The Enid Blyton Society

As many of you know, over a period of about 16 years Enid Blyton wrote a weekly letter in Teachers World. Very few people have seen these letters and I have decided to start a new weekly feature to show these letters for the first time. I have travelled back 84 years to February 5th 1930 for the first one, and each week I will add another one on the correct date and I hope to make this a regular Wednesday feature.

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I hope this is new feature that at least a few people will enjoy.

What a charming letter. How typical of Enid not to be critical of the cat that killed Ladybird - instead, offering "a stroke to your cats" (unless she wickedly meant a CVA!) at the end of the letter. Lovely names for the pigeons, too - I especially liked Bill and Coo. We have two regular pigeons in our garden. They will now be known as Bill and Coo - I might not always know which is which, though!

What a natural Enid was in communicating with children. You can almost hear Enid reading the letter aloud.

A great idea, Tony - I very much enjoyed Enid's first letter and look forward to next weeks. Like, Nigel, I love the way the letter flows - so nice and informative - just as all Enid's writing is.

How lovely. I really enjoyed reading that, thanks Tony.
It's so charming the way the Enid talks about the creatures and the way she describes their feelings and how they react.
I look forward to reading the others!

Thanks for sharing that Tony. I really enjoyed reading it. I love that kind of thing.

If you should ever get sudden urge to publish all her letters in a booklet, please put me down for a copy.

Great idea. I loved reading this weeks. Enid is so passionate about her animals and birds and all wild life.

It's a pity the hunting, shooting and fishing brigade don't understand that animals do have feelings and do miss each other when they're gone for whatever reason, whether is because they've been shot by an uncaring human, or just naturally died!

Thank you Tony, it is a lovely letter. I shall look forward to this weekly treat.

Enid's letter was lovely, not a trace of anger towards the cat that killed her pigeon. You can't help but marvel at the flow of her words, it's like reading a story. I agree with Katharine, these letters would make a super booklet. Thanks, Tony.

A lovely letter. Enid writes so warmly and chattily.

That is such a lovely letter. I too can almost hear Enid reading it aloud.

I wonder, though, how is silver paper useful to a hospital?

I think the hospital would have sold it as scrap metal for recycling and been paid for it.

Thank you for sharing this lovely letter, Tony.

how is silver paper useful to a hospital?

We used to collect the silver milk bottle-tops for charity as well.

This is a great idea, Tony. I will look forward to every Wednesday.

I love how Enid writes so warmly, intimately and inclusively to her readers, using lots of simple and every-day language along with intensifiers such as so and very and quite. She was on a par with her readers - she told them about things that genuinely interested her, and I love how she often says "don't you?" at the end of her sentences when wondering how something will turn out.

I also enjoyed the little pigeon-personalities that come to brief life - Bill and Coo, what lovely names as Nigel said (and surely they must be a duo!) - kind Pretty-One, who tried to comfort sad Jan, and jealous Beauty, who said "Rookity-Coo" angrily a hundred times before flying away!!

I also agree with Katharine and John - it would be really wonderful to have these collected together and printed in a booklet... *looks hopeful*

I tried to find out more about the silver paper but didn't get very far - Google has let me down for once!! I believe, however, that it was the aluminium content in the paper that was valuable. I suppose various charities and organisations asked for donations and then sold it for recycling. Nowadays they ask for printer cartridges and old mobile phones!!