Winter Issue

[Moonraker]

Another incredible read. Thanks to Tony and all contributors (I must put finger to key)!

Another reminder as to how great it is to belong to the greatest Enid Blyton gathering! (Sorry, Yahoos! You're all pretty cool, too!)

Can't wait to come gathering nuts in May!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I was delighted to see another puzzle page and I enjoyed Tony Summerfield's article on the Birns books. It's exciting to think that there may still be undiscovered Enid Blyton books out there somewhere.

Robert Houghton has picked exactly the right word - "bizarre" - to describe The Very Big Secret. I was amazed to see a new paperback edition of The Very Big Secret for sale in a bookshop in town a couple of years ago, but when I flicked through it I discovered that the baby had been replaced by a puppy. I don't normally welcome alterations to books but, in this case, I can understand why the story was considered unacceptable in its original form!

Moonraker, I look forward to reading your article in a future issue .

Anita

[Rob Houghton]

It was another brilliant issue - what more can i say? I escpecially liked the magnificent colour centre spread of the covers of the Birn bro's books, as well as tony's informative article, plus anita's 'Six bad Boys' - an indepth and perceptive reading of one of my favourite Blyton 'stand alone' novels.

Yes - I'd seen a copy of 'The Very big secret' in which the baby has become a dog. While this is a lot more acceptable, I feel it does make the story less unusual and a bit more down to earth - which may or may not be a good thing!

I was particularly interested in the 'Letter from Enid Blyton' - it was amazing to think she was involved (all be it in a small way!) with the debate over lady chatterley's Lover - and I thought her reply showed a very real, human side to Enid which is often hidden by all the debates about political correctness etc.

Well done again Tony, and all the other contributors.

[Guest]

Hi Tony

As I said in a separate e-mail to you, the copy of No. 28 that you sent to me arrived here in double-quick time (you've clearly mastered the art of charming the ladies in the Post Office!) and I enjoyed it immensely. I hope you've also since received my order for the three latest back issues prior to No. 28. I've kept it at only three copies, so that the package isn't slowed down in the post, but I'll soon order some more (plus some of the Society's booklets).

This is the first issue of the Journal that I've seen and I enjoyed reading all of it. It would be very hard to single out any items that I liked more than the others, but let me make a few general comments.

I like the artwork very much. Seeing Stuart Tresilian's excellent drawings from "The Mountain of Adventure" again was lovely. Your superb colour illustrations from the Birns books are collectors' items in themselves. And it was nice to see a picture from the Family Photo Album that hasn't been in a book before "“ or not in one of the books that I've seen anyway.

Your informative article about the possibility of there still being some undiscovered books out there will certainly sharpen the noses of those who are hoping to be the first to pick up a long-lost find. It was enjoyable sharing the experiences and views of Enid Blyton's work by others, and I also found the Letter from Enid Blyton fascinating. As she rightly observes, it would certainly have been bizarre for her to stand up and solemly declare "Lady Chatterley's Lover" was suitable reading for anyone. It's quite amusing to hear her referring to her husband and saying, "I feel he must have read the book!"

All in all, a delightful magazine, and I look forward to seeing more.

Regards,
Errol

[Katharine]

I'm catching up slowly.

David Cook continued his in depth look at the Adventure series it's great to see the way he picks up little bits aside from the main story such as Enid displaying her knowledge of wildlife.

Terry Gustofson's second part of thoughts about Enid Blyton influences was a good mixture of examples. I particularly liked his reference to the rhyme about telling the difference between a stoat and a weasel. In Terry's case, he remembers it from The Enid Blyton Animal Lover's Book. I first came across it in one of the Dean Farm books. I've never forgotten it, but like Terry, I've never been able to apply it to an animal in real life!

I particularly liked David Chambers' look at the character of Miss Brown. I don't think I'd come across mention of this character until I read the Book of the Year a decade or two ago, and it wasn't until I learned more about Enid's early life as a teacher that I realised that the character could be based on her own experiences.

I wonder if any more Birns publications have come to light since Tony's article in this journal? I'm never sure whether it's good that there are some of Enid's work books that contain information of potential new discoveries, or whether it would have been better to live in ignorant bliss about the 'missing' stories/books. I'm always amazed at the patchy information that is available from such a fairly recent period of history. I loved the illustrations in the centre pages (and the back page) of some of those books. I know I'm lucky enough to have a few of them that were reprinted through the Society.

I was pleased to see that the answer to the previous issue's puzzle page was included - I had failed dismally at both. At first the puzzle set in this issue seemed a little easier, but after a couple of attempts, am still scratching my head - so I'm looking forward to Journal 29 and the answers!

Anita concluded her look at The Six Bad Boys, and I'd be surprised if anyone who hadn't read the book didn't feel inclined to go out and find a copy after her excellent review.

After reading Gordon Lupson's look at the slight differences in some of the FF D/W I'm glad that collecting First Editions isn't something I've ever tried to do. His information would be extremely helpful to someone who wants to make sure they've got a genuine copy and if I'm ever in a position where I want to make sure I've got the 'genuine article' I'll know where I need to refer to.

I found the letter from Enid about the Lady Chatterley's Lover court case very interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as she points out, why would someone who writes children's books be considered a suitable opinion? Secondly, I find it curious the way that Enid says that she can't go against Kenneth's opinion of the matter. After the way she seems to have bulldozed Hugh when it came to choosing her new house; airbrushing him out of her life etc, I find it strange to read her apparently bowing down to Kenneth's 'rules'. Did she mellow in her old age, or did she just use him as an excuse to not get involved in something she didn't really want to do anyway?

I enjoyed Rob Houghton's thoughts on The very Big Secret. I didn't come across this story until a few years ago, and of course viewing it as an adult reader could see some holes in the plot, however on the whole I enjoyed it, and could certainly see the appeal it might have had for a child. I actually think the modernising of it to a puppy completely ruins the whole story. Admittedly I haven't read it yet, so maybe it wouldn't seem quite so bad, but my initial thoughts would be that I would rather it had never been reprinted if it's been changed.

Finally - another interesting photo of Enid, although I thought the angle it was taken was rather odd - I wander why it was taken in that way? Was the photographer trying to look at Enid's nose, or maybe it was taken by a child? I do wonder how Enid found the time to play golf as well as writing as much as she did!

[pete9012S]

Thank you Katharine. Most enjoyable.
A reminder that I need to hunt these run of Journals out before my break!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I remember enjoying Rob's review of The Very Big Secret. It's a book I only discovered as an adult, when I had two young children, so the idea of Peter and Penny taking a stranger's baby and keeping it secretly for quite some time horrified me! As far as I recall, they think the infant is Penny's doll come to life. If they're young enough to believe that, surely they're not old enough to look after a baby properly with no adult help! Enid Blyton paints an idealistic picture, with the baby fretting very little and needing bottles and baths but no nappy changes! Little thought is given to the worried mother. Maybe I'd have accepted the situation more readily if I'd read the book as as youngster, but as an adult it made me feel tense and anxious!

I don't like texts being changed either, though I probably wouldn't have felt so apprehensive if Peter and Penny had been looking after a puppy. It would still have bothered me to think of the owner's distress though - not to mention the puppy's!