The Enid Blyton Society

I am sure I have mentioned this before in the forums but I actually visited Mary Gernat at her home in Lymington. I had been hoping to get an article from her for the Journal, but it soon became clear that she was suffering from MS and this had severely effected her memory so I rather abandoned that idea. I spent about a couple of hours with her and she got all her roughs from paperbacks out to show me. She had no original artwork at all as that had been retained by the publishers and has no doubt since been destroyed, like most original Blyton artwork (apart from Noddy artwork which has featured in several auctions).

I took my copy of The Six Bad Boys down to show her and she didn't remember anything about it at all and when she looked through it she said that it wasn't even her style, but I assured her it was done by her in her early days as an illustrator and she kindly signed it for me. She had so many roughs (lots of horsey books) from both Armada and Granada books that I managed to get her to part with two Find-Outer roughs, one from each publisher which she let me buy at a very reasonable price.

Just before I left her she told me that her tutor at art college was Stuart Tresilian and she learnt a great deal from him, but as I was on my way out then I was unable to pursue it further. Despite her MS she was still painting and exhibiting then and was able to drive herself out to locations to paint her landscapes.

Thanks for that Tony.Can you shed any light on the 'Famous Five cover by Mary Gernat' on the other thread?

Very interesting, Tony. What a shame she hadn't kept her originals or got some of them back from the publishers.

That's fascinating, thanks, Pete and Tony!

I love Mary Gernat's illustrations for the Monica Edwards covers as well as the Enid Blyton ones. Just reading up on Monica Edwards' books — which I don't think I've heard of before — I get the feeling they're the sort I would have enjoyed as a child if I'd had the chance. I may have to follow them up some day...

There's a lot more info and photographs about Mary Gernat and her family tree here:

Mary GERNAT
Female 1926 - 1998 (72 years)

https://www.howfamilytree.com/getperson ... 0&tree=How" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I realise now that I must have visited Mary only about a year before she died. I was surprised at how young she looked as she would easily have passed for mid 50s, but I knew from her earliest Blyton illustrating that she must have been about 70. Whilst I was there a girl arrived who looked about 19 and I was introduced to her and although it wasn't stated I thought she must be Mary's granddaughter. It was only recently in an email exchange with Roger How that he told me that this was his younger sister who had met me and she was actually Mary's daughter.

As all the major daily newspapers seem to be covering this story I think I have got to comment on it. Here is one example:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rator.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is complete and utter rubbish and I wonder why no journalist has bothered to check their facts. I imagine that all the papers will say much the same, certainly the Daily Telegraph does as I have read it.

I spoke to a journalist from the Daily Mail yesterday, but not the one who wrote this article which I see was anyway written before our phone conversation. Presumably all this tripe will now be taken as fact!!

This one is even worse and Eileen Soper will be turning in her grave!!

http://pictorial.jezebel.com/the-identi ... 1743260518" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess it will sell the paper, Tony.

I do like those framed illustrations though that one of her sons is holding up.

Blimey O'Reilly, that IS rubbish!! Have they not even noticed that Mary Gernat a) didn't do any illustrations of the Famous Five that were actually published, and b) she was working well after all these books were first published anyway?! Ugh. Apart from Eileen Soper, I reckon Mary herself would be turning in her grave at this!

I'm wondering if some of these journalists got their wires crossed with the Famous Five vs the Five Find-Outers, which Mary Gernat DID illustrate — but still some two decades after most of the originals were published...

Dreadful articles, poorly researched, and the one by Steph Cockroft for The Daily Mail is also full of elementary mistakes in wording and phrasing: "He now plans to exhibit his mother's late work"; "After managing to make an income from writing versus in greeting cards..."; "Imogen was born on in 1935"; "At the time, she lived on a firm with Kenneth in Stourton Caundle, Dorset"; "In the early 1960s, Blyton developed demention".

It would be great if Roger How were able to write an article about his mother for The Enid Blyton Society Journal. It would be far better than these inaccurate newspaper write-ups.

I agree.An interview with Roger would be most helpful and enlightening.

I wonder how much Roger actually knows about the accurate historicity of the Famous Five,their original illustrator Eileen Soper and intriguingly why his Mother painted a picture of Five Go Off To Camp?

There's no doubt these newspaper stories drum up publicity for Mary Gernat.It's not accurate as usual,but how many casual readers would know or even care??

As I said to Tony, this morning, I expect Roger Howe is getting quite a nice sum of money out of all this!

Trouble is people believe what they read and we all know that what the papers print isn't always true!

When it comes to anything Enid Blyton you only have to mention Famous Five, prolific writing and dementia and you have a story.

The photos are interesting.

Being cynical I wonder if Roger is planning to sell some of those wonderful illustrations he is holding up in the DM article. If so a bit of publicity like this would probably push up the price he gets for them. I must admit I would love to have some of them hanging on my wall.

Me too! Especially the Rubadub Mystery one, which has long been one of my favourite covers.