The Enid Blyton Society

I hate my 'gypsies' becoming 'travellers' - takes all the mystery and romance and glamour away and turns them into dirty foul-mouthed tramp-like vandals!

I didn't buy the centenary editions. My Famous Five books are the Knight paperbacks I bought as a child, which have "gypsies" rather than "travellers".

I thought it was a fairly recent change, as I read Mystery Moor (annual version) as a child (one of only two Famous Fives I read as a child!) and it still mentioned gypsies.


The main reason I have the whole set of Centenary editions in dust wrappers was that my parents would buy me one from the co-op every time they went shopping, around 1998. They were being sold off for £1.99 each, so I managed to collect the whole set, and all but about 4 of the Secret Seven centenary editions.

I only ever read the original hardback versions now, but its useful to compare the texts between the original editions and the centenary editions.

As a purist, it's early to mid 1970's Knight paperbacks and the original hardbacks or nothing for me - apologies to the legions of Jolyne Knox fans out there!

Does Jolyne Knox have any fans?!

Yes,there was a poster that had read The Famous Books who professed that Jolyne Knox was their favourite illustrator.

Farwa wrote:I love Jolyne Knox illustrations! I think Jolyne is much better than Eileen A. Soper. I know that many people will disagree with me here, as , for some strange reason, Eileen is much more popular.
However, I am a big fan of Jolyne Knox. I wish that the books in which her illustrations are featured would be made available in the local bookshops. Unfortunately, I never see them around...

Poppy wrote:I don't mind the Jolyne Knox Famous Five illustrations - I think they are a lot more atmospheric and interesting...

..Jolyne's pictures capture some excitement from the text. I have got a few books and annuals, illustrated by Jolyne Knox, and they are very detailed and reflect a very unusual style which consists of lots of dots!!

These opinions may of course not be allowed by the Soper Police...

Maxey knocks knox out of the 'ball park' every time! Whe I first started reading The Famous Five as an adult, I bought some cheap 'dean' type books of the stories, illustrated by Jolyne Knox - but I soon gave them all to ajumble sale I was involved with!!

I can understand that a generation of children who may have been brought up on the mighty Jolyne's work may have a soft spot for her - much the same as those brought up on Eileen Soper.

This however provides no acceptable excuse for liking and appreciating Betty Maxey's work before anyone gets any ideas.

Rob Houghton wrote:
I hate my 'gypsies' becoming 'travellers' - takes all the mystery and romance and glamour away and turns them into dirty foul-mouthed tramp-like vandals!

Blimey - you sound like a 1940s' Julian. Hope you've got a huge pot of tar to dip your brush in, Rob!

Well, you can only go by experience. We often have 'travellers' on our playing fields and they always leave a mess of broken toys, rubbish, excrement, old tires and dirt when they are moved on...

There are gypsies in traditional bow-topped caravans pulled by horses who also camp nearby - mainly at Christmas, as they sell wreaths etc - and they move on without leaving any mess.

Sadly, it seems to be a case of the majority spoiling it for the few!

Moonraker wrote:Sadly, it seems to be a case of the majority spoiling it for the few!

As always!

I'm sure there are many good well-behaved 'Travellers' - but in my mind, due to operettas and fairy-tales etc, Gypsies will always wear bright costumes, bang tambourines and play violins around a camp fire, while 'Travellers' are very much a modern invention, with flashy caravans, 4x4's and motorbikes, leaving rubbish in playing-fields and parks and taking over supermarket car parks! They certainly aren't the romantic figures of the Famous Five books!

There is, I think, an ethnic and cultural difference between Romany people and Irish tinkers, which is often ignored when people talk about 'travellers.'

Exactly why I dislike Enid's 'Gypsies' being turned into 'travellers'. Every itinerant is now called a 'traveller' - and travellers don't have a good reputation.

Many would say that "gypsies" don't have a positive reputation either.