Best Christmas Day for me was when I was four and recovering from German Measles. I can remember coming downstairs to be confronted with a huge brown sack (Mum had got one from the local Postal sorting office) - bigger than me - overflowing with toys! Magical.

Received my copy too - hooray! Just had a quick flick through and smiled at Julie's article "Seasonal Blyton" I've got a stack of Enid's Christmas related books (new compilations and vintage ones) to dive into next month to lead up to Christmas Day along with the latest journal - terrific ...

The Secret Island for me is the April 1946 (5th listed inside) edition. Complete with dust wrapper, it's quite slim with 190 pages, a colour frontispiece and all the black and white illustrations as in the 'Cave', if that's of any help. Due to the paper shortage during this time, could that be the r...

Hm, thank you for all the above information everyone! If the 1968 Dean is unaltered(?) from the original edition, yet the 1969 one onwards is changed (character names and text?), did children or their parents/guardians complain, I wonder?

This edition is the only copy I've ever had/read (missed this one as a child - like so many others!) and I was amazed/delighted to win it. The Dean, Rene Cloke edition, indeed looks like a fine book (many copies pop on on eBay, for example and always seem to sell well), was this altered from the sta...

Finally finished reading this copy today (once again thank you very much, sixret!) and (although VERY much a product of its time) I've enjoyed dipping into these stories off and on over the past few months (repetition less obvious this way). A lovely copy of a book out of print for good, I think.

Having recently re-read (first time since childhood!) books 1-7 in this series (onto River, now), I've found these stories as new to me and even as an adult reader finding myself whizzing through them I've found any narrative questions in my mind answered quite well, including the old couple in Vall...

Hm, I bought a lovely copy from the same seller last month (with wrapper too) for only £21.86, guess I got a bargain? Their prices must vary quite a bit as I bought a lovely copy (again complete with wrapper) of The Secret Island (mid 1940s edition, I think, will have to check up - wonderful book, b...

Growing up in the 1970's (I was born 31 January 1968), along with flares, black and white TV (I adored the TV Famous Five at the time too - not seen since though - must rectify that at some point!), space hoppers sherbet-dip etc, Betty Maxsey's versions WERE The Famous Five to me, nostalgia eh? Ouch...

Sadly I didn't keep any Blyon paperbacks (silly me!) as I reached my mid-teens, and I can't remember which illustrator I had in Plenty of Fun, sorry, Pete! Saying that I have bought 2 Betty Maxey 1974 hardbacks (books 6 and 19) recently, so if book 14 got the hardback (were they all done? Will look ...

Belated thank you, Rob, for flagging this up, weighs a ton and a lovely-looking (another on the to read pile!) tome indeed, nice to have the jacket cover as the frontis piece too!

Just received: Five-Minute Tales and Fifteen-Minute Tales with wrappers in the post today. I was amazed I won them both and I don't usually pay that much for a book/books, but, as I'm due to be mangled (wisdom tooth extraction etc - it doesn't help having sleep apnoea and using a CPAP machine every ...

Having grown up (1970's) reading and buying The Famous Five books, for me, Betty Maxey was the first illustrater of the books I came across (for better or worse!) with the odd paperback I came across containing Eileen Soper pictures to my then young eyes looked odd and a bit stiff! I've now realised...

I'd just like to add, if I may, how fantastic it is to read these (new to myself) reviews and scans of both Sunny Stories and Enid's own magazine, terrific stuff and thank you very much both, Rob and Tony for doing this amazing work for us - deeply appreciated and enjoyed! PS I'd also like to say ho...

Oh, I'm so sorry, Rob, I had no idea I'd bid against a fellow member!

Thank you very much for the very warm welcome from yourself and from Courtenay!