Frank Showell Styles (14 March 1908 – 19 February 2005) was an English writer and

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

Biography

Showell Styles was born in

Four Oaks, Birmingham Four Oaks is an affluent residential area in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, lying along the north and east borders of Sutton Park. Four Oaks is situated approximately north of Birmingham City Centre, and is bordered by Sutton Park, Streetly ...

and educated at

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (BVGS) is a selective state grammar school with academy status in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England. Founded in 1527, it is one of the oldest schools in Britain, the oldest state school in the West Midlan ...

in nearby

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...

. His father Alfred Thomas Styles was also born in Four Oaks, in 1882. Known to his friends as 'Pip', Showell Styles' childhood was spent in the hills of

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

where he became an avid mountaineer and explorer. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Styles joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and was posted in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, but even there he walked and climbed as much as he could. As reported in his obituary by the daily post, in the early 1950s Showell Styles led several expeditions in the Himalayas and Arctic. He also climbed in the Pyrenees and Alps. An aspiring writer, Styles already had articles published in '' Punch'', before setting out to make his living as an author. His first novel, ''Traitor's Mountain'', was a murder mystery set on and around

Tryfan Tryfan () is a mountain in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, Wales. It forms part of the Glyderau group, and is one of the most recognisable peaks in Britain, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At above sea level, it is the fifteent ...

in Wales. He became a prolific writer with over 160 books published for children as well as adults. In addition to historic naval adventure fiction such as the Midshipman Quinn and Lieutenant Michael Fitton series set during the Napoleonic Wars, and non-fiction works on mountains and such as ''The Mountaineer's Weekend Book'', he wrote detective fiction under the pseudonym of Glyn Carr, and humorous pieces as C.L. Inker.

Works

Children's books * ''First Up Everest'' (1969), illustrated by

Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...

, * ''Marty's Mountain'' (1973), illus. Malcolm Hargreaves * ''Welsh Tales for Children'' (1974), retold by Styles, illus. Bernadette Watts''Welsh tales for children'', Gelert Press, 1974
Library catalogue record OCLC 34021497.

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

. Retrieved 29 May 2022. Anthologies edited * ''Men and Mountaineering: An Anthology of Writings by Climbers'' (1968),

Fiction

Midshipman Septimus Quinn Midshipman Quinn (1956)
Quinn of the Fury (1958)
Midshipman Quinn and Denise the spy (1961)
Midshipman Quinn Wins Through (1961)
Quinn at Trafalgar (1965)
The Midshipman Quinn Collection (omnibus) (2000)
Lieutenant

Michael Fitton Michael Fitton (1766–1852) was an English lieutenant in the Royal Navy. During his career he made some 30 to 40 captures of enemy, chiefly French, vessels. Despite his notable victory over the French privateer ''Superbe'' in 1806, for which he re ...

Adventures A Sword for Mr. Fitton (1975)
Mr. Fitton's Commission (1977)
The Baltic Convoy (1979)
Gun Brig Captain (1987)
A Ship for Mr. Fitton (1991)
Mr. Fitton's Prize (1993)
Mr. Fitton and the Black Legion (1994)
Mr. Fitton in Command (1995)
The 12-Gun Cutter (1996)
Lieutenant Fitton (1997)
Mr. Fitton at the Helm (1998)
The Martinique Mission (1999)
Mr. Fitton's Hurricane (2000) Tiger Patrol Tiger Patrol (1957)
The Tiger Patrol Wins Through (1958)
The Tiger Patrol at Sea (1958)
The Tiger Patrol Presses On (1961)
Wolf Cubs Red for adventure (1965)
Wolf Cub Island (1966)
The Sea Cub (1967)
Cubs of the Castle (1969)
Cubs on the Job (1972) Simon & Mag Hughes The Shop in the Mountain (1961)
The Ladder of Snow (1962)
A Necklace of Glaciers (1963)
The Pass of Morning (1966) Abercrombie Lewker Traitor's Mountain (1946)
Kidnap Castle (1947)
Hammer Island (1948) ''Subsequent Lewker novels were written under the pseudonym Glyn Carr''
Murder on the Matterhorn (1951)
Death on Milestone Buttress (1951)
The Youth Hostel Murders (1952)
The Corpse in the Crevasse (1952)
Death Under Snowdon (1954)
A Corpse at Camp Two (1955)
Murder of an Owl (1956)
The Ice Axe Murders (1958)
Swing Away Climber (1959)
Holiday With Murder (1960)
Death Finds a Foothold (1961)
Lewker in Norway (1963)
Death of a Weirdy (1965)
Lewker in Tyrol (1967)
Fat Man's Agony (1969) Other novels Sir Devil (1949)
Path to Glory (1951)
Dark Hazard (1952)
Land from the Sea (1952)
Mr. Nelson's Ladies (1953)
The Frigate Captain (1954)
His Was Fire (1956)
The Lost Glacier (1956)
The Sea Lord (1956)
Kami the Sherpa (US Title: Sherpa Adventure) (1957)
Admiral's Fancy (1958)
Wolfe Commands You (1959)
Shadow Buttress (1959)
The Battle of Cotton: Revolution in Britain (1960)
Greencoats Against Napoleon (1960)
The Flying Ensign: Greencoats Against Napoleon (1960)
The Battle of Steam: Revolution in Britain (1961)
The Lost Pothole (1961)
The Sea Officer (1961)
Byrd of the 95th (1962)
Gentleman Johnny (1962)
Thunder Over Spain (1962)
H.M.S. Diamond Rock (1963)
The Camp in the Hills (1964)
Greenhorn's Cruise (1964)
Mr Fiddle (1965)
Number Two-Ninety (1966)
Confederate Raider (1967)
Mr Fiddle's Band (1967)
Indestructible Jones (1967)
Journey with a Secret (1968) (aka Mystery of the Fleeing Girl)]
Sea Road to Camperdown (1968)
Journey with a Success (1969)
Jones' Private Navy (1969)
Case for Mister Fiddle (1969)
The Snowdon Rangers (1970)
Forbidden Frontiers (1970)
A Tent on Top (1971)
Vincey Joe at Quiberon (1971)
Admiral of England (1973)
Kiss for Captain Hardy (1979)
Centurion Comes Home (1980)
Quarterdeck Ladder (1982)
Seven Gun Broadside (1982)
Stella And The Fireships (1983)
The Malta Frigate (1983)
Mutiny in the Caribbean (1984)
The Lee Shore (1986)
H. M. S. Cracker (1988)
Nelson Made Me (1989)
Nelson's Midshipman (1991)
The Independent Cruise (1992)

Non-fiction

A Climber in Wales (1949)
Walks and Climbs in Malta (1949)
The Mountaineer's Week-End Book (1950)
Introduction to Mountaineering (1954)
Mountains of the Midnight Sun (1954)
The Moated Mountain (1955)
The Camper's and Tramper's Week-End Book (1957)
Introduction to Caravanning (1957)
Getting to Know Mountains (1958)
How Mountains Are Climbed (1958)
How Underground Britain Is Explored (1959)
Look At Mountains (1962)
Modern Mountaineering (1964)
Blue Remembered Hills (1965)
The Foundations of Climbing (1966)
Climbing (1967)
On Top of the World (1967)
The Arrow Book of Climbing (1967)
Rock and Rope (1967)
Mallory of Everest (1967)
The Climber's Bedside Book (1968)
First on the Summits (1970)
Welsh Walks and Legends (1972)
What to See in Beddgelert and How to See It (1973)
Snowdon Range: Snowdonia District Guide Books (1973)
Mountains of North Wales (1973)
Glyder Range: Snowdonia District Guide Books (1974)
Exploring Gwynedd from Porthmadog (1974)
Souvenir Guide: Chwarel Hên Llanfair, Old Llanfair Quarry, Slate Caverns (1974)
Backpacking in Alps and Pyrenees (1976)
Backpacking: A Comprehensive Guide (1976)
Backpacking in Wales (1977)
Welsh walks & legends, South Wales (1977)
Llanberis Area Guide (1978)
Walks in Gwynedd (1980)
Public Footpath Walks from the Cambrian Coast (1980)
Walks from the Festiniog Railway (1980)
Snowdonia National Park: National Parks Guide (1987)
Welsh Walks and Legends: North Wales (1996)
North Wales Walks and Legends (2002) Short non-fiction * "Women are Climbing", ''Coventry Herald'' (14 January 1939) * "Personalities of the Crumb Board", ''SMT Magazine & Scottish Country Life'' (March 1939) * "The Battle of Camp Hill", ''Warwickshire Evening Despatch'' (6 April 1939) * "Hands off the Park", ''Birmingham Mail'' (22 June 1939) * "What's All the Fuss about?", ''Warwickshire Evening Despatch'' (5 July 1939) * "Cheapest Way of Seeing the World", ''Midland Daily Telegraph'' (12 September 1939)

References

External links

Obituary
in The Angry Corrie (archived 2007-09-04)
Showell Styles
at FantasticFiction.co.uk *
Glyn Carr
at LC Authorities, with 5 records, an
at WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Styles, Showell 1908 births 2005 deaths English male novelists English explorers English children's writers English crime fiction writers People educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 20th-century English novelists Members of the Detection Club 20th-century English male writers Nautical historical novelists Royal Navy officers of World War II People from Sutton Coldfield