BEITH, JANET. — The Corbies.

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1955. 1st edition. "Like the "twa corbies" of the old ballad, Alexander and John McGregor dwelt together in the little town of Kilbracken, whence they planned the lives of all their relatives. They were respected members of the kirk in their sanctimonious Victorian society, but the power with which they controlled the lives of others had far-reaching effects which were certainly not what the brothers had expected and were not always good". Pp.286. Green cloth, dustwrapper has small edge chips and is darkened to spine. VG/G+. ** Janet Beith, a niece of Ian Hay, was a Scot. In 1933 she won the World Prize Novel Competition (£4000) organized conjointly by Hodder and Stoughton and Frederick A.Stokes of New York, with her novel "No Second Spring". The book was the unanimous choice on both sides of the Atlantic and went into six editions in the first year. Her second book, Sandcastle, was the Daily Mail book of the month. In 1935 she married Roger Melland, a Manchester solicitor and had two children. Twenty year later this, her third novel, was published.