The Young Country Doctor

The Young Country Doctor is a series of books by conspiracy theorist and former general practitioner Vernon Coleman describing the work, life and adventures of a traditional country doctor in the 1970s. Fifteen books have been published in the series between 1992 and 2018.
Bilbury is the name of the village where the doctor works. It is located in the county of Devon (where Coleman resides).

Each book in the series is titled The Young Country Doctor followed by its own subtitle. The first book in the series is The Young Country Doctor - Bilbury Chronicles.
Bilbury Chronicles was originally published in hardback in 1992 by Chilton Designs Publishers.
The first book in the series was released as an unabridged digital audio book by Tantor Media in the United States in late 2019 with the following two titles to come in early 2020.
Bilbury Chronicles plot
In Bilbury Chronicles, the doc arrives in Bilbury to start a new job as an assistant to Dr Brownlow, the ageing family doctor who runs a single-handed practice in the village.
The doctor stays in a local public house where he meets Patsy, a waitress. The first book follows the young doctor as he starts work as a GP, develops a romance with Patsy and makes friends in the village.
Many of the stories are medical and there are many referring to village life in general.
Plot summaries books 2-15
*Bilbury Grange: The Doc and Patsy purchase their new home called Bilbury Grange.
*Bilbury Revels: An elderly schoolteacher in the village is made homeless in a storm and the villagers find various ways to raise money to help her.
*Bilbury Country: A journalist writes about Bilbury and as a result the village is inundated with trippers and holidaymakers.
*Bilbury Village: The local authority decides that Bilbury is too small to have its own doctor but the villagers oppose them.
*Bilbury Pie: A series of short anecdotes which were first written for a newspaper column published in Peoples Friend, the North Devon Advertiser and the Express and Echo.
*Books 7-15: Each book features stand alone stories describing events affecting the doctor, his family and pets and the other villagers. Some of the stories are medical and some describe villagers or visitors.
Characters in the series
*Doc: Never named but assumed to be the author
*Patsy: Daughter of a local farmer; married to the Doc
*Thumper Robinson: A jack of all trades
*Patchy Fogg: Antiques dealer
*Peter Marshall: Runs the village shop
*Frank and Gilly Parsons: Run the Duck and Puddle public house
*Miss Johnson: The Doc's receptionist
*Dr Brownlow: The Doc's employer
Series order
There are 15 books in The Young Country Doctor series.
In order of publication:
# Bilbury Chronicles (1992)
# Bilbury Grange (1993)
# Bilbury Revels (1994)
# Bilbury Country (1996)
# Bilbury Village (1996)
# Bilbury Pie (1996)
# Bilbury Pudding (2008)
# Bilbury Tonic (2008)
# Bilbury Relish (2016)
# Bilbury Mixture (2017)
# Bilbury Delights (2017)
# Bilbury Joys (2017)
# Bilbury Tales (2018)
# Bilbury Days (2018)
# Bilbury Memories (2018)
Serialisations
Several of the Bilbury books were serialised in a number of publications, notably The People's Friend magazine and the Dundee Courier in the UK.
Bilbury Chronicles was serialised in People's Friend in late 1992. It was also serialised in the Dundee Courier and Advertiser between March and April 1993.

Bilbury Grange was serialised in People's Friend in 1993.
Bilbury Grange was also serialised in the Dundee Courier and Advertiser in December 1993.
Bilbury Revels was serialised in People's Friend in 1995.
Bilbury Pie was also serialised in the Exeter Express and Echo and the North Devon Advertiser.
Reviews
Media reaction to the books has been positive.
The People's Friend commented, "The tales Coleman tells are truly uplifting and thought-provoking. They are a breath of fresh air in a troubled world and are also very amusing. The tale of the village cricket match in Bilbury Revels is the funniest thing I have ever read. Be warned - don't attempt to read it in a public place."
Western Evening Herald described the Bilbury Chronicles to "beautifully capture the essence of village life, portraying the daily routines and tragedies experienced in a rural community. Coleman weaves together a wealth of characters and anecdotes with humour and sadness in a really entertaining offering."
The Western Morning News wrote, "Dr Coleman harnesses the essence of village life with a wealth of character and strings them along on a tide of good humour. Many people will recognise Bilbury under a different name."
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, "Coleman handles the humour with the assured touch that comes from already having written a string of successful titles."

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