Enid Blyton's Adventure Treasury

[Julie2owlsdene]

Just bought this book from Ebay. A really lovely book. It shows short stories that Enid wrote and extracts from others. Some of the extracts I've just finished reading has inspired me to read the books I've never read. Enid's writing was so amazing, that even after all these years, I'm still inspired to read more and more.

[Kate Mary]

I agree, Julie, the Adventure Treasury is the best anthology of Enid's work ever published. I bought one for my niece when it first came out and I loved it so much I had to go back and buy one for me! The board games on the endpapers are fun too. I can recommend the companion volume as well, "A Treasury of Enid Blyton's School Stories". (2002).

Kate.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Thanks for that Kate Mary, I will certainly look out for that book also, and add it to my collection.

[Lucky Star]

Thanks for that Kate Mary, I will certainly look out for that book also, and add it to my collection.

I'll do the same, it sounds like a great book.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I've finished reading this book now, it been really good. I've loved reading extracts from some of Enid's popular books. Such as the Secret Seven and the secret of books. I've never read any of these books and found them really enjoyable. The extracts were mainly in the middle of the adventure, and of course left you wondering what happened next. I loved reading the short stories of the Find Outers. Having the whole of this collection, I never realized Enid had written short stories of the Find Outers.

A book I'd recommend for any Blyton Fan's collection.

[Julie2owlsdene]

In this book, there is a short story called the Hidey-Hole, which the contents say this story was written in 1932. Then of course she wrote the novel, The Hidey Hole, which was published in 1964.

I wonder if Enid wrote the first short story, then decided that one day she would turn the title into a longer length story, changing the characters of course. Any ideas on this Tony, or Anita?

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've had a look at the short story, Julie, and I don't think it has much in common with the later novel of the same title. The idea of finding family treasure of some kind to save the family home from being sold seems to have been something that had captured Enid's imagination - the short story "The Hidey-Hole" resembles several other short stories Enid wrote in the 1920s-30s, as well as the earlier novella, The Wonderful Adventure. She used the same idea in a full-length novel in 1940, The Treasure Hunters. Something that has just occurred to me is that The Children at Green Meadows (1954) is also a story about a family (the Marshalls) who are struggling financially and may have to sell the family home. But that's a more mature treatment of the theme, aimed at an older readership, and resolving the problems by suddenly finding long-lost family treasure is not an option. Instead, the Marshalls have to be willing to work hard and make sacrifices and compromises to achieve their goal.

Sometimes I wonder whether Enid Blyton might have been influenced by books by other authors, eg. The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit, for example.

It's possible that Enid stored up the title "The Hidey-Hole" for future use and was finally able to reuse it in 1964. Or perhaps it simply popped up from her under-mind. She may not even have realised that she had used it before as she was suffering from dementia by that time and her mind was confused. As you probably know, Julie, The Hidey-Hole was her final novel.

Anita

[Julie2owlsdene]

Yes, you're probably right Anita, regarding the fact that early dementia was setting in for Enid and she'd probably forgotten the 1932 short story title being the same. Such a brilliant writter, I tend to forget about her illness a few years before she passed away. I'm glad I was able to buy The Hidey Hole, from EBAY, this being her last novel. It will be well treasured.

[Rob Houghton]

I had 'Enid Blyton's Adventure Treasury' for Christmas 1999, and i can honestly say that it was this book that started me on my adult love of EB's books. Until then I'd always liked Enid's books, but after I'd been 're-introduced' to many of them (and introduced for the first time to some) via 'Enid Blyton's Adventure Treasury', I wanted to read more: and I did!

It was as a result of this that I started collecting more seriously, and bought an edition of 'The Book collector' which had an article in it written by Norman Wright, and the address of 'The Enid Blyton Society' - so really, it was because of the 'Adventure Treasury' that I became a member of the EB Society.

[Julie2owlsdene]

It is a lovely book, I treasure mine, and am glad I found it on EBAY.

Must look out for a copy of the book you mention Robert, 'The Book Collector.'

[Rob Houghton]

The Book Collector is a magazine that comes out monthly. It's available in most WH's etc. Periodically they have articles about Enid Blyton: the famous five, Find outers, Enid's centenary etc. Back issues can be bought via the magazine.