What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

I can just see "Vive les vacances" being translated into Blyton-ese as "Hurrah for the Hols"! :lol: :wink:
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Yes, Hurrah for the Hols! would be a wonderfully Blytonian-sounding title!
"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
User avatar
Wolfgang
Posts: 3121
Joined: 06 Apr 2008, 05:26
Favourite book/series: The children at Green Meadows/Adventure-series
Favourite character: Fatty
Location: Germany

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Wolfgang »

Today the post(wo)man delivered two more items, the Audio CDs "The Famous Five Story collection" and "Le Mystère du message secret", Hachette idéal, 1977 (The Mystery that Never Was).
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

After the mention of pony stories in Rob's review of EB Magazine, and me reflecting that Enid did make one attempt at a pony story herself, I decided to take a look for Snowball the Pony on eBay and ended up buying a copy, as I'd love to read it. There was a 1960s edition with dust jacket, but it was a little expensive, and I take my warning from Rob's review in the Cave where he points out that the blurb on the inside flap of the dust jacket "gives away practically the entire story, leaving no surprises for the reader whatsoever!"

So, not wanting any spoilers, I went for a later edition — this one, which has a lovely cover:

Image

(Most of the other ones for sale were the three later editions featured in the Cave, with covers that I'm afraid would put me right off!)
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

That is a lovely cover illustration, Courtenay. My copy has this rather bizarre-looking cover:

Image
"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
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

Yes, that's one of the ones I didn't want!! :shock: Snowball's head there looks more like the head of a toy hobby horse — or maybe Clopper!
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

That's a lovely cover, on the paperback you bought, Courtenay - in fact I like it better than the original dust wrapper. :D
'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
User avatar
sixret
Posts: 4130
Joined: 16 Aug 2006, 14:25
Favourite book/series: Five Find-Outers,Mr.Twiddle,Barney R
Favourite character: Mr.Twiddle,Fatty,Saucepan,Snubby

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by sixret »

Well done, Courtenay! :D

My first copy is the same with Anita's. :D
Last edited by sixret on 25 Apr 2017, 06:50, edited 1 time in total.
I stand with justice and the truth. Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.

Learn the history. Do research.

The hypocrisy, double standard, prejudice and bigotry own by some people is so obvious.Shame on them!
User avatar
Wolfgang
Posts: 3121
Joined: 06 Apr 2008, 05:26
Favourite book/series: The children at Green Meadows/Adventure-series
Favourite character: Fatty
Location: Germany

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Wolfgang »

I've got a 2nd Lutterworth edition (1954, without DW). I suppose the edition you bought is a very recent one, Courtenay.
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

It's not very recent, really — it's 1987, which I hope is old enough for it not to have had any substantial editing and modernising! :wink: The most recent editions (2004 and 2010) have two different versions of a silly cartoony cover that makes the book look like it's intended for preschool kiddies:

Image Image

Going by what I've read of Rob's review in the Cave (I didn't go too far into it as I didn't want any spoilers!), it sounds like it's a simple but very sensitive and thoughtfully written story. Look at the contrast between those covers above, along with the possibly even weirder one (1997) that Anita shared in the previous post, as compared to the 1987 edition I've bought and the 1983 one before that:

Image Image

I know we all go on about this with the Famous Five covers as well, but gosh, I'm glad I grew up in the 1980s when it was apparently accepted that even children under the age of 8 could and would appreciate a book with a "serious", realistic-looking cover!! :roll:
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Wolfgang
Posts: 3121
Joined: 06 Apr 2008, 05:26
Favourite book/series: The children at Green Meadows/Adventure-series
Favourite character: Fatty
Location: Germany

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Wolfgang »

I didn't see the cover of your edition in the cave, Courtenay, so I thought it was very recent... :oops:
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

I know which cover I'd rather have! I know I get on my 'high horse' about this (pun intended!) but It puzzles me how children's brains have somehow altered so much over the last twenty years. Apparently children prefer these cartoony covers these days. How did they get so corrupted and easily pleased?! :shock:

I was never that easy to please and would have felt conned by those cartoony covers when I was a kid - a bit like clowns and conjurers and Punch and Judy - I hated things that 'talked down' to us.
'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
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

I love the two 1980s covers, especially the one I've just bought — it looks like exactly the kind of book I would have been drawn to when I was 6 or 7 (which I'm assuming is approximately the age Enid was aiming for with this story). The 1990s/2000s covers look like they're aimed at 3 or 4-year-olds. I'm guessing it's not that children's brains have got more "childish" over the past 20 years (I should think the opposite, sadly, given what even very young children can so easily be exposed to these days :( ), but that that's what the publishers assume children want — especially when it comes to Enid Blyton, who I suspect is still seen as writing simplistic "dumbed down" pap that doesn't stretch children's imagination or vocabulary or understanding very far at all. Which couldn't be further from the truth, as we all know, but I think that impression is still very much out there.
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
sixret
Posts: 4130
Joined: 16 Aug 2006, 14:25
Favourite book/series: Five Find-Outers,Mr.Twiddle,Barney R
Favourite character: Mr.Twiddle,Fatty,Saucepan,Snubby

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by sixret »

Changing in taste.
I stand with justice and the truth. Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.

Learn the history. Do research.

The hypocrisy, double standard, prejudice and bigotry own by some people is so obvious.Shame on them!
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Courtenay wrote:I'm guessing it's not that children's brains have got more "childish" over the past 20 years (I should think the opposite, sadly, given what even very young children can so easily be exposed to these days :( ), but that that's what the publishers assume children want — especially when it comes to Enid Blyton, who I suspect is still seen as writing simplistic "dumbed down" pap that doesn't stretch children's imagination or vocabulary or understanding very far at all. Which couldn't be further from the truth, as we all know, but I think that impression is still very much out there.
I would be inclined to agree, but according to what people have written on the EB forums in the past, these covers have been tested against more serious looking ones, and when asked to choose, children nearly always prefer the modern cartoony style covers...
'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
Post Reply