Ruby Ferguson

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Ruby Ferguson (born Reeth, West Yorkshire, UK 19?? - died 196?), was a British writer of children's pony stories in the same vein as the Pullein-Thompson sisters, as well as many novels for adults. She is most famous for the "Jill" series, about young equestrienne Jill Crewe and her adventures with her two ponies. This series was illustrated with line drawings by Caney, and remained continually in print until recently.

Ferguson received her education at Bradford Girls' Grammar School and then St Hilda's College, Oxford where she obtained a Master of Arts degree.

In the "Jill" books, Jill's mother is a children's author who writes stories that Jill dislikes, declaring them to be twee and overly sentimental - it is clear that this is a crticism of the works of Enid Blyton. Ferguson's Jill is a remarkable, independent and witty character who defies the post-World War Two expectations for girls, and this makes Ferguson's writing outstanding not only in the pony-stories genre, but in children's literature as a whole.

Her novel for adults, Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary has recently been republished, and in 2005 it was listed as one of the "Books of the Year" by The Spectator. At its original publication, The Queen Mother is reported to have enjoyed the book so much that she invited Ruby Ferguson to dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Bibliography

"Jill" books

  • Jill's Gymkhana (1947)
  • A Stable For Jill (1951)
  • Jill Has Two Ponies (1952)
  • Jill Enjoys Her Ponies (1954) (also published as Jill and the Runaway)
  • Jill's Riding Club (1956)
  • Rosettes For Jill (1957)
  • Jill And The Perfect Pony (1959)
  • Pony Jobs For Jill (1960) (also published as Challenges for Jill)
  • Jill's Pony Trek (1962)

Other works

  • Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary (1937)
  • The Moment of Truth (1944)
  • Turn Agin Home (1951)
  • Apricot Sky (1952)
  • A Paintbox for Pauline (1953)
  • The Leopard's Coast (1954)
  • For Every Favour (1956)
  • Doves in My Fig-tree (1957)
  • The Cousins of Colonel Ivy (1959)
  • The Wakeful Guest (1962)
  • A Woman With a Secret (1965)
  • Children at the Shop: The Charming Autobiography of Childhood (1967)
  • Our Dreaming Done
  • Moment of Truth
  • The Queen's book of the Red Cross. With a message from Her Majesty the Queen and contributions by fifty British authors and artists. In aid of the Lord Mayor of London's Fund for the Red Cross and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (1939) (contributor)


External links

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