At a village fete in Norfolk last weekend we found a stack of well-read paperbacks by DE Steveson: someone was having one of those reluctant bookshelf clear-outs. One of them may well be being drafted in this photograph: Dorothy Emily Steveson (1892-73) wrote nearly fifty ‘light’ novels, all of them beloved by her readers. Known particuarly for the Mrs Tim books and the Miss Buncle books, DES excelled at writing charming and memorable central characters.