Eileen Soper

[Daisy]

I have two of them (not any of those illustrated here) which I bought for £5 each some years ago. I framed them and they look really lovely.

[Courtenay]

I can't add anything to this except to say that the last picture, in particular, looks absolutely beautiful to me. I'd love a poster-sized print of it on my wall.

Agreed, except my favourite is this third one!

[pete9012S]

Apologies if this information has already been posted. Surely a Betty Maxey one is long overdue!!!

Thirty years after her death, the little-known yet fascinating Hertfordshire wildlife diaries of Enid Blyton illustrator Eileen Soper are being collated into a book

Thanks to the dedicated editorial work and field studies of two Hertfordshire naturalists, Stephanie Marshall and Peter Oakenfull, the beautiful nature diaries of Eileen Soper are being collated into a new book. The diaries run to over half a million words which meant a huge project when Stephanie came to transcribe and edit them over two years, carefully transferring Eileen's fine handwriting from her foolscap Boots Diaries to a digital format.

https://www.hertfordshirelife.co.uk/art ... -1-6511116" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Courtenay]

Oh wow!! She really was a wonderfully talented artist. (Eileen Soper, that is, I mean. )

[Boatbuilder]

I must admit, I'm puzzled as to how the 'Five' ever got to Kirrin Island.

Rowing with just that one oar they would have kept going round in a circle.

[Courtenay]

Now there's a point — I have to admit I'd never noticed that omission. That's at least as good as the legendary backwards telescope from Five on Kirrin Island Again!!

(When I said "wonderfully talented artist", I was looking at her illustrations of badgers and birds from the link Pete posted, not at the FF cover. )

[Wolfgang]

I must admit, I'm puzzled as to how the 'Five' ever got to Kirrin Island.

Rowing with just that one oar they would have kept going round in a circle.

I suppose it's just the usual way Ms. Maxey draws - only the essential things (in this case one row), the others are left out .

[Anita Bensoussane]

I must admit, I'm puzzled as to how the 'Five' ever got to Kirrin Island.

Rowing with just that one oar they would have kept going round in a circle.

Yes, we've discussed Eileen Soper's "one long oar" cover on the forums before - it really is curious!

Thanks for providing a link to the article about Soper's nature diaries, Pete. I was interested to read that "Wildings has been kept much as she left it, after two admirers of her work bought the property from the estate. Part of the grounds are maintained by the RSPB."

[Chrissie777]

Thank you, Pete, what a great article!

[Eddie Muir]

Great article. Thank you for posting the link, Pete.

[pete9012S]

Thank you, Pete, what a great article!

Thanks Chrissie - I keep constantly reminding everyone here that it's not all just about Betty Maxey!!!



*Dives for cover!*

[Chrissie777]

Thanks Chrissie - I keep constantly reminding everyone here that it's not all just about Betty Maxey!!!

[Judith Crabb]

I was looking for a book which I didn't find but I saw a dust-jacket and on its spine Julian and Dick were being swooped by an eagle. When I pulled the book off the shelves I realized that the characters were actually George and Dick as you can see them clearly on the front panel watching an otter munch on a fish.
Of course, since the book was 'Up the River and Over the Lea' and written by J.C. Uncles, the characters are actually John and David, who, according to the blurb, set out on a river in Wales in a homemade coracle in search of a mysterious cave of otters and they have plenty of narrow escapes. Mists and rapids lie ahead before the 'breathless' close. The plot is consciously Blytonesque. The chapter headings give the game away - 1 The Farm on the Hillside 2 A Queer Character 3 Fun at the Fair 4 A Dip in the River, and so on to the final, Effort Rewarded.
The book was published by Evans Brothers in 1949 and on the rear panel the reader is reminded that Evans published at least another 'Two exciting "outdoor" stories' - the 'Six Cousins' titles. What is a little surprising is that nowhere is Soper credited with the illustration of the dust-jacket. The book itself is illustrated by Rosemary Brown but the Soper jacket is unsigned and unattributed. Nevertheless when this jacket was commissioned the Soper-Blyton team was well established and no doubt the publisher was attempting to capitalize on it. I wonder if Enid knew about it and what she thought if she did.
This book is now sitting on the shelf with my Soper-illustrated Famous Five. Suddenly my set does not seem quite complete without it.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Fascinating, Judith!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting stuff, Judith!