About the author
Elizabeth Sprigge wrote several children’s books. As far as I have been able to work out, only two of them are pony books. Both were published by Eyre & Spottiswoode. Pony Tracks was illustrated by Lionel Edwards, and he does his usual excellent job.
Elizabeth Sprigge was a linguist: she spoke at least three languages, and translated several Swedish works, including those of the Swedish dramatist August Strindberg, as well as works in French (Jean Cocteau), and German. She is probably best known now for her biographies. She wrote on Gertrude Stein, which proved to be contentious. Alice B Toklas, though initially happy that Elizabeth Sprigge was writing the biography, very soon changed her mind when she found out that Elizabeth Sprigge wanted to include personal details as well as information on Stein’s works. Sprigge, she said, would produce a biography that was ‘vulgar and mistaken.’ Nevertheless, the biography was completed, although reviews for it were mixed.
Finding the books
Pony Tracks is reasonably easy to find, but very difficult indeed to find with its dustjacket. Two Lost on Dartmoor is harder to find, but again, doesn’t tend to have survived with its dustjacket.
Sources
Linda Simon: The Biography of Alice B Toklas
Bibliography
Pony Tracks
Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1936, illus Lionel Edwards
Georgina and Nicholas live with their grandmother in the New Forest. Their grandmother tells them they have a visitor coming to stay: Pat, who is the daughter of an old friend of their father. First impressions aren’t good,but after Pat falls into a bog, they all thaw out. They form a fellowship with some other friends who live in the Forest, and have various adventures, including rescuing Georgina’s pony Endless, and her foal Little Scarlet, from pony rustlers.
For copyright reasons I don’t use pictures by Lionel Edwards
Two Lost on Dartmoor
Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1940, illus Greenshields
Many thanks to Muskoka Bookhouse for the picture.
