Crumps Barn Studio

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Crumps Barn Studio

Book publisher in the heart of the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire UK. We publish a select number of titles a year.

We are particularly keen to hear from authors of personal memoir and poetry, literary fiction and short stories, and we also publish the occasional rare gem of a children’s picture book. A number of our titles are also produced in rare and collectable hand bound hardback. We are passionate about books and we take a unique approach. At Crumps Barn Studio, we work hard to help our authors fulfil the

ir dreams. We are friendly and approachable, publishing just the sort of books you and your family will want to treasure.

20/11/2025

Our November bestselling titles include non-fiction, children's, short stories and speculative fiction:

Rogues of the Road: four hundred years of Oxfordshire highwaymen by Mike White - non-fiction

Swindon Mountain by - speculative fiction

The Green Wolf Rider Rides Again by G.D. Howard - children's fantasy adventure for ages 8+

The Maybe Memories by Michael Bartlett - short story collection

Stuck in the Mud by and - chapter book for new readers and ages 5+

Rankings based on UK high street bookshop sales in the past month.

19/11/2025

Our top five bestselling titles of the past month, calculated through bookshop sales are:

Rogues of the Road: 400 years of Oxfordshire highwaymen by Mike White - non-fiction and a brilliant read

Swindon Mountain - officially the No. 1 bestselling book of 2025 (with only one month to go - can she hold the top spot?). If you haven't read it yet, add this to your wishlist

The Green Wolf Rider Rides Again by G.D. Howard - technically a children's book for ages 8+, but all ages love this new addition to the fantasy series filled with the howl of running wolves

The Maybe Memories by Michael Bartlett - newly released, this is a gorgeous short story collection from the established radio and TV scriptwriter

Stuck in the Mud by and - a warm and joyful chapter book for ages 5+ full of adventures on the farm

06/11/2025

It's publication day for this beautiful collection of short stories from established name Michael Bartlett: THE MAYBE MEMORIES

'Memories they may be but that does not make them true'

A man looks back on his life so far and finds he can chart each moment by the presence of a cat. Old friends at a twenty-year reunion confidently tell different versions of the same tales. A boy remembers playing with lead farmyard animals. While in another time, a soldier at Troy tries to explain a very dubious battle plan.

As we grow older, we treasure our memories, but how real are they?

Brilliant, funny and sometimes evoking Michael Bartlett’s life and long career in radio and television, each of the people within these pages has a story to tell.

Michael says, "When I started writing this book, I found that I was often wondering about people who were once close to me but who passed out of my life. Where are they now? This was the starting point for The Maybe Memories."

22/10/2025

Books for new readers occupy a very special place in our hearts here at Crumps Barn Studio. These chapterbooks by three brilliant authors are perfect for ages 5+ and children who are working to build confidence in reading. From magic and fairy tales to adventures on a farm, we recommend:

STUCK IN THE MUD by Joanna Collinborn and Anna Platts - when a quad bike gets stuck on the farm, will Teddy and Grampy be able to get it out?

A MONSTER TEA AT THE PALACE by Rebecca McDowall and Lorna Gray - when the Queen invites the Loch Ness Monster to tea, she's in for a magical surprise

SLEDGING IN THE SNOW by Joanna Collinborn and Anna Platts - finding an old family sledge in a shed is the perfect opportunity for an adventure on the farm

THE PRINCESS OF PUMPKIN PALACE by Alice Blackholly and Iva Dukic - Left out and needing to make friends, Princess Talia makes a batch of her mother's famous magical pumpkin treats which are sure to make everyone like her - what could possibly go wrong?

THE ICE CREAM BANDIT by Rebecca McDowall with illustrations by Lorna Gray - The members of The Biscuit Club are investigating a mysterious case in their seaside town but the descriptions of the suspect are very strange. Is the thief a giant fish?

We've arranged these books in order of difficulty, but they are all suitable for new readers and ages 5 to 8. Happy reading!

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15/10/2025

Every book has a backstory, and this beautiful account of growing up in 1916-1920 in Cardiff is such a special read. The editor of this collection .jennings is a family member of Mary James who as a teenager wrote a diary of her life. Now, more than 100 years later and long after her death, Mary's words have been recorded in print, revealing a snapshot of life for a young woman on the cusp of adulthood in South Wales.

Full of domestic and personal details as well as glimpses of the wider history of the area and the mindset of a young woman breaking out of the mould and seeking her university education, this is an essential primary resource for anyone interested in the lives of (extra)ordinary people in the early 20th century in Wales.

08/10/2025

It's pumpkin season and we love how this fabulous princess lives in a pumpkin palace.

“I don’t have any friends on this lane, but tonight, if I get all the ingredients right, that is all going to change!”

Princess Talia isn't like the other princesses on Plenty of Palaces Lane. Everyone talks about her (and what they say isn't very nice). When Queen Edwina of The Posh Peacock Palace decides to throw a Halloween party for her son, Prince Theo, Princess Talia isn't invited. But Princess Talia decides to take matters into her own hands. She's going to make her mum's magical recipe for Halloween treats, and sneak in wearing a disguise. What could possibly go wrong?

Alice Blackholly's adorably unconventional fairy tale about being yourself and making friends features a rebellious princess, a Halloween party, and a recipe for magic - beautifully illustrated by Iva Dukic and in perfect chapter book format for ages 5+

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07/10/2025

Brilliant launch event for GD Howard and new children's fantasy adventure THE GREEN WOLF RIDER RIDES AGAIN at beautiful Cirencester children's bookshop - surrounded by Moomins, inevitably (they're Octavia's signature mascot).

A busy and enjoyable event with a lot of new and returning readers joining GD Howard to get their signed copy.

The Green Wolf Rider Rides Again is the second book in the fantasy series which sees Holly brave a new threat to her home and her family. An old village legend tells of the Spirit of the Forest and the four deadly trials that must be completed to fulfil an ancient destiny, but how can Holly face this journey and become a legend – when she’s just an ordinary girl, and her only companions are bears, bats and a huge grey wolf?

03/10/2025

Two fabulous new releases this month and two fabulous bookish events:

Our first event of the month marks the launch of the new children’s fantasy book by GD Howard - his second brilliant book in the Green Wolf Rider series as brave young Holly races to embrace the secrets of an old legend filled with bears, bats and wolves. Join GD Howard at on Saturday 4 October from 11am for the launch of THE GREEN WOLF RIDER RIDES AGAIN

(ideal for readers aged 9-13 and grown-ups love his writing too)

And on Thursday 30 October at 4pm, Wantage historian Mike White will be speaking at about Oxfordshire’s highwaymen and sharing the secrets of the people who inspired his new book ROGUES OF THE ROAD.

For centuries, the roads of Oxfordshire were the haunt of highwaymen and footpads but the tradition of ‘stand and deliver’ is older than we thought. From Elizabethan villains to famous names such as Dick Turpin, Captain Hind and Claude Duval, their stories survive in historical documents and even their own testimonies. But who were these elusive rogues of the road? Four hundred years after the term ‘highwayman’ was first coined, meet Oxfordshire’s rogues of the road

30/09/2025

Have you been keeping up with Dinah Mason Eager’s nature-themed column in Cotswold Life magazine? This month’s feature is all about the deeply satisfying concept of decay as the leaves start to fall and the garden settles into autumn.

“In the fading golden glow, the garden's showy bits are bowing out – petals dropping, stalks toppling, seed heads rattling in the wind – and for once, I'm not trying to tidy up after them …”

Dinah is of course also the author of the gorgeously autumnal picture book IN THE MIDDLE OF DUDLEY’S LOG PILE – we give fair warning though – look out for a highly irritable stag beetle!

The Dudley's Garden series is illustrated by Anna Platts who is leading a children’s workshop at National Trust Buckland Abbey in Devon on Friday 31 October: Book tickets now via the National Trust website

Anna Platts Illustration National Trust

10/09/2025

Our current top selling titles based on UK high street bookshop sales are:

CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE? by Jen Higgs - gaining 5* reviews across the board, this beautiful, hopeful, emotional story of health and resilience is our top selling read this month

ONE MOOR TIME by is continuing to dominate - walk the uplands of Dartmoor and Exmoor with Ben Pering along the Two Moors Way

THE PRINCESS OF PUMPKIN PALACE by and @zmamorije_by_iva_dukic is a gorgeously pumpkin-flavoured fairy tale for young readers. Look out for this book in Halloween shop windows across the UK - and send us your pictures if you spot it!

SWINDON MOUNTAIN by blends sci-fi and archaeology when a mountain unexpectedly arrives on the Marlborough Downs and is still one of our most popular reads

LOCOMOTION by various authors including is our own celebration of 200 years of railway travel in pocketbook form. Non-fiction and poetry makes this book a gem for railway enthusiasts.

05/09/2025

Ready to get into the mood for something spooky? Dark Moon Tales by Amaris Chase is ready to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Spooky Ambiguous by various authors is the most brilliant collection of gothic and mystery, and we've even got something gorgeously in touch with the season for children - a pumpkin flavoured fairy tale with The Princess of Pumpkin Palace by and .

Dark Moon Tales is available in as well as paperback and ebook.

Get in the mood for Halloween with us

Address

Syde
Cheltenham
GL539PN

Website

https://www.crumpsbarnstudio.co.uk/

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Our Story

Crumps Barn Studio is a publisher based in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. We publish memoir, fictionalised memoir and local history books. We bring you new and established authors who write just the sort of book you and your family will want to treasure and enjoy time and time again. Are you an author? Get in touch!