THE SECRET OF THE GORGE

First Edition wrapper by Charles Wood

Not Illustrated A purchase by Jenny's father at a sale leads the crowd into another puzzle. This one is set some miles nearer to Ludlow, in the grounds of an old house, and there is the possibility that some jewels long since stolen may be hidden . . . the Lone Piners go camping in order to find out, but there are others on the same trail.

Other Editions:

The Children's Newspaper c1958:
An abridged serialisation in this up-market weekly 'comic'. Illustrated, but little information is available; an article in the Society magazine is promised.

Children's Book Club edition by Noel Syers (Byers?) (courtesy of Bygone Books)

Children's Book Club c1959: Hardback edition: pale buff boards with black sans serif lettering on spine only; 256pp; no illustrations, title page vignette missing; both map endpapers in green as first edition. Dustwrapper an attractive illustration of two children standing in front of the old house picture by Noel Syers; it wraps to include the spine which shows the Bow Bridge and the Great Well. (these can be seen in the enlarged image - click on the picture to display) [There is some debate over the artist's signature; Mike McGarry opts for the surname being Byers and has found a 'Noel Byers' as a dustwrapper artist on a book published in Canada in 1936. I still tend to favour Syers, what do you think ? Click here to look at the signature.] [Thanks to Gordon and Jen French of Bygone Books for lending me this copy !]

Hamlyn, Merlin 1967: paperback; no maps; cover and six b/w illustrations not credited but by Michael Whittlesea; 190pp; M22; cp 2/6. Reprinted 1968: map added to rear of title page, and last page describes the Lone Pine titles in Merlin editions; no cover price.

The Merlin edition

Collins Budget edition

Collins Budget edition 1972: Hardback edition with pictorial boards.

Armada 1977: Paperback edition; 159pp; 1 map only; no illustrations; cover not credited; Armada number C1328; cp 45p.

The Armada edition

Goodchild edition dustwrapper by Gordon King courtesy of Mike McGarry

Goodchild 1986: Revised edition; 192pp; dustwrapper by Gordon King.

Girls Gone By 2011: New paperback edition: 304pp; ISBN 978-1-84745-108-8 Complete original text; both maps; full set of Michael Whittlesea illustrations from the Merlin edition; eleven page introduction by Nicholas Wood (son of the cover artist) illustrated with family photographs and examples of his father's work; other extra material, author's biog, bibliog and illustrated publishing history of the book.

cover by Charles Wood new paprback edition 2011

Foreign Edition

cover by Badia Camps

Molino 1968: Spanish translation as El secreto del barranco. Hardback with dustwrapper by Badia Camps; 223pp; translation by Miguel Gimenez Sales; no illustrations; no maps. [For information on this edition,and illustration, thanks to Steven Handy]