I thought Enid was a man

[un PC]

I misread Enid as Guide as well. My mum didn't who I was on about when I talked about Guide Blyton

[Fiona1986]

Easy mistake to make!




(Thats probably not worth a lot coming from someone who made the same mistake though)

[Ming]

Gnid Blyton - almost everyone in our school would say that.

[Somita]

I used to read it as Crid Blyton

[Tilda]

I found these on a website:

Famous real-life people named Enid:
Enid Bagnold (aka Lady Enid Jones) (1889–1981), British author and playwright
Enid Bennett (1893-1969), Australian-American silent film actress
Enid Blyton (1897–1968), popular British children's writer
Enid Greene, politician from the state of Utah who served one term in the United States House of Representatives
Enid Kent played Nurse Bigelow, a recurring character in the television series M*A*S*H
Enid Lyons (1897-1981), Australian politician, and wife of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons
Enid Mumford (1924-2006), British professor largely known for her work on human factors and socio-technical systems
Enid Starkie (1897-1970), Irish literary critic
Enid Yandell (1870-1934), American sculptor

Enid in song, story & screen:
Enid, a 1992 song by the Canadian musical group Barenaked Ladies
Enid Rollins, a character in the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University book series
Geraint and Enid, one of the Three Welsh Romances typically associated with the Mabinogion
Lady Enide, a character from the legend of Camelot
The Enid, a British rock band founded in 1975
Enid is the younger sister of Reed Richards in the Marvel comic book Ultimate Fantastic Four
Enid Cohn is a principal character in the comic book series and film Ghost World

[maritaskeeta]

I also thought Enid was a man for a little while when I was a child.
As for JK Rowling, What about SE Hinton? Same thing.
The publishers didn't think people would read her books if they knew she was a girl.

[Enikyoga]

As for JK Rowling,
The publishers didn't think people would read her books if they knew she was a girl.

I think JK Rowling's publishers were dead wrong in thinking that her books would not be read if she used her first name Joanna. in any case, I do not think it would have made any difference. Anyway as history abounds, most popular authors and writers oftentimes have their first names, easily spelt out e.g. William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, William Golding, etc. Using initials for your first and/or second names is bound to alienate the author/writer from her/his fan base as most fans would in many cases want to have the ability to address their celebrities by their first names. It is true that JK Rowling is the wealthiest writer ever in history. Nonetheless, because of her initials for her first and second names, she does not bond emotionally with her Harry Potter fans as Enid Blyton did with her Famous Five as well as non-Famous Five fans. I get the impression that the Harry Potter fans are more interested in the books and the movies than in the writer. When we used to read Enid Blyton books as children, we wanted to know more about the writer. Certainly that bond is conspicuously lacking between the Harry Potter fans and its author and verily, the failure of spelling out the first name in categorical terms is a factore. Secondly, JK Rowling lacks the charisma and charm Enid Blyton had. Thirdly, Enid Blyton ensured that she answered her fan mail directly rather than going through a secretary, an aspect that kept her in direct contact with her audience. Understandably, things have changed since Enid Blyton's times, especially in aspects pertaining to e.g. security of celebrities, for the world is a far more dangerous place than it was in the Blyton heyday of the 1930s, 1949s, 1950s. For instance on one of Matt's old and now defunct websites, an avid Enid Blyton fan who was also her milkman would deliver milk right at the front door of Green Hedges and Enid would physically open the door and autograph a couple of his blyton books. Nowadays such a gesture could prove to be very dangerous as far as celebrities are concern in light of what happened to the likes of Rebecca Schaeffer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Schaeffer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Lastly, I think Enid Blyton's name was and is still more beautiful JK Rowling. That "Rowling' name may not rhyme very well in the ears of many just as "Blyton" does.
Stephen I.

[Fiona1986]

Wow, you felt so strongly on this you felt the need to say it twice

I can't help but disagree. JK Rowling's sales, and her huge fan base will tell you her initials have in no way alienated her from the public. I also think that boys in particular would have been put off from buying the books at first if they knew they were written by a woman.

You've listed several authors who use their full names, but there are an equal number who use initials - R.L. Stine, L.J.Smith, J.R.R Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, C.S. Lewis, D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, A.A. Milne, E. Nesbit, E.B. White, F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.B. Priestly, J.M. Barrie, L. Frank Baum, P.G. Wodehouse, R.L. Stevenson... Need I go on?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Wow, you felt so strongly on this you felt the need to say it twice

I've removed one of the posts now!

[Moonraker]

Stephen, if you check the forum once you have submitted your post, you will see if you have posted once or twice. If there are two posts there, you only have to click on the "X" and the post will be deleted. It is always advisable to check on submitted posts to ensure all is well.

[Edited to correct typo]

[zaidi]

I even thought Enid was a man for 2 or 3 yrs until i had to type he biography. I was amazed when i read Enid was a lady.

[eunsilver]

I thought Enid was a man too when first reading Secret Seven in my school library. Until when I went to singapore and bought Secret Seven book, there was her photo with GIllian and Imogen..