The Famous Five - Rate the uncredited cover

[Anita Bensoussane]

A good selection, Pete!

Betty Maxey or not, the first cover makes Kirrin Island look idyllic - although I prefer the earlier covers showing the children rowing to the island as the sense of anticipation is greater. 7.5/10.

The only other book cover I really like is the one showing the wreck being brought up by the storm (by the artist we've seen before who portrays Timmy as white and cartoonish - "woeful", to use John's word!) It's a dark, dramatic, exciting picture and also gets 7.5/10 from me.

The Andrew Lloyd-Jones cover just doesn't look Famous Five-ish. The children are too old and I don't like the 1980s fashions. 2.5/10 from me.

The Classic Adventures illustration is cartoonish and wishy-washy and I'll give it 3.5/10.

The cover showing Anne with rabbits on her jumper is a bit better and conjures up a feeling of trepidation but it's not particularly memorable - 4.5/10.

Again, I don't like the children's clothes on the cover with the Five in the boat although I do like the background. It doesn't make much of an impression on me overall and it gets 4/10.

The one with the three children tugging on a rope is awful. The landscape looks parched and the clothes and castle are unappealing. I hate the huge title and the bright red "star" with the 2-in-1 message. The whole thing looks dreary and messy and gets my lowest score so far - 1/10.

It's interesting to see the cassettes etc., though I find the artwork uninspiring. The first cassette cover is dull, the jigsaw makes Kirrin Island look as though it's in the same region as the Grand Canyon and the second cassette cover is gaudy.

Hope I don't sound too negative - I love comparing the different images!

[pete9012S]

Great comments - good bad and ugly!

Here's four from the excellent cave today:

Five Go Off In A Caravan
https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... +a+Caravan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Pete!

I find the first cover attractive and it does a good job of combining cosiness with excitement/potential danger. 7/10 from me.

The second cover is most uninviting. The picture is awkwardly composed and ugly (the intrusive sidebar and title don't help) and says nothing about the story. 1/10.

The third picture perhaps gives away too much of the plot and I'm still not keen on that depiction of Timmy. It's a pity that the title cuts across the face of one of the villains. However, I like the style of painting and the scene conveys the tension and excitement of the story so I'll give it 5/10.

The fourth one captures the idyllic nature of the early days of caravanning but is a bit too yellow, and again I find the sidebar and title distracting. 4/10.

[Barnard]

The first cover is the best. The children look quite realistic and well drawn. 7/1
I don’t like the second cover. Is that George and Anne inside the caravan? If it is I would not think Anne should be the taller by six inches. 2/10
Cover three has a white Timmy again albeit with black ears, and it is just wrong. And I don’t think George would wear pink. (Unless it says she does, in the book). 3/10
Cover four. Oh dear, what a terrible cover. The children look about seven. And the swimwear. I don’t believe Enid thought the Five would go bathing dressed like that. 1/10

[Barnard]

My mark for the first cover should read 7/10

[Boodi 2]

I also like the first cover best, 8/10. The second one does not tell us very much about the story and apart from the depiction of Timmy I dislike it, 3/10. The third one is not much better and Timmy is abysmal, 2/10. I give the final one 5/10 for atmosphere, but like Barnard I do question the swimwear a bit.

[pete9012S]

Here's some of the covers and a few others in a larger size:


Don't think I've seen this one before, have you?


Possibly the best depiction of Tim ever???


The obligatory cassette edition cover.


Have you red this one man?


You'll be blue if you have this one rather than the above!


Do all these versions break the third wall - is that a halo or a torchlight around the gun??

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I think they are all woeful.

First and third give away too much of the plot for my liking

The second one - even the dog looks bored!

I like scene - setting covers, which the last one does depicting the caravans (I think it was from an audio cassette) though the swimwear is dodgy.

Viv

[pete9012S]

Many thanks for all the honest appraisals.

How about this one. I'm sort of looking at it two ways, as a work of art and also as a true depiction of the the crumbling walls of Kirrin Castle..
Also Tim's colouring - any literary licence for his albino hue??
At least George is not wearing a pink jumper in this cover!!


https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... land+Again" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This cover doesn't break the third wall, although Tim is staring intently at the second wall in the scene..

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

If the castle tower is in such perfect condition, why would Uncle Quentin need to build his own?

Tim should be looking out intently for rabbits, not spiders on the rock...

Viv

[Barnard]

I think poor Timmy is asking himself, ‘why am I white?’

[Lucky Star]

The castle walls are way too perfect. It looks brand new when it's supposed to be an atmospheric ruin. Timmy for me will always be as Eileen Soper depicted him, a depiction which matched Enid Blyton's written description. This small white Timmy does nothing for me at all.

[Barnard]

How tall is Quentin’s tower? Nine feet!

[John Pickup]

The castle looks as if it's just been built. And that dog isn't Timmy. Shocking illustration.

[Lucky Star]

Going by the descriptions in the books that dog actually looks more like (S)tinker Stick than Timmy.