Part of the Scenery by Mary Wesley (Bantam Press, £20)

Mary Wesley first visited Cornwall in 1913. Surprisingly she doesn't remember the visit - she was only one year-old at the time.

Howeve, this first visit was the beginning of her love for Devon and Cornwall.

During the First World War her family decamped from London, to live near Salcombe, and her war was spent playing on the beach, riding on Exmoor and, where the only warning she had of the conflict was her mother saying: " If a strange man talks to you, darling, whip up your pony and ride on."

Later, when married to her first husband she would visit friends near Land's End, where they would climb cliffs. It was the coastguards' path from Lamorna Cove to St Andellan, which inspired the Terror Run in her novel The Camomile Lawn.

It was during the Second World War that she and her husband made a permanent home in the West Country, where Wesley wrote short stories.

Most of her novels have been set in her favourite part of the world, and she acknowledges that her inspiration for her books has been influenced by her love of Devon and Cornwall.

Beautifully and artistically photographed by West Country photographer Kim Sayer, who suggested this undertaking, this is a real gift of a book.

Now eighty-nine years old, Wesley may have been a late starter - having her first adult book published at the age of 70 - but no one can deny her love of the countryside and the vividness of her memory for a lifestyle long gone.

Some may say it is a good thing, that our lives have improved immeasurably, but the simplicity of being able to let your children run free, of simple pleasures without electronic gadgetry has led to an active and energetic mind; one that has given great pleasure through the imagery of her books.

Annie Dendy