Rob. Yes, as Anita says, Enid is unlikely to have been allowed to plug other publishers' books at this stage of her career. Towards the end of its serialisation, Enid may even have known that Blackwell was going to publish
The Secret Island and wasn't able to say so! Actually, Hugh and Newnes didn't handle their golden egg-layer very well. The major series's (after
Wishing Chair and
Faraway Tree) all went to other publishers: Blackwell, Methuen, Brockhampton and Hodder and Stoughton. No doubt, in some cases, because Enid falling out with Hugh stymied Newnes, long-term.
Tony. I'm sorry you think I'm working in the field of 'pure speculation', especially since I'm trying to trace all theories back to the evidence contained in stories, diaries etc.
The reason that there is little mention of the writing of specific books in Enid's 1937/38 diaries could be that Enid may not have been devoting whole weeks to the writing of single works. So she keeps saying 'Worked till lunch'. Or 'Worked till tea.' Rather than 'Worked on Wishing Chair'. Or 'Worked on Secret Island'. 'Worked till lunch' may be more feasible shorthand for 'Worked on Brer Rabbit, the Wishing Chair, Mr Meddle and two stand alone short stories.'!
Sunny Stories is filled with short stories and its almost a logical development for her to say to herself, "Why don't I connect these up and try and tell a story in episodes. And so gradually she creeps closer, over a year or two, to be confident in her ability to write novel-length works for children.' Walking before you can run seems quite feasible! Of course, it is only a hypothesis at this stage. But it is worth testing against the facts. And that's what I for one will continue to try and do.
Good point about the illustration side of things. Though I believe these illustrators worked quickly and professionally and if they had a weekly commission to do, for the well-paying Sunny Stories, then the illustrators would have just had to comply with the deadlines, as Enid would and did.
Interesting that the illustrations for the
Sunny Stories version of
In the Fifth at Malory Towers are all different from those in the published book. Yet Stanley Lloyd did both. I think that gets back to rivalries between publishers and copyright.
Sunny Stories was Newnes, yet the book was finally published by Methuen.
Also, once it was
Enid Blyton's Magazine publishing
Five On a Secret Trail, Eileen Soper was producing sketches for the mag, and more finished drawings (in my opinion) for the Hodder and Stoughton books. Could it be possible that this much later book was written in a serial fashion also?! In other words, although from
The Treasure Hunters in late 1939, Enid knew she could blast the books out, I dare say she still had the capacity to write a book in serial fashion. Now that is largely speculation. But I feel it's something worth thinking about and checking against the facts where there is an opportunity to do so.
Tony, looking again at your post on this thread, I feel you just want me to shut up and go away. You even seem to hint that if this thread continues, you will stop doing an aspect of your own work. Nobody wants that, as your work is so valuable and underpins all present and future Enid Blyton studies.
A somewhat discomfited,
Duncan