The Prisoners of September

A compelling mix of tragedy and comedy set in the French Revolution, from acclaimed writer Leon Garfield.

A richly exuberant blend of elaborately plotted narrative, weaving between the comic, the tender and the macabre

Leon Garfield was born in Brighton in 1921. He was the acclaimed author of more than thirty novels for children and adults including Devil in the Fog, winner of the inaugural Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize in 1967, The God Beneath the Sea, winner of the 1970 Carnegie Medal, and John Diamond, winner of the 1980 Whitbread literary award. He was also elected a member of the Royal Society of Literature. He died in 1996.

Two boys, Lewis and Richard, travel to paris in 1789 for very different reasons, and find their ideals challenged in the events of the French Revolution and the September massacre.

Guilt and Gingerbread

A delightfully witty tale from the highly acclaimed children's writer Leon Garfield.

Will bring a glow of pure grinning pleasure

'When you take out the heart of gold, you must put something back in its place. Otherwise our princess would die.' 
 
Giorgio, a poor student, sets out on a journey to win the heart of Princess Charlotte of Oberweselberg. On the way an old woman promises he shall have the princess - but for a price. Giorgio must bring her the princess's golden heart. Can he do the wicked deed which will possess for him the fortune he desires?

Blewcoat Boy

Victorian London comes to life in this sparkling comedy-adventure from the pen of Leon Garfield.

In a cave on the wild side of St James's Park live two ragged children; young Nick and his nine-year-old sister Jubilee. Once they had a father, but now they are alone – and Nick knows it is his responsibility to find Jubilee a husband. But who would want to marry a girl who can neither cook nor sew, read nor write?

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Charles Dickens final incomplete novel, with an ending written by Leon Garfield.

Charles Dickens (Author) Charles Dickens was born in Hampshire on February 7, 1812. His father was a clerk in the navy pay office, who was well paid but often ended up in financial troubles. When Dickens was twelve years old he was send to work in a shoe polish factory because his family had been taken to the debtors' prison. His career as a writer of fiction started in 1833 when his short stories and essays began to appear in periodicals. The Pickwick Papers, his first commercial success, was published in 1836. The serialisation of Oliver Twist began in 1837. Many other novels followed and The Old Curiosity Shop brought Dickens international fame and he became a celebrity in America as well as Britain. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. Leon Garfield (Author) Leon Garfield was born in Brighton in 1921. He was the acclaimed author of more than thirty novels for children and adults including Devil in the Fog, winner of the inaugural Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize in 1967, The God Beneath the Sea, winner of the 1970 Carnegie Medal, and John Diamond, winner of the 1980 Whitbread literary award. He was also elected a member of the Royal Society of Literature. He died in 1996.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was Charles Dickens final novel, and remained unfinished at the time of his death. In this edition, beloved children's author Leon Garfield gives the story a satisfying ending.

The Drummer Boy

A gripping and insightful story of war from master storyteller Leon Garfield.

'As far as the eye can see, scarlet men are marching . . . A rich and splendid company, but none more so than the drummer boy.' 
 
But a moment later, the sound of Charlie Samson's drum was swallowed in a wild thunder. The glorious scarlet troops had been ambushed. Men were dead and dying all around, and all the beauty was gone. All that was left was himself and his drum, and a few shady nightwalkers - cowards who came crawling from the ditches and knaves who scoured the dead for wealth . . .

The Empty Sleeve

A tale of murder on the streets of old London, from acclaimed children's writer Leon Garfield.

A tale of twin apprentices and foul murder set in the wintry alleys of old London

'Him what's born on the chime . . . he's the one what'll have communications with the devil.' 
 
At the age of fourteen, 'chime-child' Peter Gannet is apprenticed to a locksmith in Covent Garden. But his desperate longing to escape from the insufferable adults around him and go to sea leads him into some dubious undertakings. Before long, the old ship's carpenter's dire prophecy comes true, for in the locksmith's workroom he meets a phantom with an empty sleeve. 
 
Tense and atmospheric, this is a gripping thriller about ghosts, a wall of hands, envy, dishonesty and finally murder!

The House of Cards

A rich and vivid novel of Dickensian London from the award-winning Leon Garfield

Always entertaining, he has gifts for acute perception and the telling phrase; though billed as his 'first adult book', this is intricate and dramatic enough to satisfy the most discerning child as well

Mr Garfiend handles the nineteenth century romance with such flair that one is left to wonder if perhaps he has stepped 100 years out of time

In 1847, an orphaned baby is rescued as the sole survivor of a massacre in a Polish village. Many years later a mysterious and disturbed Russian lady turns up unexpectedly at one of Mr Dolly’s regular Friday night dinner parties. So begins a search for identity and lost inheritance in the seedy and crowded streets of nineteenth century London.

The December Rose

A thrilling tale of deceit, espionage and murder from Leon Garfield.

Not only a swift thriller . . . but a rich comedy . . . and great fun

Secrets whispered up a chimney, a golden locket with a broken chain, murder in the streets of London – and suddenly young Barnacle is plunged into a terrifying mystery. The December Rose is a thrilling tale of deceit, espionage and murder set in the teeming, colourful Victorian London.

The Pleasure Garden

A memorable and sinister tale set in eighteenth century London from Leon Garfield.

Eastward in Clerkenwell lies the Mulberry Pleasure Garden: six acres of leafy walks, colonnades and pavillions. In this bosky setting parade a variety of characters of awesome granduer, innocence and evil - and all are subject to a ring of blackmail terror.

The Confidence Man

A tale of loyalty and deception set in eighteenth century Germany and America, from celebrated author Leon Garfield.

The Confidence Man follows 14-year-old Hans Ruppert and a band of Protestants as they leave their home town and seek peace and freedom from Persecution in the New World. They are led by a mysterious hussar, who has offered to lead then to safety. To Hans he is a fascinating figure, but to the others he is a swindler, likely to abandon them at any moment.

Smith

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

A Puffin Book - stories that last a lifetime. 
 
Puffin Modern Classics are relaunched under a new logo: A Puffin Book. There are 20 titles to collect in the series, listed below, all with exciting new covers and fun-filled endnotes. 
 
London street urchin Smith is 12 years old, and an experienced pick-pocket. One day on Ludgate Hill, he robbed an old gentleman, and one minute later watched him silently murdered by two men, who chased him for the document he had stolen but could not understand. 
Smith artfully dodges the two men and winds up in the odd company of a wealthy blind man, who takes Smith into his home and provides him with an education. But this new comfort is lost when Smith himself is suspected of the very murder he witnessed. 
 
Leon Garfield was a British novelist, born in 1921. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books including Shakespeare's Stories - retellings of Shakespeare's plays for children, and he won many awards including the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal. He died in 1996, aged 74. 
 
Also available in A Puffin Book: 
GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM and BACK HOME by Michelle Magorian 
CHARLOTTE'S WEB, STUART LITTLE and THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN by E. B. White 
THE BORROWERS by Mary Norton 
STIG OF THE DUMP by Clive King 
ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D. Taylor 
A DOG SO SMALL by Philippa Pearce 
GOBBOLINO by Ursula Moray Williams 
CARRIE'S WAR by Nina Bawden 
MRS FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Richard C O'Brien 
A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle 
THE CAY by Theodore Taylor 
TARKA THE OTTER by Henry Williamson 
WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams 
SMITH by Leon Garfield 
THE NEVERENDING STORY by Michael Ende 
ANNIE by Thomas Meehan 
THE FAMILY FROM ONE END STREET by Eve Garnett

Leon Garfield was a British novelist, born in 1921. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books including Shakespeare's Stories - retellings of Shakespeare's plays for children, and he won many awards including the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal. He died in 1996, aged 74.

London street urchin Smith is 12 years old, and an experienced pick-pocket. One day on Ludgate Hill, he robbed an old gentleman, and one minute later watched him silently murdered by two men, who chased him for the document he had stolen but could not understand. 
Smith artfully dodges the two men and winds up in the odd company of a wealthy blind man, who takes Smith into his home and provides him with an education. But this new comfort is lost when Smith himself is suspected of the very murder he witnessed.

The Golden Shadow

A story of the gods, from the creaters of The God Beneath the Sea.

The flexible, plangent prose . . . should wake the most sated reader

Across the continents of the ancient world wandered the Storyteller, enchanting all who heard him with his wondrous tales of the gods. He longed for a glimpse of the all-powerful deities of his stories, and listened eagerly to those who had experiences such encounters. And interwoven with his journey is the story of Heracles – a magnificent story with all the intense drama and high tragedy of the Greek Myths.

The Sound of Coaches

A rollicking, exciting and moving tale from Leon Garfield.

A book to savor and decipher, rich in atmosphere and character and style that strikes sparks from the cobbles

One stormy December night some time in the eighteenth century, a coach came thundering down the long hill outside of Dorking on its usual journey into London. But something unusual was to happen that night as one of the passengers unepectedly gave birth to a child. 
 
Not until he was eight did Sam Chichester discover that the coachman and guard he called 'Ma and 'Pa' were not his real parents. Sam will need to grow up, leave home, and find love before he will finally uncover the truth about his parentage.

The Ghost Downstairs

The chilling tale of a haunting deal, by Leon Garfield.

It is a story, like Leon Garfield, full of darkness, shifting lights and sly humour, not to be forgotten.

A bargain of a lifetime - seven years off the end of his life in exchange for a fortune now! 
 
By day, Mr Fast was a solicitor’s clerk, drawing up strangle-tight agreements and contracts. By night he repaired to his rooms to spy upon his neighbours (for he had no friends) and to dream of being richer than other men. But when old Mr FIshbane offers him what he most desires in return for seven years off the end of his life, he could never imagine the little lost spectre that will come to haunt him . . . 
 
Another remarkable novel from Leon Garfield.

John Diamond

An award-winning mystery about a young boy lost in Victorian London, pursued by bloodthirsty thieves, desperate to solve the mystery of the man his father wronged.

A brilliant, witty and gripping adventure

It is a fine thing that Leon Garfield's rip-roaring and funny tales should be brought back into circulation for a new generation of readers

'My father, that stern and upright man, was nothing but a swindler and a thief!' 
 
What is the matter with old Mr Jones? Endless footsteps and low groans can be heard from his room in the dead of night. Only his son William knows the a terrible secret: his father betrayed his business partner Mr Diamond, and swindled him out of a great fortune. William resolves to go to London, find Mr Diamond and make amends. But the murky big city, with its sinister characters and treacherous back streets, is no place for a boy of twelve. And Mr Diamond's own son is not the sort of person to forgive and forget. Danger and deceit lie waiting... 
 
Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can find out more about the wonderful author and learn some Cockney rhyming slang! 
 
Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

God Beneath The Sea

Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen retell some of the most famous Greek myths in this classic of children's literature. Winner of the Carnegie Medal.

Genuine, imaginative retellings . . . Everything jumps to life in front of your eyes

The best ever rendering of the Greek myths in modern English

Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen retells some of the most famous Greek myths in this classic of children's literature. This is the epic history of the Greek Gods told from their violent beginnings to the creation of man.

The Boy and the Monkey

A witty story about a pair of memorable characters - Tim and his pet monkey, Pistol.

Set in the streets of London, the story follows the hopes and aspirations of young Tim and his pet monkey, Pistol, as they use their wits to get money out of rich folk. Their apparent success is brought to a halt one disasterous foggy evening , and Tim and Pistol are led off to Newgate Gaol . . .

Bostock and Harris

Would you trade your sister for a telescope? Another hilarious adventure starring Bostock and Harris.

A delicious literary concoction bubbling along with the author's perfect sense of dramatic timing and with his mixture of earthy humour and effervescent wit

On the night that Piggot’s Comet will appear over Brighton, the town plan to honour it with music and dancing. Harris, however, has other ideas. Being scientifically minded, he thinks only of observing the comet in detail. He persuades his good friend Bostock to part with his father’s telescope in exchange for the affections of Harris’s sister, Mary. Unfortunately, as Mary does not care for Bostock, Harris is forced to apply his powerful mind to the problems of courtship and love.

The Apprentices

A classic tale of life in eighteenth-century London, from acclaimed children's author Leon Garfield.

Life in eighteenth-century London was hard and especially so for the city's apprentices. For seven long years they struggled for their livelihoods among the fetid houses and sinister quays of old London. But despite their hardships there was hope and even fun. 
 
This compelling story-cycle follows them round the year, through the dark, cold winter nights to midsummer in the city, The lamplighter, the pawnbroker, the midwife or the clockmaker, their stories interweave delightfully to paint a colourful picture of life in London 200 years ago.

The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris

A classic piece of high comedy from master story-teller Leon Garfield

Garfield with his tongue in cheek is as adept as ever

Harris and Bostock are best friends, but they are as different from one another as night and day. Harris thinks up harebrained schemes and Bostock gets in trouble for them. 
 
When Harris puts his baby sister Adelaide in the words to see if she will be adopted by a fox, little do they realize that they are starting a chain of events that will be remembered in their little seaside town as the Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris.

Leon Garfield

Charles Dickens

Joe Dempsie

Ian Holm

Tim McMullen

Mark Payton

Full Cast

Moir Leslie

Simon Treves

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

A full-cast historical mystery by award-winning author Leon Garfield, plus his captivating conclusion to The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens 
 
Leon Garfield was the renowned author of more than 30 novels for children and adults. He won numerous awards for his work, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award and the inaugural Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Inspired by Charles Dickens, he set many of his tales in the 18th and 19th century, and became Dickens’ co-author when he wrote an ending to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was left unfinished on Dickens’ death. Their joint version was dramatised for radio in 1990, and is included here, together with an adaptation of one of Garfield’s own thrilling adventures. 
 
Devil in the Fog – The oldest child in a family of travelling actors, 14-year-old George Treet lives a happy life with his father and six siblings. The only blot on his happiness is ‘The Stranger’, a shadowy, mysterious figure who arrives twice-yearly, hands Mr Treet a sum of money and disappears. But the Stranger’s final visit leads Mr Treet to reveal a terrible secret: George is the son of a nobleman, and must return to his real family. Reluctantly reunited with his true father, Sir John Dexter, George does his best to settle into his forbidding new home. But danger is waiting in the fog that surrounds the house – and George soon realises that someone is out to kill him... Tim McMullan and Joe Dempsie star in this rip-roaring tale of highwaymen, duels, swirling fogs and escaped convicts. 
 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Orphan Edwin Drood is engaged to the beautiful Rosa Bud. But his uncle John Jasper, the choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral and a secret opium addict, wants Rosa for himself. Then Neville Landless arrives with his twin sister, Helena, and he too falls in love with Rosa. When Edwin disappears, presumed murdered, both Neville and Jasper have a motive – but which of them is the killer? Dickens’ famously unfinished novel never answers this question, but in this suspenseful drama, starring Ian Holm, Mark Payton and Moir Leslie, Leon Garfield provides an ingenious and satisfying solution. 
 
Devil-in-the-Fog text copyright © 1966 by Leon Garfield 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood text copyright © 1980 by Charles Dickens and Leon Garfield 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Leon Garfield

Books by Leon Garfield

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