Which book was this?

Fifibee · Post by **Fifibee** » 03 Jun 2006, 20:59

Back in the Seventies I had a favourite Enid Blyton book which I kept round my grandparents. Sadly it disappeared and I am trying to find the same book. I don't know what it was called but it was, I think, orange hardback, about the size of an annual. It had several short stories in it in including Mr Crosspatch, The Magic Sweet Shop, Lanky Panky and The Magic Feather which are the stories I can remember. Does anyone know what this book was called? Would it have been Enid Blytons 'The Big Book?' I wish I could trace this book again!

FifiBee

tix · Post by **tix** » 04 Jun 2006, 10:41

The Holiday Book which is similar in size to The Big Enid Blyton Book should be what you're after. The titles can be a bit confusing (Enid Blyton's Holiday Book ; The Enid Blyton Holiday Book, and there are abridged reprints) so if you are bidding at an auction you could ask if your required story titles are in it.

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 04 Jun 2006, 12:18

There were also a lot of Enid Blyton annuals around in the 1970s with titles like The Big Enid Blyton Story Annual, Enid Blyton's Bedtime Annual, Enid Blyton's Bedside Book, Playtime Annual (or something like that) and Enid Blyton's Big Story Book. I'm sure there were others too. You could try keeping an eye out on eBay and see if you recognise the book from its cover, though I realise that would be time-consuming. When you say the book was orange, do you mean plain orange boards or laminated illustrated boards in which the main colour was orange?

Anita

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 04 Jun 2006, 13:31

I don't know to what extent these stories were duplicated, but I have a copy of Enid Blyton's Story Book (c1957) that contains The Tale of Lanky Panky, but none of the others.

Incidentally, there are two lovely, full-page illustrations, A Sunny Day in Toy Town and May Day in Toy Town, both by Beek at the front of the book, yet neither show Noddy.

Fifibee · Post by **Fifibee** » 04 Jun 2006, 15:33

The book I am after was a plain orange cover it may have had a dust jacket originally, I'm not sure. It was such a long time ago, but I'll keep a look out on Ebay in case anything sounds familiar.

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 04 Jun 2006, 15:34

Have a look at the Journal Catalogue, Nigel, and you will see that I used one of those illustrations on the cover of Journal 21! They are taken from The Fourth Holiday Book which was published before Noddy came along.

The stories that Fifibee (what a great name!) is looking for are all in The Enid Blyton Holiday Book (the first one) which was republished in 1958 and could well have had orange cloth boards under the dustwrapper.

Best wishes
Tony

Fifibee · Post by **Fifibee** » 04 Jun 2006, 16:41

Thanks Tony, I will keep a look out for it.

Fifibee · Post by **Fifibee** » 04 Jun 2006, 17:39

I've just found it on Ebay! It's got a green cover though, but the pictures and stories are the same.

Thanks all...

tix · Post by **tix** » 05 Jun 2006, 09:58

The eBay copy looks like the 1958 Edition so The Tale of Lanky Panky and The Magic Feather should not be in it. Come to think of it, I've never heard of The Magic Feather!

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 05 Jun 2006, 10:06

Tony Summerfield wrote:Have a look at the Journal Catalogue, Nigel, and you will see that I used one of those illustrations on the cover of Journal 21! They are taken from The Fourth Holiday Book which was published before Noddy came along.

Fascinating, Tony. The one on Journal 21 is different to the ones in my Enid Blyton's Story Book. The May Day picture features familiar Toy Town characters dancing round a maypole; while the Sunny Day picture has children sailing a toy yacht on a small pond (complete with duck).

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 05 Jun 2006, 10:45

tiq wrote: Come to think of it, I've never heard of The Magic Feather!

You are absolutely right Terry, I should read posts more carefully!! Enid never wrote a story with the title 'The Magic Feather' - a score or more of other objects were magic in their time, but a feather wasn't one of them!

Best wishes
Tony

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 05 Jun 2006, 10:55

moonraker wrote:Fascinating, Tony. The one on Journal 21 is different to the ones in my Enid Blyton's Story Book. The May Day picture features familiar Toy Town characters dancing round a maypole; while the Sunny Day picture has children sailing a toy yacht on a small pond (complete with duck).

Oh dear! It looks as if your copy of Enid Blyton's Story Book is missing one of the colour plates. There should be two colour plates in the book and each has a picture on both sides - ie there should be four pictures. The one I was talking about should be opposite 'Cubby and Mops Help Mandy'. In case anyone else starts to worry about this, when the book was reprinted they left the colour plates out altogether, I have copies of both versions.

Best wishes
Tony

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 05 Jun 2006, 12:24

I can only blame my wife for losing one of the colour plates. It was given to her by her mother, bearing her name in the This Book Belongs to section. We found it in her loft recently, she had quite forgotten she had it.

Needless to say, I confiscated it, and it sits in my collection now

Fifibee · Post by **Fifibee** » 05 Jun 2006, 14:39

Magic Feather? -
Looks like I got the story title wrong then but I know it involved two children who had to tickle a bird with a feather to make it sing. Thinking aout it, it may have been called 'The Magic Looking Glass' as they went into the other side of their mirror and met a giant/ogre/goblin who captured them and made them do many tasks.