The Enid Blyton Society

Moonraker wrote:And I can't believe you wrote this:

for some strange reason, Eileen is much more popular.

Well, I suppose you like her, and I don't! Would you care to tell me WHY you can't believe it?

Gosh, this is turning into quite a battle! It isn't a political campaign where we're out to win people over to Soper, Maxey, Knox, Hamilton or any other illustrator - it's fine to have a variety of opinions!

Ha ha, very funny, Anita!
Just for the sake of curiosity, what is your favourite illustrator?

If you mean for the Famous Five books, it's Eileen Soper!

Hmmm...is it because she draws animals well, or because you think all her illustrations are good?

I think Eileen Soper's illustrations of the children when they're younger are absolutely charming, e.g. in Five On a Treasure Island. She's also great at portraying atmosphere, e.g. in Five Go to Smuggler's Top, which is a place of mists and gloom. In other books I don't like her pictures as much because the children are too old-looking and angular, Anne appears mannish and the backgrounds are sketchy. Five On a Hike Together is one of her most disappointing for me. It's a pity Eileen Soper wasn't more consistent in the quality of her drawing because the best of her work is stunning, especially the first edition colour covers of books like Five Get Into Trouble, Five Go Down to the Sea and Five Go to Demon's Rocks.

I guess the reason I don't like Eileen is that she doesn't draw the children like I imagine them. Jolyne, however, draws them in the exact way that I imagine them. The only thing I like about Eileen is her animals. I love the horses and dogs that she draws. In fact they are even better than the ones Jolyne draws. Otherwise, though, Eileen's illustrations are not half as good as Jolyne's, in my opinion.

Farwa wrote:I guess the reason I don't like Eileen is that she doesn't draw the children like I imagine them. Jolyne, however, draws them in the exact way that I imagine them.

That statement is exactly the same reason others give for preferring Eileen Soper's drawings. Many of us met the children in the books she illustrated and to us, this is how they must look. We do tend to think that another interpretation can't be "right" and of course there really is no right or wrong. We do know, however, that Enid approved of how Eileen Soper had illustrated the books.
The books were written in the 1940s and '50s so we do feel the Soper illustrations are more accurate in portraying how children looked then. Jeans were not worn by children back then, nor did boys grow their hair very long and girls never left their hair hanging limply all over the place - if they grew it below shoulder length it was tied back, usually in plaits if long enough. So it is all a matter of opinion as to whose illustrations appeal the most.

I had quite a few Fives illustrated by Jolyne Knox and must admit I was glad to get rid of them. I hated her clunky heavy looking and stilted drawings (just my opinion of course!). I much prefer Betty Maxey's illustrations, because I like her lightness of touch and the sketchiness of them. I must admit, I'm a big fan of the Famous Five annual illustrations (particularly Mystery Moor and Smugglers Top). Not sure who illustrated these? The only Jolyne Knox illustrated books I have now are the TV omnibus versions, which I mainly love because of the photos!