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Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 19:49
by Rob Houghton
They must have made a typing error, surely? :?

I see its original price was 35p according to the label on the cover!!

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enid-Blytons- ... SwopRYa-F5

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 21:52
by Katharine
That's a lovely looking book, and one I'd be happy to have on my bookshelf - but not for that price. :shock:

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 22:07
by Courtenay
Rob Houghton wrote: I see its original price was 35p according to the label on the cover!!
That's inflation for you. :P

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 10:03
by pete9012S
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Some here remember when 35p was a decent amount of money - my Nan used to grumble when things went up by half a pence at the local supermarket.Seems strange now.

Once upon a time my Betty Maxey Famous Five paperbacks were only 25p.You could buy them yourself with your own pocket money.

The original superior,better illustrated hardbacks seem to have been much more expensive (relatively speaking) and out of reach of children generally without adult cash?

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 10:14
by Anita Bensoussane
Yes, I remember that I could afford to buy a paperback book once a fortnight with my pocket money in the 1970s. I associated hardback books (the dustwrappered kind) mainly with libraries - though I did receive hardbacks like annuals and encyclopedias as presents. When we were very young my sister and I had quite a collection of cheaper hardbacks - i.e. Ladybird books and the Blyton books that were published by Dean & Son and Purnell.

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 12:17
by Rob Houghton
All my Enid Blyton collection were either Dean books (or the Sunshine Library) annuals (like Famous Five) or paperbacks. When I was very young my mom would buy me a Dean book every-so-often -n maybe once a month, as they were fairly expensive compared to other books. Later, I bought paperbacks. Some paperbacks I remember buying were the compilations of the Mary Pollock books, like Smuggler Ben and Cliff Castle, and also 'The Mystery That Never Was'. I also bought 'The Island of Adventure' and 'Mountain of Adventure' in the 'Piccolo' version paperback. I didn't buy many of my own, as my sister already had them, so I mainly read those.

I never read any Famous Fives with the Betty Maxey covers - I looked at the covers and thought I was too young for them, as my sister is 6 years older than me - which is why I never read a Famous Five (except two annuals) until I was about 23!

The first hardback I bought was 'The Rilloby Fair Mystery' - 10p with dust wrapper from a school jumble sale.

I had books like this one that's for sale, as Christmas presents (mainly the 'Enid Blyton annuals' of the time) -

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which I have now bought quite a few of! The one thing I dislike though is that they contain poems in Enid's name that weren't written by Enid Blyton, :evil:

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 13:29
by Courtenay
Rob Houghton wrote:The one thing I dislike though is that they contain poems in Enid's name that weren't written by Enid Blyton, :evil:
Still, maybe slightly better than adult Famous Five stories in Enid's name that weren't written by Enid Blyton... :twisted: :wink:

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 13:36
by Rob Houghton
True! :mrgreen:

But as a kid I always believed everything in the 'Bedtime Annuals' was written by Enid Blyton - and its only recently, looking at some of the poems in particular, that I realise they weren't - they don't even scan properly or rhyme - two things Enid did almost without exception.

Here's an example -

I lie in a meadow
Under the sky
Summer clouds are passing
Passing me by

I lie in the long grass
Among the wild flowers
Sun shining down on me
Sharing the hours

I lie in a meadow
On top of a hill
I love this secret,
Secret summer place...
I think I always will.

Pretty sure that's not Enid Blyton. 8)

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 16:32
by pete9012S
Well that's news to me Rob.Thank you for pointing that out.

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 16:40
by Rob Houghton
I'm sure someone will tell me otherwise, lol - but I've noticed it a lot in those annuals.

Here's the one that actually made me think 'this isn't by Enid Blyton' quite a few years ago -

'My cat is a secret cat
She sits on the windowsill
Still, still as can be -
Is she looking at me?
What does she see?

My cat, such a mystery cat
Prowling through grass
As high as herself -
Hush, hush, where are you going, cat?
Where have you been?

my cat's eyes are green, green
She stares into sunlight,
Warm creamy fur on the red tiles,
Sleep, half asleep, still as can be -
What are you dreaming, cat?
What can you see?

It's from this book, if anyone has it and wants to check -

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Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 17:00
by pete9012S
You have set a great sleuthing challenge for us now Rob - unless Uncle Tony knows the answer off the top of his head.
But,are late 1970's annuals his strong-point - or even his concern?
Still,everyone likes a mystery or a puzzle!

Edit:
Looks like Tony's got there before us Rob.The cave says 'Source Untraced'.
My Cat
Poem: source untraced
http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... nnual+1979" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 17:17
by Rob Houghton
Yes, I had a look and noticed the 'source untraced' note - which maybe backs up my theory! these books have quite a few poems that are 'source untraced'.

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 19:18
by Anita Bensoussane
I remember that we had a discussion about those poems in the early days of the forums:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... cret#p1150" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Surely not the right price? Bedside Book from 1970s

Posted: 12 Jan 2017, 19:27
by Rob Houghton
thanks Anita - I'd forgotten that! At least I'm consistent! :lol: I notice I quoted the same cat poem!! 8)