The Enid Blyton Society

Could someone please help me? Which versions of the Naughtiest Girl books have the original text? I read somewhere on the forum that they were updated in the 70s. So are all versions dated 80s or later revised versions?

I think you have to go back to the 1960's to find the original text. Not absolutely sure, but I know from the early 1970's Dean version the money values were changed and maybe some other things. This has continued to be updated to the present day.

Rob, thanks for the info! Do you know if the modifications in the 1970s Deans version were just minor, like just the money values (one of the few changes that doesn't bother me), or should I play it safe and try to find an older version?

Not really sure, as I haven't read the Dean versions since I've had the original versions! As far as I know it's only money that was changed. As corporal punishment isn't really featured, I would imagine that no other changes have been made.

My copies are the 1970s Dean & Son versions and I've heard that they have a couple of other minor alterations besides the currency updates - i.e. "stockings" becoming "socks" in The Naughtiest Girl in the School and Arabella no longer wearing slippers with "swansdown trimmings" in The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor. Oh, and Elizabeth's "dark curls" have been changed to "fair hair" for some reason!

Huh! They will be calling it 'The Girl With the Most Challenging Behaviour, next...

Thanks, Rob and Anita. Changing hair colour! That seems crazy...I can't see any logical reason for that. I think I'll try to look for older versions. It's sad that changes have been made even that far back!

Anita Bensoussane wrote:My copies are the 1970s Dean & Son versions and I've heard that they have a couple of other minor alterations besides the currency updates - i.e. "stockings" becoming "socks" in The Naughtiest Girl in the School

That's interesting - as I'm currently reading the series in early editions for the first time (I'm on the second book now) and I noticed the words 'socks' and 'stockings' both being used within a page of each other in my 1953 edition of 'The Naughtiest Girl In the School'.

On page 9 Elizabeth says to Miss Scott, "I don't wear stockings! I wear socks!" and then later on, when Elizabeth deliberately wears socks at school instead of stockings, there is talk of both stockings and socks several times. It's hard to see how these instances could be altered to just include the word 'sock' or 'socks' rather than stockings! I wonder how the modern books have been edited, in this case, as one of the main plot-points, taking up most of chapter 6, is about Elizabeth refusing to wear her stockings and wearing socks instead! I wonder if this episode has been taken out altogether?!

I must say its great to be able to read the books with the appropriate currency in them! I wonder if they altered through the years or was it only after decimalisation? In 1953 the children have two shillings each, every week, and Elizabeth spends a whole £1 on Joan's birthday treats.

Rob Houghton wrote:On page 9 Elizabeth says to Miss Scott, "I don't wear stockings! I wear socks!" and then later on, when Elizabeth deliberately wears socks at school instead of stockings, there is talk of both stockings and socks several times. It's hard to see how these instances could be altered to just include the word 'sock' or 'socks' rather than stockings! I wonder how the modern books have been edited, in this case, as one of the main plot-points, taking up most of chapter 6, is about Elizabeth refusing to wear her stockings and wearing socks instead!

In the 1973 edition Elizabeth says to Miss Scott, "I don't wear white socks! I wear coloured socks!" In Chapter 6 Elizabeth refuses to wear white socks and puts on coloured socks instead.

Thanks Anita - I had forgotten, but do remember that now, as the first few times I read The Naughtiest Girl In the School I read the Dean version.

Even at the age of seven or eight I HATED the versions with the updated money. I was born just after - well four years - decimalisation but I was aware of the 'old' currency and much preferred reading about it. Plus they made a huge mess of the updates. The original two shillings was a very handsome amount of pocket money for young children - twenty pence, in the early eighties, was rather on the stingy side ... and if they're still calling it twenty pence (are they?) then it's practically worthless today .