HIDDEN IN A DREAM

Collins 1952 First Edition

illustrated by Geoffrey Whittam A disturbing time in Westling as Meryon appears unwell, and Tamzin faces the prospect of an August in the City. However, the appearance of a mysterious pony and cart and one of Tamzin's ideas, this time about the Martello Tower, changes the situation immediately and it's 'all hands on deck' again. First edition: blue boards; gilt lettering; 135x200mm; map endpapers; 256pp; title page vignette, endpiece and 16 b/w illustrations. Dustwrapper picture is of boy lying on breakwater, spine vignette; rear flap has subscription form for Collins Magazine.

Reprinted:

Collins 'six shilling edition' 1955: red boards, black blocking; 190x135mm; map endpapers; 256pp; title page vignette and 16 b/w illustrations.
Dustwrapper as first; rear advertises four Punchbowl Farm stories; rear flap four Romney Marsh books; cover price 6s

Other Editions:

The Children's Book Club 1953: Hardback edition with all the original illustrations. The unsigned dustwrapper illustration is possibly by Geoffrey Whittam, but not as first; similar in style to the CBC edition of Punchbowl Midnight. It is a coloured combination of the title page vignette and the illustration of the figure on page 12 of the first edition. The spine illustration is a variant of the illustration on page 71.

The unique Book Club wrapper

The Evergreen Library wrapper illus by Eileen Walton

Collins Evergreen Library 1966: Hardback edition with dustwrapper; green boards with gilt blocking; map and illustrations by Geoffrey Whittam but without title page vignette; dustwrapper picture by Eileen Walton; 256pp; cp 10s 6d

Engelbert (peb Bücherei) 1974: Hardback edition; as Ferien voller Abenteuer. 140x210 mm; pictorial boards by Christel Friede-Tatje, the front showing Tamzin, Rissa and Meryon with the Martello Tower in the background; 156pp; no map, no illustrations; last page has description of Bruce un der Wildhengst (Under the Rose). ISBN 3-536-01139-X

The attractive cover of the Engelbert edition

Braille edition New Zealand 1976: this appears in the author's notebook.
Joy Wotton has (Sept 2009) found it listed in the current library catalogues of the RNZFB which confirms the entry.
The entry confirms its existance but does not record date nor details.

Goodchild edition dustwrapper

Goodchild 1986: Hardback edition revised by the author; 261pp; no map; with 21 new pen illustrations by Sheila Ratcliffe; ISBN 0-86391-073-4; Dustwrapper by Gordon King. This edition still listed as available from Amazon.co.uk.

Rissa follows Tamzin up the Martello Tower steps by Sheila Ratcliffe from the Goodchild edition

Girls Gone By 2006:
Published May 2006.
A new paperback impression with the full text and Geoffrey Whittam illustrations of the original book; 19x13mm (7.5x5 inches); 304pp.
As with their earlier issues the publishers have used full colour for the cover, reproducing the front of the first edition wrapper; the rear is plain with the first edition spine illustration reproduced on the left of the publisher's 'blurb' from the first edition.

Girls Gone By paperback 2006

A completely new preface by Shelley, Monica's daughter, introduces the book, eleven pages of memories and photographs unique to this edition. An introduction to the author,the places and the books of Monica Edwards follows, as does a brief publication history and then the second title-page appears before the story really begins. Geoffrey Whittam's map of the Westling area is included as well as all his illustrations from the first edition.

rear cover

Another full value book from Girls Gone By. These ought to be in the High Street shops ! Hot Cakes will have nothing on this one . . .
ISBN 1-904417-87-6; published at £9.99, new orders will cost £10.99 including postage from the publishers.
(Copies can be ordered from the Girls Gone By website, see 'Links' above.)