Stephen Holt/Harlan Thompson

Star Roan: an Adventure of California Rancho Days

Doubleday & Company Inc, New York, 1952, illus Millard Sheets.  209 pp.

Ramon wakens to a terrible storm, and sees a ship desperately trying to avoid a wreck on the California shore.
When a beautiful roan horse is swept off the deck, Ramon decides to keep him as a foundation sire for his new
horse ranch, even though he knows that the horse belongs to someone else.

Spook the Mustang

Doubleday & Company Inc, New York, 1956, cover art Millard Sheets

“When David and his parents stop at the Condor Ranch to see Grandy, they learn that he
has been missing for over a year, so they stay on to rebuild the ranch.  David pins his hopes
on turning a wild orphaned black colt with a terrible fear of birds into a good rope horse.”

Outcast, Stallion of Hawaii

Doubleday & Company Inc, New York, 1957, illus Paul Lantz

“Bart goes to stay with the Hunters in Hawaii after their son Des is killed in a riding accident with his horse Pirate,
and he takes an interest in the big palomino horse whose hoof was badly injured in the accident.”

Harlan Thompson (1894-1987) also wrote as Steven Holt, and under this name he produced several horse stories for Grosset and Dunlap’s Famous Horse Series.  His books under both names are generally ranch stories.  

Many thanks to Lisa Catz, Susan Bourgeau, Alison MacCallum and Lynne Goundry for the photographs.

Finding the books:  none of the Harlan Thompson books were published in the UK.  All are reasonably easy to find in the US.  None of the Stephen Holt titles were published in the UK either, but again all are reasonably easy to find.  The Famous Horse titles do occasionally turn up in the UK.

Links and Sources:

Terri Wear - Horse Stories: an Annotated Bibliography, Scarecrow Press, 1977

Bibliography - as  Harlan Thompson. Horse books only

Wild Palomino

Longmans, New York, 1946, Illus W C Nims, 151 pp.
Grosset & Dunlap, NY, Famous Horse Series

Scholastic, 1973, pb

Des tries to capture the palomino ostallion Rocket for use as the new sire for his father’s palomino ranch,
but the Mexican El Gato has other plans for the horse.”

Prairie Colt

Longmans, New York, 1947, illus Wesley Dennis.  178 pp.
Grosset & Dunlap, NY, Famous Horse Series

Scholastic, pb, 1960

“Leif’s orphaned twin colts are his key to winning the stockman’s race and thereby getting
the money needed to save his father’s business, but which colt will it be?”

The Phantom Roan
Longmans, New York, 1949, 244 pp.

Grosset & Dunlap, NY, Famous Horse Series

Scholastic, 1968, 1974, pb, 220pp. (right)

Teenage Book Club Edition

“A Cast-off rodeo outlaw horse with an injured foot inspires Glenn to pursue his original dream of becoming
a veterinarian instead of going into town to become a bank teller.”

The Whistling Stallion

Longmans, New York, 1951, 211 pp.  Illus Pers Crowell

Oxford Book Co, New York. 1958  Edited for school use by Jerome Shostak, 263 pp.
Grosset & Dunlap, NY, Famous Horse Series

“Inspired by the strength of the palomino stallion Whistler, Roy refuses to give up the ranch when his
father’s medical bills use up all the money, and he plans to run the ranch along until his father is back
on his feet.” (Sequel to Wild Palomino)

Stormy

Longmans, New York, 1955.  Illus Pers Crowell
Grosset & Dunlap, NY, Famous Horse Series

Hugh Star returns to the family ranch.  Whether he will get the ranch going or not depends on whether his
pinto horse Stormy is a good roping horse or not.

Bibliography - as  Steven Holt

The Ranch Beyond the Mountains

Longmans, New York, 1961.  Illus Pers Crowell, 194 pp.
 

Larry and Bomber go to British Columbia to take over a run down cattle ranch!

Short stories:

The Big Book of Favorite Horse Stories

[Ed] P.C. Braun, Platt & Munk 1965, illus Sam Savitt

Night Star and Indian Fighter