I was looking through a 1984 Book & Magazine Collector magazine to see what sort of prices Enid Blyton's 1st editions were commanding back then.
After the recent Antiques Roadshow valuation of £5K for a complete set of hard-backed Famous Five's you may need to prepare yourself for a shock,especially on pages 8 & 9...
ps. re page 8:
Anyone heard of the length of the books being reduced?
Remember these prices are for 1st editions with dust-jackets....oh for a time machine doctor!!
Book & Magazine Collector - Excerpt: June 1984 No.4
I still have a copy of Book and Magazine Collector, which I bought in 1984, Pete. The valuations given at that time are a real eye-opener. How I wish I'd made more effort to find first editions back then.
'Go down to the side-shows by the river this afternoon. I'll meet you somewhere in disguise. Bet you won't know me!' wrote Fatty.
I thought it was a very well written and researched article.
Regarding The Famous Five books,do you know what the statement 'and the actual length of the books reduced' means Tony?
Is it connected to the typeface/font/layout of the books,or were they actually abbreviated/shortened in some way?
I know some pictures have been removed.The famous one in Smugglers Top comes to mind,but I have never had the impression that lots of illustrations were omitted from the books?
Further discussion on identifying Famous Five editions has been moved to the following thread:
I have this magazine as well - reading it stimulated me into looking for Enid's books. Perhaps it did the same to others thus stimulating the rise in prices which we all complain about now! This edition of the magazine is quite collectable in its' own right.
Anita Bensoussane wrote:Crumbs - it's startling to see those prices!
Er, quite.
Society Member
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)
I've always believed Tony when he mentioned the prices he paid for his collection. Nearly ten years ago I remember talking to a lady at a book fair, I can't recall where, and she said since the birth of the internet prices had rocketed.
Thanks for linking to the tribute to Julia Sesemann, Pete, and for reminding us of the 1985 Book & Magazine Collector article.
A statement in the editorial caught my eye:
"...one surprising fact passed on by Julia Sesemann, Britain's leading Enid Blyton dealer, who was responsible for the feature in this month's issue, is that there are just as many men collecting Enid Blyton rarities as there are women."
I don't know why that's considered surprising. After all, most of Enid Blyton's books were written for both boys and girls. Even the Malory Towers and St. Clare's series, which seem to have been aimed primarily at girls, appealed (and no doubt still appeal) to some boys. I remember Sir Tim Rice saying at an Enid Blyton Day that he loved the St. Clare's series as a boy and read it numerous times. His parents tried to steer him in the direction of boys' boarding school stories but he kept returning to the St. Clare's books.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
I don't think it's surprising either, Anita. All the adventure and mystery series engrossed me as a young reader. I would expect collectors to be equally boys and girls.
Totally guilty of borrowing my sister’s Mallory Towers and St Clare’s books as a boy. Why would I not want to read those exciting adventures even though all the characters were girls?
