E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
- Anita Bensoussane
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Interesting about 'The High-Born Babe' and The Very Big Secret, Rob! I must re-read The Wouldbegoods when I get the chance.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
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"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
yes, the children see the baby in a 'perambulator' in the lane where gypsies are asleep on the side of the lane, then later the gypsies have gone and the baby is alone so the girl's take it to the Shepherd's hut to look after it!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
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hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
I'm reading New Treasure Seekers now and I see what you mean - its a bit 'all over the place' time-wise. Still enjoyable, but the stories seem to have less purpose than in the other two books. I also enjoyed the story of the plum pudding - washing the fruit with soap etc!Anita Bensoussane wrote:I seem to remember that New Treasure Seekers is a little odd in that it goes back in time, though I enjoy it as it contains one of my favourite episodes - the story of the plum-pudding!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
That reminds me of when I was a child and was at my grandmother's house. My younger cousin who was probably about three at the time was helping her grandmother (a different person) prepare the veg for the meal - my cousin was stood on a chair next to the sink. Her gran had peeled the potatoes and told her to wash them whilst she did something else. When she turned round to see how she was doing, the bowl was full of bubbles as she had put soap powder into the water.
"You can't change history as that won't change the future"
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Great story!
That just shows how good E Nesbit was at gauging the way a child thinks!
That just shows how good E Nesbit was at gauging the way a child thinks!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
- pete9012S
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Just starting E.Nesbit's The House Of Arden. Sounds good!
Plot summary
Two impoverished children, Edred and Elfrida Arden, inherit the decrepit Arden Castle and search for the lost family fortune that will allow them to rebuild it. With the assistance of the magical Mouldiwarp, they travel back in time to earlier periods of English history, searching for clues.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
That's one E Nesbit book I've yet to read. Be interested to know what you think!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
- Anita Bensoussane
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
I read The House of Arden as a child and was mesmerised by it. It combines fantasy with history and is quite poetic in parts. There's some kind of overlap with another E. Nesbit book - Harding's Luck - though I can't recall exactly how they fit together. Let us know how you get on with it, Pete!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
- pete9012S
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Was reading the book late last night. It was published around 1908 when Enid Blyton would have been about ten years old I think.
Not sure if Enid Blyton read any of E.Nesbit's work, but this little passage certainly reminded me of Enid:
Not sure if Enid Blyton read any of E.Nesbit's work, but this little passage certainly reminded me of Enid:
Although written in 1908, the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...They went slowly up the red-brick-paved sidewalk that always looks as though it had just been washed, and when they got to the top of the hill they stopped and looked at each other. “It can’t be wrong,” said Edred.
“She never told us not to,” said Elfrida. “I’ve noticed,” said Edred, “that when grown-up people say ‘they’ll see about’ anything you want it never happens.” “I’ve noticed that, too,” said Elfrida. “Auntie always said she’d see about taking us there."
E. Nesbit. The House Of Arden / A Story for Children
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
I'm convinced Enid must have read many E Nesbit stories. There are so many similarities. E Nesbits stories were serialised before being published as books, so the chances are that ENid could have read them in 'Strand Magazine' where they first appeared, if not in book form.pete9012S wrote:Was reading the book late last night. It was published around 1908 when Enid Blyton would have been about ten years old I think.
Not sure if Enid Blyton read any of E.Nesbit's work, but this little passage certainly reminded me of Enid:
Although written in 1908, the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...
The reason I love E Nesbit is that her books are so fresh and move along at a good pace. The Enchanted Castle is one of my favourites, and The Wonderful Garden, which I only read just recently is another good one.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
- Anita Bensoussane
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
I too feel that Enid Blyton must have been familiar with E. Nesbit and that she may have encountered some of her work in The Strand Magazine.
Yes, E. Nesbit's writing is very fresh and natural. Strangely, her style doesn't seem as old-fashioned as the style of some authors who were writing several decades later. I'm thinking of authors like Elinor Brent-Dyer, Eleanor Graham, Geoffrey Trease, Mary Treadgold, Lorna Hill and Gwendoline Courtney, as well as many of the writers of full text stories (as opposed to picture-strip stories) that appeared in annuals. In my opinion, those authors (along with a number of others who were writing in the first half of the twentieth century) have a stilted, formal quality to their writing which E. Nesbit manages to avoid.pete9012S wrote:Although written in 1908 [The House of Arden], the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
- Anita Bensoussane
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Hurrah - the 1970s TV serial of The Phoenix and the Carpet is out on DVD at long last! :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Carpet ... 9204&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Carpet ... 9204&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Society Member
- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
That's brilliant!
Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...and perhaps The Swish of the Curtain'...!
And a DVD of The Machine Gunners would be good too! (or has it been released and I missed it?!)
Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...and perhaps The Swish of the Curtain'...!
And a DVD of The Machine Gunners would be good too! (or has it been released and I missed it?!)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
- Boatbuilder
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
Maybe this will do in the short-term while you're waiting, Rob.Rob Houghton wrote:Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sterling-Silve ... 01KFZNFN8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"You can't change history as that won't change the future"
John's Pictures of Suffolk - https://suffolk-world.com/
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John's Pictures of Suffolk - https://suffolk-world.com/
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.
lol! £50!!Boatbuilder wrote:Maybe this will do in the short-term while you're waiting, Rob.Rob Houghton wrote:Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sterling-Silve ... 01KFZNFN8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)
Society Member