Jill books

[Floxie]

Some of the covers of pony books used to really annoy me as they bared no resemblance to any horse in the story let alone the main characters.

This used to sadden me about the Jinny books. They were SO clear about how Jinny and Shantih looked and so many of them were wrong (blonde girl, liver chestnut horse, gelding..!). There was one edition with a skinny red-headed girl and a beautiful bright chestnut Arab with 4 white socks (although I think it was male! Can't have everything) which I thought was just right - I'd love a full collection of those covers, but heaven knows how you go about finding specifically those!

 

[criso]

Glad I'm not just imagining it! The books I have are from a variety of different editions, so that might explain the inconsistency.

It wasn't consistent even within the same book, even as a child I noticed. They may have changed a few instances but no one went through the whole book and spotted all the references to his colour.

 

[Jill's Gym Karma]

Some of the covers of pony books used to really annoy me as they bared no resemblance to any horse in the story let alone the main characters.

Yes, just pure laziness. I think the worst was Josephine Pullein-Thompson's "The Hidden Horse"; my paperback edition depicted a breedy chestnut grazing in a summer meadow. The story was set in the Christmas holidays and featured ZERO chestnuts!

I also recall that in the different editions, the amount Jill paid for Black Boy varied. They must have thought young readers were thick and wouldn't notice this sloppy editing?!

Grinning to myself now, remembering Jill's awful cousin Cecilia, who loved school stories....

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Yes, just pure laziness. I think the worst was Josephine Pullein-Thompson's "The Hidden Horse"; my paperback edition depicted a breedy chestnut grazing in a summer meadow. The story was set in the Christmas holidays and featured ZERO chestnuts!

I also recall that in the different editions, the amount Jill paid for Black Boy varied. They must have thought young readers were thick and wouldn't notice this sloppy editing?!

Grinning to myself now, remembering Jill's awful cousin Cecilia, who loved school stories....

I think I’ve got that very one

 

[Quigleyandme]

The Jill books were my favourites growing up as a pony mad child in Hong Kong. In my 1961 edition of Jill's Gymkhana illustrated by Carney, Black Boy is black. Jill says so on page 9!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

This used to sadden me about the Jinny books. They were SO clear about how Jinny and Shantih looked and so many of them were wrong (blonde girl, liver chestnut horse, gelding..!). There was one edition with a skinny red-headed girl and a beautiful bright chestnut Arab with 4 white socks (although I think it was male! Can't have everything) which I thought was just right - I'd love a full collection of those covers, but heaven knows how you go about finding specifically those!

Do you mean like this?

And this

 

[Elbie]

I loved reading Jill books growing up, although I was so jealous of her that she knew nothing about horses and just got one! And when she got the second horse (Rapide?) and she was really embarrassed by it's action and little seething 10 year old me was thinking shut up you have 2 horses I have none!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

The Jill books were my favourites growing up as a pony mad child in Hong Kong. In my 1961 edition of Jill's Gymkhana illustrated by Carney, Black Boy is black. Jill says so on page 9!

I grew up in HK too! Where did you ride? I rode at the Jockey Club in Pokfulam and sometimes on the ex race horses at Po Lin Monastery.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

What is wrong with the name Black Boy or Blackie for a black pony??

It seems almost racist to consider it racist!! As if there is something inherently dodgy about the word black even when used to describe the colour black??!! Is is just me?

 

[ester]

I thought some of you lot might enjoy this site I found the other day! It has loads of cover pics etc
http://www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/britponybooks.html

I never understood why he was called blackboy if patchy had been more appropriate

 

[Griffin]

I loved reading Jill books growing up, although I was so jealous of her that she knew nothing about horses and just got one! And when she got the second horse (Rapide?) and she was really embarrassed by it's action and little seething 10 year old me was thinking shut up you have 2 horses I have none!

Me too! Loved the books but was so jealous of Jill. I was also jealous that she kept her horses at home at had chickens too.

 

[Rumtytum]

I thought some of you lot might enjoy this site I found the other day! It has loads of cover pics etc
http://www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/britponybooks.html

I never understood why he was called blackboy if patchy had been more appropriate

Thanks so much ester, I recently bought a set from eBay and was gutted to find they were later editions of the ones I loved as a girl. The original pics in your link have sent me on a massive sentimental trip down memory lane

 

[HashRouge]

This used to sadden me about the Jinny books. They were SO clear about how Jinny and Shantih looked and so many of them were wrong (blonde girl, liver chestnut horse, gelding..!). There was one edition with a skinny red-headed girl and a beautiful bright chestnut Arab with 4 white socks (although I think it was male! Can't have everything) which I thought was just right - I'd love a full collection of those covers, but heaven knows how you go about finding specifically those!

That is the "original" Shantih - a little gelding called Sharukh. He was my favourite cover horse, although the second one was nice too - he was a darker chestnut but with a really flame-coloured mane, and the girl who rode him had the same coloured hair. The third cover horse was a proper liver chestnut with a star, so may be the one you're thinking of!

 

[ester]

It does seem like the Shantih's were fairly consistent (apart from a couple of exceptions) for each publication set.

http://www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/ponybooksfile2/jinnyarmada.html

I didn't have any of the armada ones so not seen sharukh before but I definitely had one with a turquoise cover that was multiple (1+2 or 1+2+3?) that isnt shown.

scrap that, it was this one, I leant it to a friend and it came back all folded over etc, I never leant any more books

 

[Fruitcake]

My copy of ‘Jill Enjoys her Ponies’ was inherited from my mum from the 60s. There’s a picture of a girl on a bucking pony on the cover and my uncle has drawn a speech bubble with the words, “Stop it or I’ll forl orf!” He’s also written, “Yum Yum” next to the title!

 

[HashRouge]

It does seem like the Shantih's were fairly consistent (apart from a couple of exceptions) for each publication set.

http://www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/ponybooksfile2/jinnyarmada.html

I didn't have any of the armada ones so not seen sharukh before but I definitely had one with a turquoise cover that was multiple (1+2 or 1+2+3?) that isnt shown.

scrap that, it was this one, I leant it to a friend and it came back all folded over etc, I never leant any more books

That's Prince of Orange, cover horse number 2. He looks really dark liver chestnut in some photos, but I've seen photos where he looks much brighter. I've got a real mix of copies, mostly with him but some with Sharukh. I used to have all the books but they must have been given away at some point, so I've been trying to build my collection back up again. The Jinny books are 100% the reason that I have my own Arab mare. I was desperate for a chestnut, but I was also 11 years old and just really, really wanted a horse as soon as possible. And this was before people really advertised online, so I was limited by what was being advertised in the Loot. So I ended up with a grey instead

 

[ester]

Ah fab, it's lovely to know who they were

Fiona, a lot of mine were my Mum's or her sisters as all four of them were pony keen so 60s . There was a full flicka and silver brumby set too

 

[ester]

My copy of ‘Jill Enjoys her Ponies’ was inherited from my mum from the 60s. There’s a picture of a girl on a bucking pony on the cover and my uncle has drawn a speech bubble with the words, “Stop it or I’ll forl orf!” He’s also written, “Yum Yum” next to the title!

was it this one? I love having a nosey!

or

 

[Quigleyandme]

There was a British army base in the New Territories that kept polo ponies and I rode there. Two Scottish girls called McLeod used to give lessons or take us for a hack through the villages. We would ride along these raised paths above the paddy fields. The ponies were Timor crosses I believe.

 

[Fruitcake]

was it this one? I love having a nosey!

or

Yes! The one he’s drawn the speech bubble on is definitely the second one- Pony Jobs for Jill. He must’ve defaced more than one!

That’s really brought back memories; I’m definitely going over to my parents’ after I’ve ridden today to see if I can dig them out!

 

[daffy44]

Fabulous nostalgia trip! I loved all the Jill books, but sadly they are lost from my parents attic when they moved, but I still have the full set of Jinny books, I absolutely loved them, also Dream of Fair Horses, another huge favourite.

 

[Floxie]

I think these were my favourite Jinny/Shantih combos, but it's lovely seeing all the covers again, I remember them all so well