The Enid Blyton Society

Lovely dust-jackets. I've actually got a copy of Susan, Bill and the Ivy-Clad Oak (1958 reprint), complete with dust-jacket, but have never read it (though I have admired the cover!) There is a library label and ticket pocket stuck in the book, but no stamps or ink stains and it's completely clean, so it looks as though no one ever borrowed it! The price, 5'- NET, is on a little brown label stuck on the bottom of the front jacket flap. The label has a book logo and the name of the publisher (Nelson) on it.

I like the "Message for You" on the back of the dust-jacket. It's quite long, like a chatty letter to the reader, and says, among other things, "Susan and Bill, the children in this book, are soon going to be known everywhere...it is because there is nothing special about them that you will like them. They do the sort of things which you do, and the adventures they have are just exactly the sort of adventures which you could have. Susan and Bill love adventures without the help of 'grown-ups'; they have their own secrets, and their own special friends. When you get to know them you will say, 'Bill and Susan are fun because they're like us.'...When you have read this book - and there are going to be more about Susan and Bill - he [author Malcolm Saville] will like to have a letter from you telling him what you think about it. He'll answer it too. The address to which you should write is printed on the last page of the book." (The publisher's address is given).

I wonder whether the "Message to You" was penned by someone at Nelson, or by Malcolm Saville himself?

Great to see such lovely books with those fascinating dust jackets. Susan and Bill and the Saucy Kate, reminded me a little of the boat in Hike, Saucy Jane. Maybe all boats in those days were saucy!!!

Great set of books, Tony. You have a collection to be envied.

It's great to see these covers Tony. I have the Vanishing Boy but minus the dust wrapper - like most of my books unfortunately. I think that the series would appeal to the slightly younger reader -a bit like Secret Seven in relation to other Blyton adventures. Was the era just post-war the golden age of children's books I wonder?

Having hijacked this thread horribly I am making one more photo post to bring things back on track. I have avoided Lone Pine dustwrappers as I assumed the first editions have been well covered by Girls Gone By, but I am not sure whether or not they showed early reprint covers and five of the first six books had their covers changed whilst they were still being published by Newnes.

Lovely dustwrappers. I especially like the one The Elusive Grasshopper. I'd buy that book for the dustwrapper alone. Very nostalgic.

How many are there is this Lone Pine series anyone?

I love these covers. They're such amazing graphics.

Thanks for putting these up Tony!

Pippa-Stef wrote:

Eddie Muir wrote:

Ming wrote:Some day, I'm going to burgle Tony's house.

Can I come with you, Ming!

Count me in tooo!

Well, if there isn't an Enid Blyton day in 2011, maybe we could arrange a get-together there; that would spare you from burgling

It's interesting to see the Lone Pine reprint covers, Tony. Very atmospheric, with the detailed landscapes and muted colours.

Julie2owlsdene wrote:How many are there in this Lone Pine series anyone?

There are 20 Lone Pine books, Julie, best read in order if possible.

Anita Bensoussane wrote:

Julie2owlsdene wrote:How many are there in this Lone Pine series anyone?

There are 20 Lone Pine books, Julie, best read in order if possible.

Yes, best read in order, but a few of them are harder to get into than others, and the book that really does stand out to this, is book 13, Sea Witch Comes Home where there is a lack of main characters bar the Morton siblings.

This book for me, although good, especically the beginning was the hardest to get through because of the lack of familar characters. Just thought I'd mention it.

Thanks, Anita and Steph. I will hunt around the internet and discover the titles in order.

Saved you the trouble Julie!

I had to remind my self of some of the titles, so here you are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Pine_(books)

Thanks, Steph. I don't need to turn into a Find-Outer now. I'll print the list off.

No worries Julie!

Of course the Malcolm Saville Society have something like The Cave of Books, where they show all the editions and their covers. But as a basic list the Wikipedia list works just as well!

Wolfgang wrote:
Well, if there isn't an Enid Blyton day in 2011, maybe we could arrange a get-together there; that would spare you from burgling

Of course I meant 2012

Pippa-Stef wrote:No worries Julie!

Of course the Malcolm Saville Society have something like The Cave of Books, where they show all the editions and their covers. But as a basic list the Wikipedia list works just as well!

The Malcolm Saville Society haven't got a very good site at all, Stef. If you want to see all the Saville books this is the website you need to look at - http://www.malcolmsaville.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;