Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Enid used many illustrators in her books. Discuss them here.
Post Reply
User avatar
pete9012S
Posts: 17572
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:32
Favourite book/series: Five On A Treasure Island
Favourite character: Frederick Algernon Trotteville
Location: UK

Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by pete9012S »

Image

I've deliberately separated this from the main Mary Gernat thread to be discussed separately, as I did not think the Famous Five were ever illustrated by Mary Gernat.

I've never seen this cover before - perhaps it was never officially produced??
Last edited by pete9012S on 04 Apr 2021, 21:06, edited 2 times in total.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

Society Member
User avatar
Julie2owlsdene
Posts: 15244
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 20:15
Favourite book/series: F.F. and Mystery Series - Five get into Trouble
Favourite character: Dick
Location: Cornwall

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan-Mary Gernat

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

It's a nice illustration. Reminds me of a Find-Outers cover. I think the cover was from Missing Man, with a dark blue background. Must check the Cave and have a look.

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

Society Member
User avatar
Julie2owlsdene
Posts: 15244
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 20:15
Favourite book/series: F.F. and Mystery Series - Five get into Trouble
Favourite character: Dick
Location: Cornwall

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan-Mary Gernat

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

Yes, I see the picture I was meaning is a Mary Gernat one. And I see she did a few for the paperbacks. Nice covers. :)

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

Society Member
Tony Summerfield
Posts: 6386
Joined: 26 Dec 2004, 12:20

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan-Mary Gernat

Post by Tony Summerfield »

This cover was certainly never used. All Famous Five paperbacks were published by Brockhampton under their Knight imprint and I am pretty confident that Mary Gernat did no work for Knight at all. As we all know they chose somebody called Betty Maxey to illustrated their Famous Five paperbacks!! The title looks pretty crude there almost as if it was put on as an afterthought with no room left for the signature and as I mentioned in another thread I saw a large number of Mary Gernat's roughs and her titles were much better than this and she also added the famous Blyton signature.
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26772
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Wow - it's exciting to see Mary Gernat depicting the Famous Five, even though she wasn't used for that series in the end. Well-spotted, Pete! It's an attractive cover, though that hill looks jolly steep for a horse pulling a caravan - and I'm not sure where the second caravan has got to!

I don't think this version of a cover for Last Term at Malory Towers was used either, though Mary Gernat did design two other covers for that book:

Image
"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.


Society Member
User avatar
pete9012S
Posts: 17572
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:32
Favourite book/series: Five On A Treasure Island
Favourite character: Frederick Algernon Trotteville
Location: UK

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by pete9012S »

ImageImage

It's interesting that the font on both books mixes up upper and lower case letters in a similar way..'in a ' 'of the'...The white haired lad looks very similar in both pics and the caravans are drawn in a very similar style.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

Society Member
Tony Summerfield
Posts: 6386
Joined: 26 Dec 2004, 12:20

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by Tony Summerfield »

This artwork is puzzling me more and more as it just doesn't look like the things that Mary Gernat showed me. The signatures are all identical and look as if they have been put on all with the same stencil. The two bits that I have show the whole cover with the picture on the back of the dustwrapper as well and the signature certainly hasn't been put on by stencil on either. I know I saw these about 17 or 18 years ago, but I seem to remember that other Blyton artwork was similar to the two bits that I bought, so I am wondering just what the ones on Roger How's website are.
User avatar
pete9012S
Posts: 17572
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:32
Favourite book/series: Five On A Treasure Island
Favourite character: Frederick Algernon Trotteville
Location: UK

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by pete9012S »

I wonder (if this Famous Five painting was dated around 1965/1966) whether it was possible Mary Gernat was asked/approached by Knight to submit potential artwork for the Famous Five paperbacks that were to appear towards the late 1960's?

Was Betty Maxey first choice for the Knight paperback editions,or were a few illustrators tried out before the Knight paperbacks by Betty Maxey were eventually published?

http://www.marygernat-howillustrations. ... id-blyton/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

Society Member
User avatar
Lucky Star
Posts: 11485
Joined: 28 May 2006, 12:59
Favourite book/series: The Valley of Adventure
Favourite character: Mr Goon
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Five Go Off In A Caravan - Mary Gernat

Post by Lucky Star »

Used or not the artworks depicted in this thread are all lovely and highly evocative.
"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

Society Member
Post Reply