)
 * Skeleton-in-Waiting (1989)
 * The latter seems to be an oversight; it's the sequel to one of the crime and mystery. Perhaps science fiction and historical novel best fit the first two.
 * --P64 (talk) 22:48, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

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photo
excuse me but why there is no any photo? 178.66.201.155 (talk) 15:17, 19 January 2018 (UTC)