How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
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pete9012S
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How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by pete9012S »

Which books have not been in print for the longest time?
Are there any titles out of print that you may have thought were still available?

The Children of Cherry Tree Farm does not seem to have been available since 1994 according to the cave,

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... +Tree+Farm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although you can now purchase this book as a three in one volume:

Image
This book contains:-
The Children of Cherry Tree Farm
The Children of Willow Farm
More Adventures on Willow Farm

Release Date: June 5th 2014
Paperback: 544 pages
But which books have gone totally out of print I wonder?

Image

Last version printed :1998 Element, illustrations and cover by Mary Kuper

Any others?
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by sixret »

Benjy and the others in Happy House series. No reprints at all. I hope any publishers will reprint this very scarce title. :D
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by sixret »

I hope Tony will reprint Benjy and the others as a Society booklet. :)
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!
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I think there are a few of Enid's books that have been out of print for years, Pete.

The Treasure Hunters, The Boy Next Door, both fabulous books. I know that Gillian did write a few as The Young Adventuries and The Riddle Series of books, but I much prefer the originals. :)

Maybe some of them are not being brought back into publication, as these days the stories are just too dated.

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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by MJE »

     I dare say "The Three Golliwogs" is very likely out of print, and likely to remain so for ever.
     A few years ago, too, I read a short novel - I don't remember its title - about two children who found a baby they thought neglected (although it wasn't), and took it and looked after it in secret (there was some odd reason the baby had been left alone briefly by the mother). I can't see any book on this theme being considered publishable today as a children's book.

Regards, Michael.
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Inevitably with such a large output there are a huge number of Blyton titles out of print, it might be easier to see how many are in print and you would get a better answer to the question. It is probably easier just to concentrate on the Novels section in the Cave as those are the books that are mostly read. I think that you would quickly lose all the 'novelettes' as both Noddy and Bom are out of print. Several books that have been incorporated into series (Riddles and Fabulous Four) are unlikely to be printed again in their original form (including the two that Julie mentions above).

One or two series are currently out of print although old stock may still be available from some retailers. The Barney books are an example of this and I think it unlikely that they will be published again for two or three years. The Secret books are also currently out of print and we may have to wait a bit until these become available again.
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

The Three Golliwogs has been in print in a modified form in recent years, Michael - as Three Bold Pixies.

The book about the baby is The Very Big Secret. Probably about a decade ago now, I saw a brand new copy in a high street shop. I flicked through it, curious to see whether there had been any changes, and found that the baby had been replaced by a puppy.

It's sad that the Barney and Secret series have been allowed to go out of print since Award stopped publishing Enid Blyton books, Tony.
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Courtenay »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: The book about the baby is The Very Big Secret. Probably about a decade ago now, I saw a brand new copy in a high street shop. I flicked through it, curious to see whether there had been any changes, and found that the baby had been replaced by a puppy.
I remember reading that book (in its original form) when I was little and considering it a pretty strange and improbable story (though not unappealing). I'm not surprised that it would no longer be considered an appropriate story to republish as a book for children, but honestly... replacing the baby with a puppy? That would have to make it a totally different story, and yet I expect they still published it under the same title and with Enid Blyton's name on the cover, as if it's what she genuinely wrote! :roll:

I'm sorry, but I really would rather see Enid's books go out of print then have them completely rewritten or otherwise modernised - or outright bowdlerised - like this. When I'm reading a great author from the past, I want to read what that author actually imagined and wrote, not what some interfering modern editor thinks that author should have written. :evil:
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Tony Summerfield »

It is part of a series now!

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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Rob Houghton »

So - in other words, 'The Very Big Secret' is out of print! 'It's dead to me!' as someone might say about a person they fell out with! :evil:

I can never understand why, just because Enid wrote some very successful series such as 'Famous Five' 'Adventurous Four' and ;Secret Seven' (as well as Five Find-outers etc) pubisher's feel the need to rewrite her other stories to make them into a series. It's a horrible modern trend, like those fairy series and animal series by other authrs = kitten series, pony series, etc etc. Grr!

I agree totally with Courtenay - I would rather see Blyton stories going out of print than have them bowdlerised like this. :evil:
'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: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by pete9012S »

I thought I would take a look at the hachette web site see how many titles are available.
Looking at the Famous Five books on offer I noticed that there are a few versions available.
Two are:
Enid Blyton
The Famous Five - Standard Editions;
The 'standard' editions feature new, modern covers to appeal to a brand new generation of readers. There are no illustrations inside, and the text has been sensitively edited to bring it into the 21st century.
The Famous Five - Classic Editions
These classic editions feature Enid Blyton's unchanged text and Eileen A. Soper's original illustrations.

https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/boo ... index.page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a tremendous choice of titles once you've read the Famous Five,Secret Seven & Naughtiest Girl collection,unless I'm missing something?

https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/sea ... yton+books" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Lucky Star »

pete9012S wrote:
The Famous Five - Classic Editions
These classic editions feature Enid Blyton's unchanged text and Eileen A. Soper's original illustrations.
So in Camp George is still "black as a nigger with soot "?? I doubt it. There are no editions currently available with the original text. Unless they are talking about originals on eBay.
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Robert Houghton wrote:So - in other words, 'The Very Big Secret' is out of print! 'It's dead to me!' as someone might say about a person they fell out with! :evil:
You needn't worry, Rob, as the five Fabulous Four books are long out of print!

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sear ... ulous+four" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Lucky Star wrote:
pete9012S wrote:
The Famous Five - Classic Editions
These classic editions feature Enid Blyton's unchanged text and Eileen A. Soper's original illustrations.
So in Camp George is still "black as a nigger with soot "?? I doubt it. There are no editions currently available with the original text. Unless they are talking about originals on eBay.

And I'm sure these 'classic' versions also don't contain the original text in 'Five On Kirrin Island Again' where the Five go to watch Martin's television and Anne 'gasped to see a man's face suddenly appear on the lighted screen of the set. " I can see him and hear him!" she whispered to Julian...' I'm sure that has also been altered, as it had in my Centenary edition!
'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: How much of Enid's work is 'out of print'?

Post by Tony Summerfield »

pete9012S wrote:Not a tremendous choice of titles once you've read the Famous Five,Secret Seven & Naughtiest Girl collection,unless I'm missing something?
Yes, you are missing something, Pete. These are just the series that Hodder have had in print all along, but there are several other publishers that have Blyton books in print, Egmont, Macmillan and Bounty for example.
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