Whether you are planning a holiday in Devon after the current situation with coronavirus is over, or you live in Devon, this is where you can find your own Devon in Books – guide books and maps, whodunnits and crime novels, modern and historical novels, classic literature, romantic fiction and holiday reads – all set in Devon.
There are so many books to suit all tastes.
- Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles through to The Salt Path.
- Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun to Henry Williamson’s Tarka the Otter.
- The new Anne Cleeves (Shetland and Vera) series set in Devon to Michael Morpurgo’s children’s books, such as Farm Boy, the prequel to War Horse.
- Plus a range of other authors writing in different genres – romantic fiction, crime novels, thrillers…
Then there are photographic coffee table books, with gorgeous photos as a memory of a visit or a gift.
Below are some favourites. Or you can use the bar at the top of the page to find different types of books (or maps).
We use Amazon to send the books out to you. (We do this under an ‘affiliate links’ scheme, which means that a small amount of what you pay Amazon is passed on to ourselves – you can see more on our Terms, Conditions and Privacy page).
If you have any suggestions for more books to feature just let us know.
Devon in Books
Novels set in Devon
Follow the links below for Devon books on:
- Modern novels, holiday reads and romantic fiction
- Whodunnits and crime novels
- Classic literature
- Children’s books
Or for speed, you can go straight to buy using the Amazon link buttons here:
Some books are also available as audio CDs, such as:
Devon History, Heritage and Factual Books
Below are some of the most read Devon local history and heritage books, or facts and curiosities books. Click here for the full list of Devon’s history and heritage books, including:
- The county of Devon
- Exmoor and North Devon
- Dartmoor
- Torbay and South Devon
- Exeter and East Devon
- Plymouth, Devonport and the Tamar
- Biographies
Devon Guide Books and Maps
You can see all the guide books and maps for Devon here, including some of the favourites below:
Photographic Devon
See more photographic and pictorial books here.
Where books in Devon are set
Just some examples of where in Devon some of the novels are set:
- Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen: near Exeter
- The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle: Dartmoor
- And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun , Agatha Christie: Burgh Island, south Devon
- The Long Call, Anne Cleeves: Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and north Devon
- Tarka the Otter, Henry Williamson: around the rivers Taw and Torridge, north Devon
- The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, Michael Morpurgo: Slapton Sands, south Devon
- The Second Sleep, Robert Harris: Exmoor
- The Beach Hut, Veronica Henry: inspired by Woolacombe
The books below follow – in very different ways – the South West Coast Path from Minehead in Somerset, all the way through North Devon, Cornwall and South Devon, finishing in Dorset:
- The South West Coast Path guide book from Cicerone
- The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn
- Travels With Boogie: 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington
- while Careless in Red, the Inspector Linley whodunnit, has a different take on the South West Coast Path!
Links to Articles and Blogs on Devon’s Books
You can read more about some of Devon’s literary connections here:
- A Literary Tour of Devon – BBC online
- Devon’s Links with the Literary Greats – BBC online
- On This Very Spot: Devon in Novels – Visit Devon
- Agatha Christie’s Devon – The Telegraph. (Agatha Christie’s own life is fascinating, including her links with South Devon and Torquay. You can find biographies of Agatha Christie here.)
- Review of The Salt Path – The Independent
If you have suggestions for more books set in Devon to be added to the website, just let us know.