I am down to two sets now of Nos 1-4. I am glad that you enjoyed the one that you bought, Pete, but the problem is that I may be lumbered with the other three as everybody else has ordered a full set of four. I only had 25 sets available to buy and I have sold 22 of them, so to repeat I have just two full sets left and three odd ones.
Booklets 9-12 are already completed and sitting in the larder, but they won't being going to the printers until I send them Journal 53 at the end of February. The reason for this is that I am selling these booklets virtually at cost and I therefore need them to share delivery with the Journals as that is free. The titles are:-
Three of these have major Blyton illustrators, Dorothy Wheeler, Ernest Aris and Sylvia Venus.
I'm afraid that it is a case of 'going, going, gone' - the auctioneer's gavel has gone down on a set of Nos 1-4 as the last two sets have gone, but although I have taken them out of the shop I do have single copies of Nos 1, 2 and 3 available still at £3 each or £9 for the three.
Well I'd better buy some before they all go! Could I purchase 1, 2 and 3, please, Tony. I don't know if I have to buy them on the online shop? Does £9 include postage? Also, how do I go about paying for them?
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House
Good to see these wonderful publications have sold out. They are far too good to be left on a shelf in The Cave. I have just ordered numbers 5-8 and look forward to receiving them soon.
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
Crumbs - much as I want Tony to sell them all, I hope that there are some left in January as it's likely to be at least then before I can afford any more, and I only have numbers 1 - 4!!! *Sighs*
I keep going online to the shop and browsing through... I asked my better half for the Merry Moments set as a Christmas present, but as it would involve him going online, using my login and paying by payal it probably ain't gonna happen!!
Oh well - I'm jolly glad to have numbers 1-4 anyway. They're like little breaths of fresh Enid air, charming, old fashioned, innocent and entertaining. And they are very, very good value for money!
Sarah Society Member
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.Psalm 139
Lucky Star wrote: I have just ordered numbers 5-8 and look forward to receiving them soon.
Wow, when I said "soon" I had forgotten the speed with which the Cave postal service operates. The Uncollected Sunny Stories for Little Folks books were on my doormat on my return from work today. Barney must have galloped up with them on his back.
If there any waverers out there I can assure them that these four booklets are absolutely top notch. Beautifully printed and bound they are truly a great addition to any Blyton collection. They should sell out pretty quickly such is the quality. Roll on the next batch.
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
I have just read one of the latest Sunny Stories booklets, Twinkle Comes to Town. It is absolutely delightful. Twinkle is a Pickwickian character and prototype Mr Pink-Whistle. I am so glad Tony selected this issue for reprinting, it is hard to understand why this story remains uncollected and has not surfaced for 85 years. What a pity Enid did not write a full-length book about this character.
"I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines." Oliver Goldsmith
I have just received A Non Stop Run and Jolly Times from Tony today. As I used to live near a busy railway up to being 11 years old I like anything to do with trains. I particularly like the cover picture on A Non Stop Run, with what looks like an A3 Pacific thundering into a tunnel. Amazing that this was originally published in 1929, I had never heard of it.
I've just finished reading Tibby's Adventures. I must say I was quite surprised by it, and dare I say, I didn't feel it had the usual Enid Blyton feel about it. Although I'm eternally grateful to Tony for making it available to buy, and I don't regret getting it, I can't say I really enjoyed it. It's not a story I'd be in a hurry to read again. Admittedly animal stories aren't perhaps my favourite type of story.
It was strange reading a story written in the first person, I don't think she wrote many stories like that. It was also quite cruel for one of her books, although of course it did have a happy ending.
What did other forumites think of the story?
On a positive note, I really enjoyed the illustrations with regard to the clothing the people were wearing. I'm looking forward to seeing what the other booklets are like now.
I enjoyed Tibby's Adventures - I found it charming and heartwarming. The Adventures of Bobs is very similar, written in the first person from a dog's point of view.
My thoughts on booklets 5-8:
A Week With Simple Simon - Although I had a few Simple Simon stories in various collections as a girl, I never had any of the seven in this booklet. Delightful comical tales - though I feel quite sorry when Simon sometimes gets punished (like Meddle and Twiddle) for causing trouble inadvertently while trying to help someone! Several stories contain ideas which Enid Blyton was to re-use with other characters.
Hop, Skip and Jump Again - How super to go journeying with Hop, Skip and Jump once more! The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies was a childhood favourite so I was overjoyed to discover as an adult that Enid Blyton had also written two 6-chapter stories about the three brownies, this being one of them. The story is not as involved as the one in the full-length book, of course, but it includes some magical moments.
Twinkle Comes to Town - As Kate Mary said, it's a great pity that this character is all but forgotten. Twinkle is like Pink-Whistle with a smidgeon of Twiddle, and his adventures are amusing and quite surreal. Dorothy Wheeler's illustrations are absolutely marvellous. A booklet to treasure!
Binkle and Flip Again - The two mischievous bunnies are as entertaining as ever and Ernest Aris's drawings suit the stories perfectly. I love the trick played by Binkle in the first story!
It's a privilege to be able to read these tales. Thanks so much for making them available, Tony, and thanks to David Chambers for his input too!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Yes, I agree that it's certainly a privilege to be able to read these stories, and although Tibby's Adventures isn't my favourite story, it's wonderful to have the opportunity to be able to read the story.
I've just finished reading The Kite that Flew Away and really enjoyed it, especially the idea of the Puzzle Country. Interesting to see Enid Blyton used the names Peter and Mollie together, some 10 years or so before the first Wishing Chair book.