Josephine Pullein-Thompson

Josephine Pullein-Thompson wrote three series. Her first, and the best by quite a long way, is the Noel and Henry series about the West Barsetshire Pony Club. It was written over a period of eleven years, and was one of the few English pony book series to introduce an element of romance. The books are relatively easy to find in paperback: they were reprinted several times by Armada. They are harder to find in hardback, but definitely not impossible. Full publication details are given in the bibliography, but the books are:

The Woodbury Pony Club series was written much later than the Barsetshire series, and is about a completely different Pony Club. These books never appeared in hardback as separate titles: they were published as first editions by Armada, and reprinted several times, including as a compilation hardback.

JPT’s longest series was the Moors series, set in Cornwall, and featuring sisters Frances and Louisa Burnett (at least in the first 5 books: in Mystery on the Moor it is explained they had to leave as their father was ill, and they don’t get a mention in Suspicion Stalks the Moor.) The series was originally published in hardback. As far as I know, the following titles made it into paperback: Fear Treks the Moor, Ghost Horse on the Moor, Ride to the Rescue andStar Riders of the Moor. This last title also made an appearance, re-titled, as Star Riders in J A Allen’s Equestrian Fiction series.

Josephine Pullein-Thompson is one of the best, and most popular of pony book authors. She continued to publish books into the 1990s, having started with It Began With Picotee, which she wrote with her sisters, Christine and Diana. Writing must have seemed normal to the Pullein-Thompsons: their mother, Joanna Cannan, was a noted writer who wrote some of the very earliest pony books, as well as some notable detective and adult fiction. The Pullein-Thompsons started writing at an early age, and went on to run their own riding school. They were heavily influenced by Henry Wynmalen’s Equitation, and taught, and wrote about, a kinder and more horse-centred form of riding, moving away from the twin evils of the “good hunting seat” and the backward seat whilst jumping.

Josephine Pullein-Thompson’s books though are far more than just a treatise on how to ride and treat your pony: the educational aspect is worn so lightly the information is absorbed rather than waved in your face. I sold a copy of Six Ponies to someone who said she used it as an educational aid!

I will add much more to these pages. If you’re on my mailing list, I do reasonably regular updates of what’s happening on the website. There is a full bibliography of Josephine Pullein-Thompson’s works here. Many, many thanks to Dawn Harrison, and to Jenny, Hannah, Susanna and Ehsan for their help with the bibliography.