Colonel S. P. Meek (1894-1972)

American author. Full name Sterner St. Paul Meek. He worked as a chemist in the US army and also as a writer of popular pulp science fiction, before later turning to children's fiction. Many of his children's books featured animals, with most being about dogs, and four about horses. His army background also featured in some of the horse stories, horses still being used in the US army at that time. When he retired from the army as a colonel in 1947 he became a full-time writer.

As he was moving through the ranks at the same time as he was writing books, some of his earlier books were published under the name of Capt or Major Meek, and also one was published under the name of Sterner St. Paul. However the horse stories were all published with the appellation of Colonel.

Pony Books:

FROG: THE HORSE THAT KNEW NO MASTER
(PENN [USA] 1933)
ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES HARGENS?
Reprinted in hardback by Grosset & Dunlap as part of their Famous Horse Stories series
Reprinted in hardback by Knopf
SUMMARY: Set in South America. Frog is a vicious US cavalry horse whom no-one wants to ride and is due for the chop. The Lieutenant Scott arrives on the scene and saves the horse by turning him into a good polo pony.

MIDNIGHT: A COW PONY
(KNOPF [USA] 1949)
Reprinted in hardback by original publisher
SUMMARY: Ranching type story about a temperamental cow pony.

PAGAN: A BORDER PATROL HORSE
(KNOPF [USA] 1951)
Reprinted in hardback by original publisher
SUMMARY: Ted and Pagan the horse work for the Border Patrol, searching for illegal aliens.

BELLFARM STAR: THE STORY OF A PACER
(DODD MEAD & CO [USA] 1955)
ILLUSTRATED BY GERALD McCANN
Reprinted in hardback by original publisher
SUMMARY: Harness racing story. Despite the odds can Bellfarm Star make it to run in the top harness race The Hambletonian?

Collector's Info:
No British printings and hard to find here and outside of America in general. In the USA, Frog is easy to find and usually cheap, the others a bit harder and more expensive, with Bellfarm Star being the most so.