The Enid Blyton Society

Obviously,he's no Betty Maxey,but I have been rather impressed with Bruno Elittori's cover work for The Find Outers from around 1983.

He's just out of my era - I'm a reader of the 1960's & 1970's editions,plus a collector of the originals.
I still rather like his artwork.

I don't know if he illustrated anything else for Enid Blyton or anything about his other work.
Here's his Find Outer covers for your perusal.











Rather irritatingly,the one missing cover is the one I would probably most like to see - Tally Ho Cottage.
I've had a jolly good look over the world wide web, but still cant manage to pin it down anywhere...

Thanks for posting these covers, which I quite like, Pete.

I also like the covers.

Quite appealing covers. The only Bruno Elettori edition I've come across personally (my daughter picked it up in a charity shop when she was little) is The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters.

Yes, those covers are really quite nice - children looking like children is always a bonus!

Yes,many thanks to Tony for making all these covers by so many different illustrators available to us.

The Cave is a most marvelous resource for research and just sheer enjoyment of all the varieties and editions the books we love have been presented in.


2003 Egmont, not illustrated, cover by Jason Ford

I like the Bruno Elettori covers very much and you're quite right, Pete, he's no Betty Maxey. He's miles better.

They are really good, Pete, although in some cases the perspective or some of the details are a little surprising — I was wondering what on earth the bizarre machine was in the foreground of this one until I realised it was a bike in close-up!



Or in this one — it probably just comes from the image being a bit small — I was thinking for a second that Mr Goon had caught a whale...



But apart from those very minor oddities, they're colourful and enticing and fun-looking, I agree. I especially like the cat's "leave me alone" facial expression in this one!

pete9012S wrote:Yes,many thanks to Tony for making all these covers by so many different illustrators available to us.




2003 Egmont, not illustrated, cover by Jason Ford

It might come as a surprise to some people, who know how I feel about modern covers - but things are never black and white when it comes to personal taste - and I have always loved these bright, vibrant and quirky covers. They are the best Enid Blyton cover designs from the last 15 years, in my opinion. They also manage to conjure up a flavour of the 1950's and 60's in a strange way.

We all have our quirks and little foibles Rob.
Some are even blind to the maestro at work that was Betty Maxey,but live and let live and each to his own!

Does your wife ever get worried as you murmur Betty's name in your sleep, Pete??

Have to admit, I'm not really a fan of Bruno Elettori. I can remember that it was in the 1980's that I began to go off the more modern EB covers, as I saw them at the time. I was too used to the brilliant Mary Gernat covers, Betty Maxey covers, Derek Lucas covers etc.

I also disagree that the Elettori covers are better than Maxey's covers. Maxey's covers and colour-work are much more atmospheric and exciting, in my opinion.

Although I find Bruno Elettori's Find-Outers covers reasonably appealing - if a little quirky - I agree that Betty Maxey's Famous Five covers are much more attractive, Rob. Maxey's colours, blending and arrangements conjure up just the right atmosphere and the characters look very real.

I think Betty Maxey's externals are superb - for me equally as good as Eileen Soper's externals.

It's hard to put into words now all these years later,but the sheer excitement and anticipation of receiving a new Famous Five book, pristine,the smell of new paper and exciting illustrations was a wonderful,joyous experience.

Some covers still resonate strongly even after all these years and just looking at them brings back all those familiar feelings...



I have chosen just three examples which I never tire of.

For those who received an Eileen Soper dust-jacketed Famous Five a little earlier in the twentieth century the feelings of anticipation and excitement would no doubt be exactly the same.

Being an old wrinkly, I certainly felt the same anticipation and excitement about receiving a new Eileen Soper dust-jacketed Famous Five book, Pete. I felt exactly the same about receiving a new Methuen Find-Outers hardback.