Pullein-Thompson sisters

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The Pullein-Thompson sisters - Josephine Pullein-Thompson (1924-), Diana Pullein-Thompson (1925-) and Christine Pullein-Thompson (1925-2005) - are British writers who have written innumerable horse and pony books (mostly fictional) aimed at children, but mostly popular with girls. They started at a very young age (initially writing collectively) and they were at their peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but their popularity has endured to a greater extent than some would have imagined. They have written a collective autobiography Fair Girls and Grey Horses.

Their mother, Joanna Cannan (1898-1961), sister of the poet May Cannan, wrote similar equestrian stories, but is better known for detective mysteries. Their father was Captain Harold J "Cappy" Pullein-Thompson, who was badly injured during the first world war. Consequently he made his money by selling refrigerators, and did not publish any works. They also have a brother Denis Cannan who is an author in his own right, though has published nowhere near as many works when compared to his sisters. His work tends to be mainly plays.

They are also related to the British novelist and dramatist Gilbert Cannan and the academic Charles Cannan. Joanna Cannan and May Cannan were daughters of Charles Cannan making Gilbert Cannan their cousin. Diana later wrote an autobiography of Gilbert Cannan's life. Their father was brother of Emily Muriel Pullein Thompson who was the mother of John Gardner (composer) who is therefore also their cousin.

Christine had four children as a result of marriage; two sons and two daughters. Her marriage was to Julian Popescu in 1954. One of her daughters Charlotte Pullein-Thompson is an author in her own right, publishing children's pony books. However they are not as widely known as her mother's or her aunts'. Her other children were called Phillip, Mark and Lucy. In addition she had 8 grandchildren (Oliver, Daniel, Anna, Benjamin, Thomas and Hamish, Edwina and Maxwell). Diana married art historian Julian Farr, and had 2 children.

The sisters' books are strongly oriented towards ponies and for almost 60 years they have been much loved by young girls with a strong enthusiasm for horses and ponies. Diana has often written books aimed at a slightly older audience, including some set in London. Christine was the most prolific and also wrote a number of stories which are not specifically concerned with horses or ponies; these are mostly aimed at younger children. Apart from the books listed below, all three sisters have also edited and contributed to various anthologies of horse and pony stories. Their titles include:

1 Josephine
2 Diana
3 Christine
4 Josephine, Diana and Christine collectively

[edit] Josephine

Six Ponies (1946)
I Had Two Ponies (1947)
Plenty Of Ponies (1949)
Pony Club Team (1950)
The Radney Riding Club (1951)
Prince Among Ponies (1952)
One Day Event (1954)
Show Jumping Secret (1955)
Patrick's Pony (1956)
Pony Club Camp (1957)
The Trick Jumpers (1958)
All Change (later republished as The Hidden Horse) (1961)
How Horses Are Trained (non-fiction) (1961)
Ponies In Colour (non-fiction) (1962)
Showjumping Secret (1963)
Learn To Ride Well (non-fiction) (1966)

Dates unknown:

Black Ebony
Black Nightshade
Black Swift
Fear Treks The Moor
Ghost Horse On The Moor
Horses And Their Owners
How To Ride Well (Non-Fiction)
I Had Two Ponies
A Job With Horses
Mystery On The Moor
Pony Club Challenge
Pony Club Cup
Pony Club Trek
Youth in the Saddle (non fiction)(co-author)

Josephine also wrote the adult mystery books "Gin and Murder", "Murder Strikes Pink" and "They Died In The Spring". She has long been involved with the British branch of the writers' organisation International PEN, which campaigns for writers' freedoms in authoritarian or tyrannical regimes.

[edit] Diana

I Wanted A Pony (1946)
Three Ponies and Shannan (1947)
The Penny Fields (has been published under The Pennyfields) (1949)
A Pony To School (1950)
A Pony For Sale (1951)
Janet Must Ride (1953)
Horses At Home and Friends Must Part (1954)
Riding With The Lyntons (1956)
Riding For Children (non-fiction)(1957)
The Boy Who Came To Stay (1960)
Ponies On The Trail (1978)

Dates unknown:

The Battle Of Clapham Common
Bindi Must Go
Black Princess
Black Romany
The Boy & The Donkey (later republished as The Donkey Race)
Cassidy In Danger (later republished as This Pony Is Dangerous)
Dear Pup: Letters To A Young Dog
A Foal For Candy
The Hermit's Horse
The Hidden River
The Long Ride Home
The No-Good Pony
Once A Pony
Only A Pony
Ponies In Peril
Ponies In The Valley
A Pony Found
The Pony Seekers
The Prize Pony
Proud Riders
Racehorse Holiday (also published as "Race Horse Holiday")
Ride Better And Better (Non-fiction)
Ride To The Rescue
Save The Ponies!
The Secret Dog
They Died In The Spring

The books Five at 10: Prime Ministers' Consorts Since 1957, Gilbert Cannan; A Georgian Prodigy and Choosing have been published under her married name (Diana Farr) in addition to her maiden (and better known) name.

[edit] Christine

We Rode To The Sea (1948)
We Hunted Hounds (1949)
I Carried The Horn (1951)
Goodbye To Hounds (1952)
Riders From Afar (1954)
Phantom Horse (1955)
A Day To Go Hunting (1956)
The First Rosette (1956)
The Second Mount (1957)
Stolen Ponies (1957)
The Impossible Horse (1957)
Three To Ride (1958)
The Lost Pony (1959)
Ride By Night (1960)
The Horse Sale (1960)
For Want Of A Saddle (1960)
The Empty Field (1961)
The Open Gate (1962)
The Doping Affair (later published as The Pony Dopers) (1963)
Pony Scrapbook No. 2 (later republished as A Second Pony Scrapbook) (1973)
Good Riding (1975) (Non-Fiction)
Pony Parade (1978)
Improve Your Riding (1979) (Non-Fiction)

Dates unknown:

Across The Frontier (possibly an adult book)
All About Riding And Pony Care (Everything You Need To Know) (Non-fiction)
Bandits In The Hills
The Best Pony For Me!
The Big Storm
Black Velvet
Blossom
The Boys From The Cafe
Candy Goes To The Gymkhana
Candy Stops A Train
Careless Ben
Catastrophe At Black Pony Inn
Come Home, Jessie
Day To Remember
Dog In A Pram
The Eastmans Find A Boy
The Eastmans In Brittany
The Eastmans Move House
Father Unknown (probably an adult book)
Giles And The Canal
Giles And The Elephant
Giles And The Greyhound
The Gipsy Children
Good Deeds At Black Pony Inn
Granny Comes To Stay
Havoc At Horsehaven
A Home For Jessie
Homeless Katie
Horsehaven
Horsehaven Lives On
I Had Two Ponies
I Rode A Winner
I Want That Pony!
Incredible Pony Tales
Little Black Pony
The Long Search (possibly an adult book)
The Lost Cow
Magical Pony Tales
Mystery At Black Pony Inn
Nigel Eats His Words
No-One At Home
Phantom Horse Comes Home
Phantom Horse Goes To Ireland
Phantom Horse Goes To Scotland
Phantom Horse In Danger
Please Save Jessie
Ponies In The Blizzard
Ponies In The Forest
Ponies In The Park
A Pony In Distress
Pony Patrol
Pony Patrol And The Mystery Horse
Pony Patrol Fights Back
Pony Patrol S.O.S.
Pony Picnic
Pony Scrapbook No. 1
The Pony Test
Pony To Love
Prince At Black Pony Inn
Riders On The March
Riding For Fun (non fiction)
The Road Through The Hills
Robbers In The Night
Room To Let
Runaway Ben
Secrets At Black Pony Inn
Smoke In The Hills
Stay At Home, Ben
Stolen Car
Strange Riders At Black Pony Inn
Sundance Saves The Day (these were based upon Julip horses and was sold exclusively through their catalogue)
They Rode To Victory
Triple Adventure
Wait For Me Phantom Horse
A Yo-Yo For Sam
Follyfoot Pony Quiz Book (the Follyfoot in the title relates to the Monica Dickens books and the Yorkshire Television series)

The title The Impossible Horse has also been published under the name of Christine Keir, which may have been a pseudonym, as it is the same story. Also, the book Riding which is part of the Granada Guides series, has also been published under the same name.