The Enid Blyton Society

I was talking to Jeff Lawrence of Peakirk Books at York Book Fair yesterday. He used to have a trade stall at the Enid Blyton Days and he showed me something I hadn't seen before. It was an advent calendar from 1953 called Enid Blyton's Christmas Story, illustrated by Fritz Wegner. Inside, there are 25 numbered lines written by Enid that correspond to 25 pictures hidden behind "doors". I don't know what the pictures are because the calendar has never been used and the doors are still closed. It's in very good condition but I can't find it in the Cave. Maybe Tony knows more about this item. It is for sale but I don't collect this sort of thing but I would be interested in learning more about it.

I think this is probably what you are referring to, John.

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Yes, that is the one, Tony.

Sounds lovely, from the just-readable blurb on the cover! I like the idea of the pictures being somewhat translucent so they can be held to the light to enhance the effect. I'd love to see at least some of them... you don't have a copy you can scan, do you, Tony? I'm sure the unopened one that John saw would go for quite a bit of money.

I can't remember what Jeff wanted for the book. If you e-mail him, Courtenay, I believe he would send scans to you by return. The address is on his website, Peakirk Books. I thought of you when I saw it.

I have put a bigger image of it into the Cave, so that it is now easy to read the cover blurb. As for further illustrations I am not at all sure where my copy is and I don't think it would be possible to show the lighted windows anyway!

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... tmas+Story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've had a price from Heather and it's £95. Looks a lovely item to have, but a bit beyond my price range, sadly.

It certainly looks lovely but very pricey. I had no idea there was so much Blyton merchandise around until people started mentioning such things on this site.

If it's never been used & the doors unopened, then I suppose it may be worth it...assuming you got £95 to spend!

I can't imagine owning that and not wanting to see what is behind the doors!

Me neither! £95 is a lot, but it doesn't sound like that much if it's a genuine rarity — compared to what certain dealers (ahem) are known to charge for Famous Five first editions in dust jackets...

I think it depends on your definition of a genuine rarity. This certainly isn't common, but over the years I have seen a fair number of copies. In 30 years I have only seen two copies of The Wonderful Adventure and there are still some books that I haven't seen at all and that means from my point of view that they are very rare.

I loved Enid Blyton's Christmas Story advent calendar illustrated by Fritz Wegner from the moment I first saw it. I wondered how he was able to create such gentle but mysterious illustrations and wished with all my heart that he had been given the opportunity to illustrate the Faraway Tree books, fond though I am of Dorothy Wheeler's illustrations, and those of the Grahame Johnstones and Georgina Hargreaves. I think that every lover of the Enchanted Wood should have a copy of this calendar and dream about the book-that-never-was.
Even though the world is full of books I still dream about books that never existed, but should have. Do you?

I was lucky enough to be given a copy of the Advent Calendar a few months ago, by a lady who'd had it since she was a child. It really is beautiful.

Regarding books that never existed but should have, a full-colour edition of The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies would have been super as it's every bit as inventive as the Faraway Tree series but tends to be overlooked (maybe because the title gives the impression that it's a collection of short stories rather than a full-length novel). We no longer have the original illustrator, Ernest Aris, but perhaps Georgina Hargreaves could be considered as she has already done attractive full-colour artwork for the Faraway Tree and Wishing-Chair series?