The Adventurous Four Series

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
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pete9012S
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by pete9012S »

My Mum bought the version pictured at the top of this thread for me.
When I read it for the first time and read about references to their 'previous' adventure I had no idea there was actually another book about the Adventurous Four.

I thought at the time they were just filling in their respective back stories when they talked in the book about 'last year's adventure' and that 'The Adventurous Four Again' was the first book produced about them.

Then I noticed on the back of the book there was a story No.37 entitled 'The Adventurous Four.I was so excited I asked my Mum to get it.
I think around this time I also started to make lists to give to the relatives who bought me Enid Blyton books showing which books I already had and which books I needed.

They would also give me money,or take me to the bookshop and let me choose the right book for myself.

Regarding The Adventurous Four,the version I read after reading The Adventurous Four again was this :

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1971 Armada, illustrations by Dorothy Brook, cover uncredited

But the version I have in best condition I am going to read after this is this one:

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1972 Dean, illustrations and cover uncredited

I still view these Deans as 'newer versions' despite my early 1970's editions themselves being over forty years old now!!

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Oh,just a thought,could Enid have written this book not too long after the first,and there have been a delay for some reason as to when it was published? Or did she get them released as soon as she had written them??
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Daisy »

In David Cook's review he says the following:
..."These quibbles apart, in its original form the story is a worthy sequel and again appears to have been primarily written as a fast moving action story without too much detailed description. One plot idea of an undersea secret passage, first used in The Island of Adventure in November 1944, would be re-used yet again in Five on Kirrin Island Again published a month later. But in many ways The Adventurous Four Again preludes the similar plot of the more elaborate The Sea of Adventure, which was written ten months later."
This sounds as if the book was written in 1947 and wasn't a script which languished for years before appearing in book form.
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Poppy »

I also think the Dean cover of The Adventurous Four Again is a little odd, regarding the black font. I think it would have looked a lot neater and more professional if the same pink font was used throughout the entire title. Instead, the black writing does appear to be added in, at a very awkward angle, actually, considering
the 'Again'! :shock:

When I first read (or rather - listened to!) The Adventurous Four, I wasn't aware of the excellent and highly useful source of the Cave of Books, and so, I had no way of knowing that there was a second title in the Adventurous Four series. I did really hope there was, because I had absolutely loved the first book, and for weeks after finishing The Adventurous Four I looked out for a second book, in charity shops - as I did after finishing several books including The Six Bad Boys - but unfortunately, in this case, a sequel was non-existent. Finally I found The Adventurous Four Agan at a church fair, and I was thrilled! Nevertheless, despite by joy, I didn't end up finishing it and only recently - I finally got to the end of it!! :lol:
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Wolfgang »

Unfortunately the German editions of the two "Adventurous Four" novels are extremely disappointing and tame. They were made part of the "Secret" Series. When the third (short) story was paublished, it didn't have anything in common with the two novels, the names don't fit at all either.
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Chrissie777 »

Wolfgang, did you ever read the "Adventurous Four" in English? I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered that there are 2 more great books by EB out there that I never heard about before. :o
I didn't even recognize any similarities with "Die Arnoldkinder", because it has been quite a while since I read them in German the last time and I only cared for the first 2 volumes. I particularly enjoyed the first one with the island and the cow. But that's been taken from the Secret series, right?
From what I remember, the Secret series and the "Adventurous Four" have been mixed together for the German versions in order to create "Die Arnoldkinder".
Another no no by Bertelsmann... :oops:
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Francis »

Daisy wrote
I wonder if Adventurous Four was intended to be a stand alone book.
I think you are right, Daisy. When Enid wrote her long series she followed on the first book with a second within a year or two. She then wrote books on a regular basis - the Adventure series books only became sporadic after the sixth book when Enid felt obliged to continue beyond her original set because of children remanding she did so. Of course the Famous Five series broke that rule and continued regularly even after its original length had been extended several times.
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by pete9012S »

Just been taking a look at the dates between the publishing of The Adventurous Four 1941 and The Adventurous Four! again 1947 which I am currently re re reading.

It seems like a long gap between books looked at this way of about six years.

As Daisy referred to in the cave above,we learn that The Adventurous Four Again! was first serialised in Sunny Stories between February 8th 1946 and January 24th 1947.

If Enid had started this book just six or seven weeks earlier it would have first appeared in print in 1945,which seems a lot closer in time to the original publication date of 1941 of The Adventurous Four,just four years previously .

It has already been mentioned,but there was a much much longer gap of ten years between the penultimate and last Secret book.

The Secret of Killimooin 1943 The Secret of Moon Castle 1953

Tom's age in this book is intriguing.

He seems to be twelve but also:
"We shall see Andy again soon! We haven't seen him since
our exciting adventures last summer!" said Tom, a red-haired
boy of twelve.
"Of course," said her mother. "He's grown a bit taller--and
a bit broader--but he's almost fifteen now, you know. You're
nearly thirteen, Tom
! You've grown too.
Interestingly,when he has decided to disobey Andy and do wrong:
His heart beat fast. He knew that Andy would be cross if he
found out that he was going to disobey orders. "But after all, I'm
thirteen, and quite able to look after myself!
" thought Tom. "I'm
surprised Andy hadn't the spunk to go into that waterfall hole
himself! Golly, won't the others stare when they find I've been
into the hole and found out where that whistling man hid the
other day!"
I don't quite understand how he thought the others would be impressed by his disobedient,rebellious behaviour.
I could understand if he wanted to take a look into the waterfall and keep the knowledge to himself,but the others surely would have been disgusted with his flagrant risk taking and disregard for Andy's instructions for his own safety.

This blatant act of disobedience from 1947 was still some eight years away from 1955's Rock Around The Clock and the adolescent rebellion associated with the 1950's teenage generation.
Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line" had appeared a year earlier in 1954.

Times were changing fast though for the young,and in 1955 the social commentary film Blackboard Jungle was released....

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The music led to a large teenage audience for the film, and their exuberant response to it sometimes overflowed into violence and vandalism at screenings.[3] In this sense, the film has been seen as marking the start of a period of visible teenage rebellion in the latter half of the 20th century.
Interestingly,Paul McCartney who would himself have been around Tom's age of twelve or thirteen when this film & music was released said:
Paul McCartney on Blackboard Jungle and "Rock Around the Clock"
"I remember watching telly one day and on comes the movie Blackboard Jungle, which is where Bill Haley performs the song 'Rock Around the Clock.' And I remember it very clearly because it was the first piece of music that ever sent a tingle up my spine."
So as usual,Enid was way ahead of the pack in depicting the angst and mixed up feelings connected with the teenage years and growing up....
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Maybe the large gap between books is simply to do with the fact that the first book was set in the war, and Enid was reluctant to write another book with the same setting. She couldn't very well write a sequel to The Adventurous Four and not set it in the war while there was still one raging, and so she simply waited until it was over. 8)
'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)



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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by pete9012S »

I am impressed with my 1970's Deans version so far.Tom's torch is still wrapped in oilskin and it's still a fag for the children to unload the boat of all valuables and haul them to a remote hidden cave before the enemy take it from them.

Not sure if any textual changes were made between the original and these 1970's versions? Possibly currency?
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

pete9012S wrote:The book seems to be set on the East Coast of Scotland with about 40 or 50 islands within sailing distance.
Surely Enid must have really meant the West Coast as I don't think there that many islands on the East side of the country??
There are, but they're in the North East. The children could have ended up there as long as they were on the North East coast of the mainland:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkney" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Daisy »

On consideration I think the North East is probably correct... the islands are much nearer the continent and a more likely venue for the first adventure. The Orkneys and Shetlands are not too far from Norway.
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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Rob Houghton »

In book one, on the first page, Enid states - "They were all on holiday, staying in a little fishing village on the north-east coast of Scotland...' 8)
'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)



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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by pete9012S »

Image

I'm really enjoying the section where Tom helps himself to the food in Bandy's cave twice which leads to a right old dust up between Bandy and Stumpy .

I don't suppose those nicknames would get past the censors these days!
"Look at that! Where's half the ham gone? And where's my
bread? If that greedy pig of a Stumpy has come in here and
taken my supper again I'll knock him down!"
Bandy growled and muttered. Then he saw that someone
had cut a huge slice of the plum-cake and he rose to his feet in
anger.
"My cake too! I'll teach him! I'll box his ears till he can't
tell if he's standing up or sitting down. I'll--I'll . . ."
He disappeared out of the cave, taking the tunnel that led
downwards. Andy and Tom badly wanted to laugh. Poor
Stumpy! He would deny till he was black in the face that he had
taken Bandy's supper, but Bandy wouldn't believe him.
There was a fine old fight going on in Stumpy's cave.
Roaring and shouting and yelling, chasing round and dodging!
The boys wished they could stop and watch, for the sight was
rather comical. But they thought the chance of slipping by
unnoticed was too good not to be taken, and they dodged
quickly past the entrance of the cave. Neither of the men saw
them.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Jessie Land's illustrations leave a lot to be desired, I always think - look at the hand in the above example - monstrous! ;-) Although her illustrations were by no means 'bad' and some are pretty good, they were inconsistent in quality. I much preferred EH Davie's. For me, I think Jessie Land's illustrations are one reason why I feel The Adventurous Four Again is less enjoyable than the first book.

This is one illustration I always smile at - awful! :-) Looks like the Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz 'I'm melting! mee-ee-lll-ting!' ;-)

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...and the size of Andy's shoulders in this one - is he wearing shoulder pads? :lol:

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'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)



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Re: The Adventurous Four Again!

Post by Courtenay »

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... in reference to Andy's rather hunky Action Man look?? :mrgreen:

Image Image
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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)
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