Journal 38

What did you think of the latest Journal?
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Daisy
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Daisy »

This is the first time for a while when I haven't commented immediately on receiving my journal, but will put that right now! I too have thoroughly enjoyed reading the various contributions. Like Nigel I was never a great follower of Mr Pinkwhistle and only met him in Sunny Stories and the EB magazine, but after reading Anita's article I too am drawn to reading more of him! I enjoyed the short story by Enid and like others was convinced the "sartin" was "certain", although the "air board" did mystify me and I thank those who have suggested possible translations!
I was very interested in John Henstock's article on Children, Crime and Caves as some of the non-EB characters were familiar to me too, and as far as I am concerned, having read her books as they were being published (at least from 1948 onwards), I was always very aware that the adventures were totally out of my reach or expectation, although I must say I used to scan the cliffs at various seaside resorts we visited as children to see if there was possibly a cave hiding just behind some rock somewhere! Needless to say, I never found one. I think the dangers of many situations are made plain by the authors of most adventure books and compared with what has followed in the shape of videos etc. these stories were really quite mild (but quite exciting enough for me!)
I too missed Tony's usual introduction, but having been an editor of a five times a year magazine for Guiding in my county, I know how relieved I sometimes was when the letter from the commissioner took up all the space and I didn't feel obliged to add my own to fill the gap! Viv's enterprise sounds wonderful and I'm longing to get to Poole again to sample it's delights.
Thank you once again Tony - your work is greatly appreciated.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.

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Rob Houghton
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Rob Houghton »

Oh dear! I feel a little like Dame Slap myself at the moment!! :oops:

Sorry if I made you feel guilty Nigel and Daisy. :twisted: I was really thinking of all the other (nameless?) people who look at the forum and are members of the Society but don't ever comment on the Journal. The contributers, and particularly Tony, give up their spare time to write articles and compile the Journal and it's just nice to be appreciated. I'm not really speaking for myself, but for everyone who has ever written an article. :D I don't even care if people HATE my articles, as long as they take the time to say so!! :lol: :lol:

Glad I got you reading 'Holiday house', Nigel (even if you DID have to borrow a copy! :shock: ) I wish I could have written the article without revealing the plot, but it's something I find very hard to do if I want to write about it in any depth. At first I attempted not to reveal anything about the plot outcome, but in the end I gave in,hoping that most people would know it would all end 'happily ever after' anyway. :wink: 8)
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 03 Apr 2009, 13:23, edited 1 time in total.
'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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Tony Summerfield
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Tony Summerfield »

On behalf of myself and the contributors, who make the Journal possible, I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments.

Robert has said that he is surprised at how little feedback there is, but before the dawn of these forums, I got virtually no feedback at all, the main reason for not having a Letters page in the Journal. The only yardstick I had to go on was whether or not people resubscribed. With two exceptions, the only letters I ever received were from the contributors themselves. The two exceptions were Barbara Stoney, who phoned me after every Journal with full comments on the articles and Imogen who has always taken a great interest. I don't think we are alone here as most editors of similar magazines would say the same, I am just grateful that I don't have to put out endless pleas for contributions.

Oddly enough I have had a letter about this Journal, telling me that as editor it was wrong of me to publish any articles that criticised Enid or her writing in any way. In this case it was John Henstock's article that caused her to write to me, but she also mentioned a review of Robert Houghton's that she strongly disapproved of from a previous Journal - she didn't say which, but at a guess it was 'The Hidey Hole'! Personally I am in favour of constructive criticism, and all authors including Enid have had their less good moments, so it is silly to try and pretend otherwise.

In retrospect it was wrong of me to offer the editorial page to Viv and I hold my hand up to the blunder. I should have been plugging the Enid Blyton Day, which didn't get a mention, as Journal readers are potentially the most likely people to be buying tickets. As I have said elsewhere, I particularly want this day to be a tribute to Barbara Stoney, but at the time the Journal went to the printers, Barbara was still alive, though I was well aware that she hadn't got long to live. What readers don't know is that Viv had asked for space in the last Journal, but that had already gone to the printers, and when she asked again this time, the only page that was not all ready to go was the Editorial page, and I felt bad about having to turn her down for the second Journal running. So if we don't sell enough tickets, 'mea culpa'! :oops:
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Rob Houghton »

Tony Summerfield wrote:Oddly enough I have had a letter about this Journal, telling me that as editor it was wrong of me to publish any articles that criticised Enid or her writing in any way. In this case it was John Henstock's article that caused her to write to me, but she also mentioned a review of Robert Houghton's that she strongly disapproved of from a previous Journal - she didn't say which, but at a guess it was 'The Hidey Hole'! Personally I am in favour of constructive criticism, and all authors including Enid have had their less good moments, so it is silly to try and pretend otherwise.
Thats interesting, and sums up how I feel about negative comments too. I have made just as many positive comments about Blyton's work and I always will continue to do so, otherwise I would have stopped enjoying her writing a long time ago! I had a lot of fun pulling 'The Hidey Hole' apart, but I still loved it better than any book NOT written by Blyton! :D

Sometimes a book isnt as good as another, and I feel it is only right to say so. Nothing in The Journal would be taken seriously if everyone wrote about how good Enid was and never pointed out any mistakes at all. It would seem very much like those articles that pile accusation upon accusation without any let-up: silly and ill-informed. It's all a matter of opinion, but I feel that constructive critisism is better than no critisism at all. Maybe that certain lady letter-writer ought to write a few articles of her own!

I love Enid's books, and I even love the mistakes: that's the charm of Enid to me: she always, above all else, remained 'human'. That's why I don't feel she was really a 'genius' as some people suggest. She was everybody's mother/sister/aunt/neighbour, and that is what makes her so well-loved and so special. :D
'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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Lenoir
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Lenoir »

It was nice to see references to some of my other favourites like the Lone Pine Books and Bunter. That is why I enjoyed the crime and caves article, as it offered some comparisons to other authors: some I knew well, some not at all.
Enid’s piece on opinions was quite thought provoking and outspoken. I don’t know, but it almost seems ahead of its time to see something like this in 1925? I guess she is warning us not to be like the “nowhere man”!

Interesting article on Mr. Pink-whistle. Anita always manages to bring these characters to life.
Holiday House is a classic Blyton book from what Robert says in his comprehensive review, so I’ll be looking out for it.

I enjoyed the Vanished Prince article as I was looking forward to it since the last journal. I was wondering what comments would be made about Sid, and I agree there are some amusing episodes. I can think of two other people who are limited to saying “Ar.” Jackdaw in “The Family at Red-roofs”, and the man driving the cart in “Five on a Hike Together” who answered “Ar” to all of Dick’s questions and confused them so much that they went the wrong way and had an adventure.

Overall, another enjoyable read. Now back to page 49 to see if I can work out who all those characters are. Now there’s an idea for the monthly quiz – questions on actual illustrations. On second thoughts maybe not, the monthly quiz is challenging enough already!
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pete9012S
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Re: Journal 38

Post by pete9012S »

Image

Well, I've just received a copy of this Journal which I have been trying to buy for ages through the post today!

I would like to say a very big thank you to the person who sent it - I am extremely grateful and I am really looking forward to reading it.

Cheers

Pete

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

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Katharine
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Re: Journal 38

Post by Katharine »

I recently read this Journal and of course it was just as good as usual. As some people have also commented, I was a little surprised to see Viv replacing the usual introduction of Tony's. I hadn't realised just how much I enjoyed Tony's start to the journal until it wasn't there! However, I also enjoyed reading about Viv's plans for the (now sadly no longer) Story Centre. I can understand why Tony replaced his usual intro with Viv's article though. :)

Onto the Journal's contents. I really enjoyed Anita's thoughts on Mr. Pink-Whistle. I too had the Dean & Son book as a child, and it was really lovely to have Anita reminding me of several stories I was familiar with. I particularly liked the one about Alice and Miss Trot-About, which I've always found a very moving tale.

John Henstock's article about Children, Crime and Caves was very interesting. I think someone mentioned earlier that they didn't agree with other authors getting a mention in a Journal about Enid Blyton, but personally I'm quite happy for other authors to be referred to, especially when used to compare/contrast to Enid's stories. I can see why some people might have concerns about children exploring secret passages, caves etc., but hopefully not too many children copies the stories in real life and ended up injuring themselves. If we live life too cautiously, perhaps we should include stories about climbing trees, cooking on camp fire, swimming in lakes and probably numerous other incidents which could potentially be dangerous!

I didn't come across Josie, Click and Bun until a few years ago, and was fascinated by David Chambers' look at just how many stories had been written about them. A shame that a few of them were never reprinted, but great that he was able to give a synopsis of them.

Lovely to see a third story from the 'Roaring 20s', I was amused to see the use of the name 'Puke'!! We have a very old dictionary somewhere which predates that era, and I'll try and remember to look the word up to see if it had the same (if any) meaning back then as it does today. Hopefully not!

The centre had yet another gorgeous set of illustrations - this time from the Brockhampton Nursery Series. I think Eileen Soper is my favourite of all illustrators Enid used.

David Cook's continuing look at the FFO series was of particular interest this time as he reviewed the only book that I owned as a child. I never really got into it back then, and so never bothered to try and read any others until a few years ago. David's concluding comments suggest that this book is in a different format to most of the others, so maybe I didn't start with the best of them?

I had a little chuckle at the Adult Story in this Journal. I definitely think Enid was better at sticking to children's stories. Terry Gustafson's following comments were interesting. I did wonder about the phrase "air board", but agree with others who suggested that it might be "there". However it is possible it was a term used for a sign hanging from the roof? I wonder if Enid ever visited "Upper Poppleton" near York?

I failed dismally on the Famous Five Quiz - I think I recognised 2 or 3 for definite, and maybe another couple looked familiar, the rest I haven't a clue about. I hope the answer appears in a subsequent issue.

Robert Houghton's look at Holiday House was a real trip down memory lane. It was one of my favourites as a child, and I enjoyed seeing all the illustrations, which were the same as my paperback edition. Robert's analysis tied in nicely with Enid's article about 'Opinions', as he put some very good reasons for why the book was such a good one.

I shall try and bear Enid's thoughts in mind next time I say I do or don't like something, and think about why I'm of that opinion. :)

John Lester's look at My Enid Blyton Book had me looking at my spreadsheet to see if it was a book I own, or whether I'd read a more recent book which included the stories, as they mostly seemed very familiar. It turns out I have a 1948 edition which I read only a couple of years ago! I agree with John's comments about the book is a '"satisfying journey for the reader".

The penultimate page of the was of 2 more gorgeous Eileen Soper illustrations, and the back page showed 2 lovely party invitations , one of the Faraway Tree and the other of Josie, Click and Bun. I would have loved to have received one of those as a child, and I hope some of those children lucky enough to receive one, treasured them for the works of art they wer.

This journal was issued in Spring 2009 - I joined the forums at the end of that year, and as I 'lurked' for quite some time before plucking up the courage to start posting, I must have been aware of Society and the journals by that time. What a 'nitwit' I was to not join earlier - I didn't realise what I was missing!

Thank goodness I've been able to obtain back issues and now subscribe so I don't miss out any more. :) Only another 40 or so more to read before I'm up to date. ;)
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