D.E. Stevenson Books

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D.E. Stevenson was a Scottish author that died in 1973. She wrote dozens of light romance novels. Born in 1892 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to David Alan Stevenson (Lighthouse Engineer) and Annie Roberts, she spent her childhood at a house at 14 Eglinton Crescent.

Stevenson, related to Robert Louis Stevenson, a famous author, had a passion for the written word. She regularly wrote as a child. But her parents disapproved of the activity. Her father went so far as to deny her the opportunity to attend university because he did not want her to become a ‘bluestocking.’ This term refers to intellectual women from the 18th Century.

Her parent’s disapproval did little to dissuade Stevenson. She would hide in the attic to write. Precluding the season she spent as a debutant in Edinburgh, the author’s life was largely uneventful until the war changed everything in 1914.

She wrote and published a book of poetry a year later, but the confusion and uncertainty created by the war prevented the author from pursuing her writing career. She married James Reid Peploe in 1916.

A 29-year-old captain living at University Club in Edinburgh, James was a family friend that had returned home to recuperate from wounds sustained during the war. Their union produced four children, one of whom died from a mastoid infection.

Eventually, once her life settled into a comfortable routine, Stevenson turned her attention back to her writing career. Following the publication of another poetry book, Stevenson gave the world her first novel.

‘Peter West’ (Published in 1923) underperformed, so much so that Stevenson abandoned her publishing dreams. Or, at the very least, she made no further attempts to publish novels.

But she had a diary that she updated regularly. She used the book to record her encounters with the interesting people that passed through her life. Stevenson’s eventual success can be attributed to Mrs. Rupert Ford.

The author had carefully chronicled her experiences as an army wife. Because her daughter was on the verge of marrying an army officer, Mrs. Rupert wanted to understand the kind of life awaiting her daughter. She borrowed Stevenson’s diary.

The volume was so insightful that Mrs. Rupert encouraged the author to publish it. Stevenson did just that. Though, she made several changes to make the book more entertaining. The result was ‘Mrs. Tim’. And unlike her first book, this one succeeded. It gave the author the impetus to write more books.

Stevenson attracted a substantial audience that appreciated her versatility. Her ability to change genres, writing about romance in one novel and then switching to science fiction, and even spy fiction in another, kept her readers engaged.

The author had a keen interest in people that allowed her to create characters with engaging personalities. She wrote and published one novel each year until 1969. She contracted arthritis in her 50s, but she kept writing.

She migrated to Moffat with her husband following the Glasgow bombing. Her life in Moffat did not differ drastically from the lives of the characters she wrote about in her books. She pursued a relatively ordinary existence which included going to church and singing in the choir.

Following her death, she was laid to rest in a cemetery near Moffat, Dumfriesshire. She was 81.

Best D.E. Stevenson Books

Besides reading, the author enjoyed golfing. Stevenson’s best books include:

Miss Buncle’s Book: Barbara Buncle was desperate. She needed money, so she wrote a novel heavily inspired by her sleepy village and the interesting characters around her.

The book was a massive success. Buncle’s neighbors were smart enough to see themselves in the story. But they couldn’t trace the book to Buncle because she had published the novel as John Smith, a pen name.

The success of the book surprised Buncle. But what happened next was even more shocking. For reasons she couldn’t quite fathom, the village was starting to mimic the events of the book.

Miss Buncle Married: Barbara Buncle was starting over. She was married, and that meant moving to a new town with new neighbors. Married life had its challenges. But it couldn’t stop her from getting into all sorts of hilarious hijinks. If her new neighbors are not careful, they may become the subjects of her next novel.

When Does The Next D.E. Stevenson book come out?

D.E. Stevenson doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Still Glides the Stream and was released on January, 17th 2019.

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