The Enid Blyton Society

Rob Houghton wrote:One thing I do find interesting is that the artist depicts a horse chestnut tree in the Australian version. Do horse chestnut trees grow in Australia? I guess they must do? Just wondered why they didn't change the tree to a more typically antipodean one!

No, they don't grow in Australia — well, at least, I don't recall seeing one in 30 years of living there. (We do grow sweet chestnuts for eating, but not horse chestnuts as far as I know.)

As far as I'm aware, too, Enid Blyton books published in Australia have never actually had the illustrations or the text modified to make it look like the story is set in Australia!! I have an Angus and Robertson edition of Circus Days Again and it's most definitely set in Britain — Lotta still rides from Dorset across Devon almost to Plymouth, not from, say, Melbourne across Victoria to Mount Gambier (just over the South Australian border).

Now there's a thought, mind you — or if she rode east instead, into the high country... gosh, now I'm having visions of Lotta chasing the wild bush horses with The Man from Snowy River...

Thanks for the explanation and the photo, Courtenay. They look like a loving couple.

Not sure who the bloke is meant to be, mind you, if we say that's Lotta in Oz... maybe Jimmy, but he wasn't much of a horseman! (It's a shot from the classic film The Man from Snowy River, for those who hadn't picked that up. I'm not really familiar with the film, but I do love the legendary poem of the same name (by "Banjo" Paterson) on which it's based. Which doesn't feature any women, but I suppose they had to pad the story out a bit for the film. )

TWO YEARS IN THE INFANT SCHOOL (BOX 1 TOPICS 1-21) 1938
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What a cosy family scene.


illustrated by William Fyffe

I like the little detail of the dog and the cat on the wall in the second picture.

Lovely pictures. They paint a world of happy domesticity and neighbourliness, just like the illustrations in Ladybird books.

They reminded me of the Ladybird book illustrations too, Anita - what great scenes of a time gone by! Of course, everything looks perfect in them - and I'm sure that wasn't the reality - but that's the beauty of nostalgia!

I had no idea this 'book' (or box!) had such lovely illustrations. That will teach me! I've seen it for sale a few times and just presumed it was a book similar to 'Modern Teaching' etc. I particularly like the look of story number 14 - 'Rob's Birthday' - sounds exciting!

What lovely nostalgic illustrations, I love the rainy day one, as well as the two above this posting. In fact I like them all, takes me straight back to my childhood days.

My feelings entirely, Julie. A real trip down Memory Lane for me.

And for me. Lovely pictures.

Rob Houghton wrote:I had no idea this 'book' (or box!) had such lovely illustrations. That will teach me! I've seen it for sale a few times and just presumed it was a book similar to 'Modern Teaching' etc.

The coloured pictures aren't in the book or box. I believe they were poster-sized and came separately, to be pinned on the classroom wall as required.

yes - I thought that - I've often seen the book/box for sale but never the posters/cards. they are much nicer, in my view, than the bible pictures or nature pictures.

Lovely pictures, especially the one with the milk man.

Not a 'gem' by any means, but I didn't know where else to post it! Another of those dreadful modern Famous Five covers. I came across it on eBay, and it struck me that I hadn't realised 'Five Go To Demon's Rocks' was about a magic monkey with a crystal ball until now...

They also seem to have the title slightly wrong...