Posted by Ed Kiser on December 07, 2007 at 20:21:15 from 205.188.116.198 user Kisered.
This topic has been discussed back in the shadows of the past on this forum, so if something here is being repeated, sorry 'bout that...
I have come to feel that three of these books are of the "made up" classification: PD, ML, GN
PD is specifically stated to be made up on a wherry in the broads during some winter holiday. The other two - that they are of the "made up" category, well, that is just my feeling about it, with no real PROOF of such.
These three stories are located beyond the range of "the Lake" and "the Broads." In two of them they have the Swallow being used by the Walkers at a location that is out of the country, even though that boat is the property of Mr. Jackson at Holly Howe. There is no mention of it having been purchased from him so it can be taken around the world.
Then recently I came across another indicator that seemed to place these three books in a separate classification. The Chapter Headings numbers are stated in ROMAN NUMERALS, whereas in the "real" stories, those headings are stated in a simple numeric style. Not sure what this proves, but it is a distinction I had not noticed previously. Maybe this is a feature of the particular editions I have, and may not be true for some other editions. Perhaps the author, in using these Roman Numerals, is showing his own view of these stories being more abstract. But then, I cannot read the mind of AR.
Strange distinction...
Ed Kiser, Kentucky