THE GAY DOLPHIN ADVENTURE

First Newnes wrapper by Bertram Prance

Illustrated by Bertram Prance The first of the books to be set in Rye, Sussex. Jon and Penny Warrender start the story, which centres around the old hotel called The Gay Dolphin. They are later joined by the Mortons, who appear and stay at the hotel. An adventure happens when the five (or six with Mackie !) join forces. This is also the book which introduces Mrs Ballinger, who was to become a regular feature of the series. This book also became a serial play on the BBC Radio's Children's Hour .

Reprinted:

2nd imp 1946: fawn boards, gilt blocking 3rd imp 1948: fawn boards, red blocking, title, author and tree front board; slim book; d/w white spine; 255pp; cp 7/6. 4th edn 1949: fawn boards, red blocking: title, author and tree on front board; paper thicker, making book bulkier than previous editions; Dustwrapper white spine. 5th edn 1950: fawn boards, red blocking, title, author and tree on front board; thicker book; d/w B Prance with new spine vignette of Penny with the map; 255pp; cp 7/6. 6th edn 1954: tan cloth with red blocking 7th impression 1958: green boards with dark green blocking, tree front board; cp 8/6 net 8th edn 1963. green boards; black blocking, title, author and tree front board; 255pp; d/w by Terence Freeman; cp 10/6; inscribed '© Malcolm Saville 1958'

Newnes 1963 d/w Terry Freeman

Other Editions:

Collins edition dustwrapper courtesy of Mike McGarry

Collins 1969: Revised hardback edition with dustwrapper.

Collins Budget 1972: Hardback edition with pictorial boards.

Collins 'Budget' edition courtesy of Mike McGarry

Armada cover

Armada 1970: Paperback edition; 191pp; map (credit to D Saville removed); no illustrations; cover picture not credited; Armada number C353; cp dual '3/6 (17½p)'. reprinted 1971: cp 20p; 1978: cp 50p.

Goodchild 1983: Revised hardback edition; no illustrations, dustwrapper by Gordon King.

Goodchild edition 1983 dustwrapper by Gordon King

Girls Gone By edition cover by Bertram Prance

Girls Gone By April 2007: This new paperback edition has the complete, original, text from the first edition with all the Bertram Prance illustrations, as well as the map of the Rye area by David Saville, the author's brother. In addition, the book includes an introduction by Mark O'Hanlon and an article by Mary Cadogan. This is followed by an illustrated publishing history by myself, with a section by Laura Hicks analysing the typsetting and text of the first edition, and commenting on its interpretation for this edition.

Like the others from this publisher the cover is reproduced from the first edition, dustwrapper, electronically restored. The back of the paperback reproduces the white spine of the original and the text from the front dustwrapper flap. (click on image to see).
Size: 130x190mm; 312pp; ISBN 978-1-84745-016-6.
This is another lovely paperback, beautifully produced. It is available for £10.99, including postage, from the publishers.

David Schutte 2009: The scripts from the BBC Radio 6 part serialisation of the book. Adaptation by Muriel Levy. This hardback matches the other two Lone Pine radio scripts as a hardback with lovely full colour wrapper and a black and white frontispiece of Jon and Penny at Camber Castle by Val Biro. Bound in orange cloth, 128 pages, Introduction by Colin Harding and Publishers Notes by David Schutte. ISBN: 978-0-9564239-0-0 Available from the publisher (see Links) for £21.50 (or £25 for signed editions 100 only) not including postage. A signed limited edition print of the dustwrapper artwork has been produced in an edition of 30.

Radio scripts Cover By Val Biro 2009

Australian edition dustwrapper Dymocks 1952 courtesy of Mike McGary

Dymocks 1952: Australian hardback edition, with Prance's illustrations and dustwrapper. [For information on this edition, thanks to Mike McGary]

Molino 1963: Spanish translation; as 'Aventura en el Gay Dolphin'. Number 39 in the publisher's Serie "Aventura"; Translation by Ramon Margalef Llambrich. Hardback with laminated cover (probably also with dustwrapper of same design); 224 pages; no lists following; text illustrations by Bertram Prance; title page vignette of the Pine Tree, (Newnes' logo); no map (at least in my copy) Cover illustration by Pablo Ramirez of Penny and Jon being met by the hotel car. Rear panel of cover has Lone Pine 'Dokkerment' oddly giving David's surname as 'Sterling'. There is no cover price.

Spanish edition cover by Pablo Ramirez

Het Spectrum 1963 courtesy of Mike McGary

Het Spectrum 1963: Dutch translation as 'Het geheim van de oude herberg'. Paperback edition in the Prisma Juniores series number 226. Cover illustration not credited but signed 'de Leeuw' [For information on this edition, thanks to Mike McGary]

Disney's Juniorclub 1984: Hardback edition as Het geheim van de oude herberg Translation by S.H.M. Horrevoets-Hueber; 158 pages; no map, no illustrations. The attractive colour picture in the front cover is by Ruud Bruijn; ISBN 90-320-3355-7 [For information on this edition, thanks to Steven Handy]

Disney's Juniorclub edition 1984 courtesy of Steven Handy

Karisto 1990: Finnish translation.