The Famous Five's Survival Guide

[Rob Houghton]

The more I look into this book, the more I find (and I havent even read it yet, just flicked through it! ). Just saw that one of the articles is written by a certain 'Fred Trotteville'! Though why he was writing about how to find secret passages, when he only ever found one himself (in Banshee towers) i'm not quite sure!

Esra Cafer should be justifiably proud.

[Pippa-Stef]

Surely if your a memeber of Amazon, when you enter the shipping address it ships around the world, ok the postage might be a little higher, but they should ship it out!

Just a suggestion!

[Julie2owlsdene]

This book sounds intriguing. Must see if I can find a copy.

[Moonraker]

Oh no! Why can't they? One of the reasons I didn't want to buy from Amazon was that it didn't ship too, why can't one of these online sites ship worldwide? Only Navrang sees to do so, but the thing is, I nearly have all the Enid Blyton books they have.

I've now put in the missing / , so I've now corrected it!

Footnote: I did post the above without the correction, but it has disappeared!

[Lenoir]

Any online shop in mind which does ship worldwide and has British/US books? Suggestions will be welcome.

You can try http://www.kalahari.net They have the book and they do ship internationally, but check with them first. Also, I’m not sure if their shipping rates are reasonable.

[Petermax]

This Daily Mail article may be of interest, make of it what you will.

The Mystery of The Royal Dragon Of Siam

[lizarfau]

I get the feeling that Enid Blyton is going to become a bit of a franchise, a la Nancy Drew. Loads of authors continuing Enid's stories under the Enid Blyton name ...

I don't like it, not one iota.

[Tony Summerfield]

What I actually said to the Daily Mail is that as I hadn't seen a copy of the book I couldn't tell them anything about the author - I went on to say the bit that they have quoted!

I have also been nicely misquoted in today's Times.

[Tony Summerfield]

I get the feeling that Enid Blyton is going to become a bit of a franchise, a la Nancy Drew. Loads of authors continuing Enid's stories under the Enid Blyton name ...

I don't like it, not one iota.

I think you have got to judge each book individually, Liz. Some continuation books are excellently written, e.g. the sequels by Pamela Cox.

I agree with you entirely about poor sequels, such as the Claude Voilier Famous Five books.

[Rob Houghton]

The 'Royal dragon of Siam' book, quoted, is the same book I have given a review of in the thread 'A New famous Five', and is, as I have said already, very well written, and certainly in the style and flavour of the original Famous Five. It's quite intreguing that there is no author listed - that's a good thing in a way, as one really does feel as if the Five have written it themselves, and doesnt 'intrude' on Enid as the original creator in any way.

As for the other planned books, I think we should all reserve our judgement until they arrive on the book shelves. I am not a great fan of some of the continuation fiction written 'under the name' of Enid blyton over the years, but then again, some books, such as this latest Famous Five (which isnt in any way shape, size or colour attempting to resemble a 'Five' from the original series) are better than the usual run-of-the mill efforts we are quite often subjected to (for example, those based on the Disney series, the titles of which are just truly laughable ).

At least this (Dragon of Siam) book is good quality and well-produced in its own right. Maybe the others will be too, although I have my reservations about the faraway tree one, which, I think, we were discussing earlier in the year: Is it the one about the magic talismans that need to be collected in order to save the tree from death?

I think I'll reserve my judgement. If the other Famous Fives are as good in quality as 'The Famous Five Survival Guide' (The Royal Dragon of Siam) then they will be well-worth buying, and will do an excellent job in keeping the name of Blyton alive without being 'tacky' or 'cheap'.

What I can't understand is that the article in the Daily Mail, and the one in The Times, both suggest that this new book will be out 'next month' (September 4th) and yet I managed to buy a copy in Waterstones, Worcester, on Thursday!!

[lizarfau]

I hear what you're saying, Tony, and my objection isn't that I think the writing is bad (I haven't read the continuations by people like Pamela Cox and Anne Digby). It's more that I feel that one day there may well be more non-Blyton 'Blyton' books than there are Blyton books - which probably sounds a little far-fetched, but based on series it's not ... Pamela Cox is writing six new Malory Towers books, which will mean six Blyton MT books and six non-Blyton MT books. I'm guessing there are already more Naughtiest Girl books by Anne Digby than there are by Enid?

I feel the same about the increasing number of fill-ins for Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series. Already there are about 10 of those, with more in the pipeline. I've read a couple of those and they were well-written, but they're simply not what the original author ever intended for the series (with the possible exception of the one fill-in that was based on Brent-Dyer's notes). Enid Blyton finished the Malory Towers books on a perfect note - Darrell's final term. If she'd wanted to write more books about Malory Towers featuring Felicity, then she'd have done so.

Yes, if it keeps the original books in print, that's great. But I do wonder whether over time, the name Enid Blyton will be like that of Carolyn Keene - the name that appears on the Nancy Drew books, but in reality a stable of writers all writing under the one pseudonym - just a writing 'brand', not associated with a real person at all.

A second objection I have is that it's 'cashing in' on the Blyton name - however good the individual writers are, these new books will sell because they have the name Enid Blyton on the cover - not on their own individual merit.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Barbara Stoney quoted a letter from Enid to her solicitor in 1955

I announced in my magazine last Wednesday that it had been reported to me from South Africa that I did not write all my own books but merely put my signature to them and asked any child to tell me at once if they heard such a rumour so that I could immediately put it right. I put in this announcement because I have had several extrememly rude letters from South Africa, from children, pouring scorn on me for being such a fraud! (I don't wonder the children felt like that, really - to believe in a person and then to find she has apparently decieved them for years is a blow to a worshipping child!)

Enid later won a Court case against a librarian who also claimed that she did not write her own material.

When alive, Enid did her utmost to protect the integrity of her good name. 40 years on it seems her wishes are not respected.

Viv

[Julie2owlsdene]

When alive, Enid did her utmost to protect the integrity of her good name. 40 years on it seems her wishes are not respected.
Viv

This is a good point, and one that mustn't be over looked. But I think there are two sides to this in a small way. A lot of us grew up with Blyton. Loving her books dearly, children wanted her to write and write, never to stop, to 'go on forever'. And unfortunately, the great lady herself, couldn't live 'forever.' So now, we're left with no Enid Blyton. All we can do is to re-read these wonderful books. But being human with feelings, and not wanting the people we love to die, we are doing what is really impossible in real life. We are not letting these characters we all love, fade away and die. They are living on, but in the hands of other writers. Pamela Cox, for one. I don't think they want to take over to being the next Blyton, they just don't want her character to stop living, as they all seem real people to us.
As most regulars on this forum, know I'm re-reading the Find-Outers and Dog. My love for these books and those wonderful characters have come alive again. But strangely enough, I can see them in my own mind now, as adults, they've grown with the years, of when they were first introduced, and that's one of the reasons, why I wrote the fanfic for Keith's site, of Fatty as a pensioner, Returning to Peterswood. He's still alive in my own imagination, and so I've already began to write a continuation of this fanfic. That's why in my opinio many have written using Enid's characters, just to keep them alive. That to me is a great tribute to Blyton and her works. None of these best loved characters will never to forgotten.

[Moonraker]

I was in WHSmith's earlier looking to see what Blyton's they had, but could not find one! I went through their age range classifications and general children's fiction, but not a Blyton to be seen. I turned round to find a member of staff, and right behind me was a complete Enid Blyton display! Not only quite a good range of books, but every one you bought the second was half-price!

I then bumped into Tony, and we were chatting about the Forums, Jane was standing a little way away, and an assistant asked if she needed help. "I'm with those two," she replied. "they run The Enid Blyton Society (okay, a little stretched as far as I'm concerned!)." "Ah," he said, "That explains it!"

Now just what did he mean by that remark?

Incidentally, he couldn't find the Survival Guide on their computer, but Waterstone's had sixteen on order!

[Tony Summerfield]

I now have a copy of The Famous Five's Survival Guide and I thoroughly endorse what Robert had to say about it. It is a handsome book and very cleverly written. At the moment I have just nibbled round the edge of the plate, but the meal is substantial and looks very appetising.