Showell Styles facts for kids
Frank Showell Styles (born March 14, 1908 – died February 19, 2005) was an English writer and a keen mountaineer. He loved exploring mountains and wrote many exciting books, both for young people and adults.
Contents
Who Was Showell Styles?
Frank Showell Styles was born in a place called Four Oaks in Birmingham, England. His friends knew him as 'Pip'. From a young age, he loved the hills of North Wales. This is where he became a passionate mountaineer, someone who loves to climb and explore mountains.
During the Second World War, Showell Styles joined the Royal Navy. He was sent to the Mediterranean region. Even while serving in the Navy, he made sure to walk and climb whenever he could. His love for mountains was always with him!
Showell Styles: The Writer
Showell Styles always wanted to be a writer. He even had some of his articles published in a famous magazine called Punch before he became a full-time author. His very first novel, Traitor's Mountain, was a mystery story set around a mountain in Wales called Tryfan.
A Prolific Author
Showell Styles became a very busy writer, publishing over 160 books! He wrote for both children and adults. His books included thrilling naval adventure stories set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. These often featured brave characters like Midshipman Quinn and Lieutenant Michael Fitton.
He also wrote non-fiction books about mountains, like The Mountaineer's Weekend Book. For detective stories, he used a different name, Glyn Carr. He even wrote funny stories under the name C.L. Inker.
Exciting Book Series
Showell Styles wrote many popular book series. Here are some of them:
Midshipman Quinn Adventures
These books follow the adventures of a young naval officer named Septimus Quinn.
- Midshipman Quinn (1956)
- Quinn of the Fury (1958)
- Midshipman Quinn and Denise the spy (1961)
- Midshipman Quinn Wins Through (1961)
- Quinn at Trafalgar (1965)
Lieutenant Michael Fitton Adventures
This series tells the stories of Lieutenant Michael Fitton during the Napoleonic Wars.
- A Sword for Mr. Fitton (1975)
- Mr. Fitton's Commission (1977)
- The Baltic Convoy (1979)
- Gun Brig Captain (1987)
- A Ship for Mr. Fitton (1991)
- Mr. Fitton's Prize (1993)
- Mr. Fitton and the Black Legion (1994)
- Mr. Fitton in Command (1995)
- The 12-Gun Cutter (1996)
- Lieutenant Fitton (1997)
- Mr. Fitton at the Helm (1998)
- The Martinique Mission (1999)
- Mr. Fitton's Hurricane (2000)
Tiger Patrol Series
These books are about a group called the Tiger Patrol and their adventures.
- Tiger Patrol (1957)
- The Tiger Patrol Wins Through (1958)
- The Tiger Patrol at Sea (1958)
- The Tiger Patrol Presses On (1961)
Wolf Cubs Series
This series features stories about Wolf Cubs, likely young scouts, and their adventures.
- Red for adventure (1965)
- Wolf Cub Island (1966)
- The Sea Cub (1967)
- Cubs of the Castle (1969)
- Cubs on the Job (1972)
Simon & Mag Hughes Series
These books follow the adventures of Simon and Mag Hughes, often in mountain settings.
- The Shop in the Mountain (1961)
- The Ladder of Snow (1962)
- A Necklace of Glaciers (1963)
- The Pass of Morning (1966)
Non-Fiction Books About Mountains
Given his love for climbing, Showell Styles also wrote many non-fiction books about mountains and exploring.
- A Climber in Wales (1949)
- The Mountaineer's Week-End Book (1950)
- Introduction to Mountaineering (1954)
- Mountains of the Midnight Sun (1954)
- The Moated Mountain (1955)
- Getting to Know Mountains (1958)
- How Mountains Are Climbed (1958)
- Look At Mountains (1962)
- Modern Mountaineering (1964)
- Blue Remembered Hills (1965)
- The Foundations of Climbing (1966)
- Climbing (1967)
- On Top of the World (1967)
- Mallory of Everest (1967)
- The Climber's Bedside Book (1968)
- First Up Everest (1969)
- First on the Summits (1970)
- Welsh Walks and Legends (1972)
- Snowdon Range: Snowdonia District Guide Books (1973)
- Mountains of North Wales (1973)
- Backpacking in Wales (1977)
- Snowdonia National Park: National Parks Guide (1987)
