FRENCHMAN'S SECRET

Collins 1956 First Edition

illustrated by Geoffrey Whittam January in Punchbowl Farm, Surrey, and Lindsey discovers something odd in the old diary she and Dion found in the ruined cellars (back in Black Hunting Whip). Despite having little time from helping Dion run the farm, she is determined to solve the mystery, which leads them away from the farm and to the nearby Mill House, home of the West family. Ruth and Roy join the three younger Thorntons on a hunt for the mysterious Frenchman's treasure; with disastrous consequences. Reviewed in Country Fair Magazine Xmas 1956 by Malcolm Saville.

First edition: dark blue boards, silver blocking, all serif lettering, title and author separated by star on spine; 135x200mm; 256pp; title page vignette and 14 b/w illustrations; maps of the farm (second version with pipeline) and map of the land around The Mill House, both by Charles Green, not as endpapers but after the title page and dedication.
Dustwrapper rear advertises five other Stories of Punchbowl Farm , rear flap advertises four Stories of Romney Marsh; cover price 10s 6d.

Reprinted:

Second Impression February 1959:
Identical to first edition, including dustwrapper, except that it has no date on the title page, but:

Collins 1964 'six shilling edition': Plain red boards with black sans serif lettering on spine, no star between author and title, 'Collins' at base of spine in serif lettering; 125x190mm; 256pp; 'This edition 1964' on reverse of title page.
Dustwrapper same as the first except rear includes advertisement for The Cownappers, rear flap list includes Strangers to the Marsh and Operation Seabird; cover price 6s.

Children's Book Club 1958:
red boards; sans serif black lettering on spine, no publisher; 125x190mm; 256pp; CBC credit on bottom of title page and 'This Edition 1958' on rear of title page; otherwise identical to Collins reprints.
The dustwrapper is the same as the first edition with the following differences: no publisher logo to base of spine; internal flap reads ‘published by Collins at 10s 6d’ and beneath that ‘CHILDREN’S BOOK CLUB EDITION’; rear panel lists 5 forthcoming Childrens Book Club titles; internal flap lists authors previously published by the Childrens Book Club.
[For information on the dustwrapper of this edition, thanks to Scott Lloyd of Gildas Books, Chester]

Crown Library edition 1960
Listed by ME but not seen. This might refer to the 2nd impression (above)

Armada 1965 cover

Armada 1965: Armada number C132; 160pp; maps and 13 b/w illustrations; text abridged; cover by Mary Gernat; cover price 2'6.