
Pixie : 'A writer of considerable talent' FINANCIAL TIMES - Ms Jill Dawson
Ms Jill Dawson
Available to order
Not on our shelves today. We’ll order it in and post it out — with you in 2–3 working days.
- Pages · 400 pages
- Publication Date · 12/03/2026
- Genre · Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)
A work of genius ... a profoundly feminist book' Louise Doughty 'A funny, feminist bildungsroman ... will see her scoop up any Sarah Waters fans who haven't already discovered her' Patrick Gale
'It's thrilling to live with this book' Monique Roffey
"Pixie". I like it. "Pixie Pamela". It's a good name for me: sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone. It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela `Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet na�ve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her. After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-si�cle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, s�ances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination. In Pixie, Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela `Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination. 'A rich and marvellous story' Sadie Jones 'A truly bold and vigorous and immersive writer' Christobel Kent
Only at Gulp Fiction
Book Lovers' Happy Hour
An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.
- 1½ hours
- £60 per person
- 3 cocktails, 3 books
Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.
Collect in store
Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.
Find us
Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.
Book a table
The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.