Punchbowl Midnight

Punchbowl Midnight

Author	Monica Edwards
Illustrator	Charles Tunnicliffe
Cover artist	Charles Tunnicliffe
Language	English
Genre	Young-adult fiction
Publisher	Collins
Published	1951
Preceded by	Black Hunting Whip
Followed by	Spirit of Punchbowl Farm

Black Hunting Whip is the second book in the Punchbowl Farm series of novels by Monica Edwards, published in 1951 by Collins. The book was illustrated by the eminent wild-life artist Charles Tunnicliffe. Tamzin, from the Romney Marsh series, meets Lindsey Thornton (from Punchbowl Farm) while stalking wild deer in the Devil's Punch Bowl. After being wounded in a shotgun accident, Tamzin stays for the summer at Punchbowl Farm. They then become involved in the search for Midnight, a young Jersey heifer who has gone missing and is believed to have “gone native” with a herd of wild deer.

Punchbowl Midnight was the first of Monica Edwards' novels to feature characters from both the Punchbowl Farm series and the Romney Marsh series (Tamzin Grey) ^[1]

The plot of Punchbowl Midnight involves the true story of the Unknown Sailor who was murdered at Hindhead Hill in 1786.^[2] Tamzin believes that she has been cursed because she scratched her initials on the Sailor's Stone.

First Edition Blurb

Punchbowl Midnight, with her slanting, velvety eyes, was beautiful, and to Dion she was like no other calf, for he had assisted at her birth. When she escaped, he and the rest of the Thorntons were nearly distracted with fear that they would never find her again. They had other anxieties too for the wild deer were coming in from the Punch Bowl and trampling the young growing corn. With the true farmer's instinct for preserving his crops, Dion threatened to shoot the deer. But Lindsey could not bear the thought that the lovely wild beasts should suffer and with the aid of Tamzin Grey, who was staying nearby, she evolved a secret plan for keeping them away from the fields. It was while they were carrying out this plan that they discovered that Punchbowl Midnight had joined the deer and was running wild with them. It seemed impossible that they would ever get her back until suddenly they thought of a magnificent scheme which involved the whole family, their friends and their neighbours in a thrilling adventure. The setting for this exciting story is the rich downland of Surrey. The Thorntons' farm is next the heather-covered hills of Hindhead and the deep, bracken-filled plunge of the Devil's Punch Bowl. It is a busy little farm and no matter how great the excitements the daily round must not be interfered with: the animals must be fed, the cows milked, the fields ploughed. Monica Edwards gives a delightful description of these busy days and Charles Tunnicliffe's pictures make everything very real and fascinating.

Subsequent editions

• Children’s Book Club edition - 1953
• Reprinted - 1955
• 6/- edition - 1956
• Armada paperback - 1963
• John Goodchild new edition (updated) - 1986
• Girls Gone By Publishers reprint of original - September 2011^{[3] [4]}

References