Stephen Mogridge also wrote under the pseudonym Jill Stevens, under which name he wrote a story for younger children about a donkey.
Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau, Ivan Tammas and Julie Makin for all their help with this section.
Finding the books: Adventure, Discoveries, Exploits, and Mystery are all relatively easy to find, and usually reasonably priced. Pirates and Smugglers are a little more expensive. Spies, Vagabonds, Quest, Detectives and Treasure are all very much harder to find, and can be very expensive indeed.
Links and sources:
Jim Mackenzie’s article on Stephen Mogridge
A blog article on Stephen Mogridge (which is a repeat of the article above, but with some additional pictures)
New Forest Adventure
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1953, 213 pp. Illus Winslade
Thomas Nelson and Sons, Junior Nelson, 1960, 213 pp.
Nelson & Sons, pb, 1961
“Patricia and Bill are spending their holidays in the New Forest, that land of wild
ponies. Patricia “adopts” a foal,
which she names Star. It soon becomes apparent,
however, that others have their eyes on star, too -
eyes; cold, calculating
eyes; eyes which judge horseflesh simply on its potential value as meat… So, aided
by
two new friends, Fiona and Freddy, they determine not only to save Star but to
put an end to the whole nasty
business altogether -
that they have stopped
something that was far, far bigger than they knew.”
Bibliography -
The New Forest Series
New Forest Adventure
New Forest Mystery
New Forest Quest
New Forest Exploits
New Forest Discoveries
New Forest Smugglers
New Forest Pirates
New Forest Vagabond
New Forest Detectives
New Forest Treasure
New Forest Spies
New Forest Mystery
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1954, 230 pp. Illus Winslade
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1958
Patricia and Bill, Fiona and Frec -
more than satisfying mystery. It all begins with
a Breton onion-
charcoal-
onions, fallen now into the river, and to the quite frenzied attempts to recover
it -
string of onions! But the inventive Frec has all
the apparatus for underwater salvage, so….”
New Forest Quest
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1955, 214 pp. Illus Winslade
“The quest began with a little old book picked up at a sale; and “picked up” is true,
since it disappeared into the
pocket of a most undesirable person. Thenceforward the
quest was partly for the book itself, partly for what the
book might lead to, and
partly for very big things indeed….”
New Forest Exploits
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1956, 214 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1960
“Vicky believed that she was a great painter. Well, wouldn’t you, if you lived in
the country and a London
dealer called especially to buy your paintings? But…”
New Forest Discoveries
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1957, 212 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, Nelson Juniors, 1959, 212 pp.
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, Nelson Juniors, 1961
A brief review of New Forest Discoveries
“Elaine is a horrid child; her elaborate politeness to the grown-
beastliness to other children earn the hearty dislike of Pat and Bill, Freddy
and Fiona -
especially when she frightens their ponies. The Deverills and the Guises,
with their friends
Julia and Ann, need no introduction of course. The affair of Mustard
-
owned by the dashing Smith brothers with whom Elaine is so friendly
-
their latest New Forest adventure.”
New Forest Smugglers
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1958, 215 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1963
“A stray budgerigar brings Bill and his friends to Major Briant’s house, where they
meet the Sutton family;
and even Patricia, who is so friendly with Kitty Sutton, has
to admit that Kitty’s parents’ behaviour is distinctly
odd. The Deverills and the
Guises, to say nothing of Ann and Julia, are used to Bill’s detective instincts but
this time he really seems to be on to something….”
New Forest Pirates
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1959, 216 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1960
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1962
“Pirates! Yes, real pirates, even though they do operate on land rather than at sea
-
bring them into the New Forest, here is naturally a mystery
which Bill Deverill, that enthusiastic would-
detective, considers worthy
his attention. And when those activities come still nearer home, and involve Patricia’s
adored pony, Star -
New Forest Vagabond
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1960, 213 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
A small girl came into the stableyard carrying an attaché case and a blue cardigan,
and announced she had
come to stay with you ‘out of the blue’.’ All Bill’s detective
instincts were aroused, but “Felicity” was impervious
to questioning and nobody could
find out anything about her at all. Was she in any way connected with the
forged
pound notes that were being circulated in the district?
New Forest Detectives
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1962, 151 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
“Though it is true that detection, as always, is at the back of Bill’s mind as he
sets out one morning to try to get
a photograph of a green woodpecker, he doesn’t
really expect to find himself at once on the trail of a suspect: but
what coulc be
more suspicious than a man who has a beard one moment and is clean-
The indomitable Julia (and her boat), Freddy, whose latest invention proves to be
invaluable, and even The Mug,
supercilious though he might be at first, are all drawn
into the case. The results of their investigations may not be
quite what Bill expected,
but nevertheless Inspector Foster has reason to be grateful for their enterprise.”
New Forest Treasure
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1963, 207 pp. Illus Robert Hodgson
“Freddy’s latest invention is a ‘see-
underground. This device vastly interests different people for different reasons.
Naturally
Derek, Freddy’s friend, whose subject is archaeology, foresees all kinds
of advantages
in such a set; and then there is Bill, who prides himself on detective
talents, and who,
that very summer, is suddenly convinced that Roman gold is hidden
beneath Beaulieu
Heath. Together these three friends pool together their interests
and plan a treasure-
But their best laid plans are wrecked by the sudden theft
of their valuable set...”
New Forest Spies
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1964, 208 pp. Illus Drake Brookshaw
“Bill Deverill is always on the lookout for really ‘suspicious suspects’, but for
once he is taken by surprise,
and it is Freddy who draws his attention to the man
photographing a house in the distance – or the people
on the terrace – by means of
a power telephoto lens fitted to his camera. The peaceful New Forest and the
river
at Beaulieu is suddenly filled with so many strangers watching each other, and being
watched
watching, that Bill finds himself perplexed. The only stable thing in all
this is that Sven Melvik, Swedish
chemical engineer, is the object of all the espionage
and subterfuge.”
Jane’s Lonely Donkey
Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, London, 1958, illus Dick Hart
Reprinted 1959
Whenever Paula and Jane exercise Paula’s new pony, Sunspot, Percy the donkey has
to go too. Paula has
promised not to separate the two, but she soon begins to wonder
if she really has to keep her promise.
As Jill Stevens
