Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Rob Houghton »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:Love those last two pictures, I've seen them in a book somewhere I'm sure.
I just found them on the web by doing a search for 'Two Years In the Infant School - Enid Blyton'. the first one has been posted somewhere on here before, but not sure where! They were loose colour-plates, as far as I know, which accompanied the boxes of notes for 'Two Years In the Infant School'. :-) rather like the Eileen Soper nature and Bible plates.

Image

Image

Image

Image
'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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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

All the coloured plates for Two Years in the Infant School can be seen in the Cave of Books. Just click on each box and scroll down to see the plates. They were done by a variety of artists and they look beautiful.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sear ... ant+school" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"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.


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John Pickup
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by John Pickup »

The illustration, The Moon and The Stars is wonderfully atmospheric.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Rob Houghton »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:All the coloured plates for Two Years in the Infant School can be seen in the Cave of Books. Just click on each box and scroll down to see the plates. They were done by a variety of artists and they look beautiful.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sear ... ant+school" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Anita. I thought they should be, but for some reason I had the feeling they weren't there!! I should have known better! :lol:
'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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pete9012S
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by pete9012S »

Image

JOURNEY THROUGH FAIRYLAND
First edition: 1947
Publisher: BGL, Henley-on-Thames
Illustrator: Uncredited
Category: Enid Blyton Board Games
Genre: Fantasy
Type: Games, Puzzles & Toys
On This Page...
http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... +Fairyland" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Never seen this before - but thanks to the cave I have just discovered it!
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I've got Journey Through Fairyland and have played it a few times. It's a novelty to have a game featuring assorted Enid Blyton characters, though it's a pity some of the pictures on the cards look a little odd - e.g. Amelia Jane and Mr Pinkwhistle aren't particularly well-drawn and the application of colour is somewhat slapdash in places. Having said that, it's an enjoyable and interesting little game and the artwork on the box is beautiful. I'm very pleased to have it.
"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.


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pete9012S
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by pete9012S »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:..it's a pity some of the pictures on the cards look a little odd..

Image

They look ok to me! :D
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

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Courtenay
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Courtenay »

Uh-huh-huh? 8) :wink: :lol:
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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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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Daisy »

Well the witch Kirri-kirri looks a little under-dressed for a witch and as for Elvis! What? Naughty Pete.

I was fortunate enough to play this game with a friend a few times in 1948 - but my knowledge of EB characters was sadly limited then and I wasn't as impressed as I should have been!
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

pete9012S wrote:They look ok to me! :D
:lol:
"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.


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Rob Houghton
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Rob Houghton »

:lol: :lol:

I've always admired the Journey Through Fairyland Game ever since I first saw it in The Dossier back when I first bought it in about 2001 - but I have yet to obtain a copy of the game. I guess it would be very difficult to find in perfect condition, with box, cards and counters etc all intact! :-D

I personally like the style of the cards - very 1940's...except for Elvis of course..! :lol:
'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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pete9012S
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by pete9012S »

Image
First edition: 1967
Publisher: Brockhampton Press
Illustrator: Jacques Fromont
Category: John and Mary
Genre: Family
Type: Short Story Books
http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... ee+Sailors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yet another book in the cave I had never seen before today - published in the year I was born too.

Does the book below have the same contents?

Image
Author: Blyton, Enid
Published by: Sandle Brothers Ltd.
Edition: circa 1970
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-THREE-SA ... SwZjJU9v22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

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Rob Houghton
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Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Rob Houghton »

I think it does have the same contents, Pete - its just a later edition of the same book. :-)

My sister had one of these 'John and Mary' books - 'How John Got His Ducklings'. -

Image

Each story was a reprint - in the case of the example above the story first appeared in 'Enid Blyton's Sunny Story Book' - 1945.

The John and Mary books were interesting because they marked the first time (as far as I'm aware) that several unconnected stories were rewritten in order to form a 'new' series about the same characters. Character names were changed, so that all the stories were about John and Mary, and sometimes a girl or boy character was added where there wasn't one, just s they would fit the series!
'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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Courtenay
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by Courtenay »

Image

If only the girl on the left had frizzy hair, this cover could be taken as the first appearance in literature of Harry, Ron and Hermione... :wink:
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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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pete9012S
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Re: Personal Gems From The Cave Of Books

Post by pete9012S »

Thanks Rob - I also came across these two items today:
'Sandle Brothers 'had their hand in the 'John and Mary' series and not content with issuing single tales, they published a later compilation of their adventures entitled 'Storyland' of which there seems no record in any catalogue at all. So, the prospective bibliographer is facing a nightmare scenario when contemplating the Blyton collection. The best knowledge source, of course, is the Enid Blyton Society.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/399004629/ ... -storytime" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Image
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

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