Well I have just finished Journal 56 and what a great one it was. Going in the running order I enjoyed Rob Houghton's
Desert Island Blytons very much especially as he spoke about two of my own favourite books.
The Enchanted Wood series is indeed much underrated and deserves to be up there with the likes of
Alice in Wonderland. I have often wondered why myself and the only explanation I come up with is that Enid's huge output actually counted against her in that classics like these got somehow lost in the sheer welter of 700 or so books. Unlike Rob I prefer the original
Enchanted Wood to
The Folk of the Faraway Tree; I actually found Curious Connie a trifle annoying but that's just me. A superb article rounded out by probably one of the best SS volumes,
Good Work Secret Seven.
Enid's letter to W.E.Johns was a fascinating read but I couldn't help thinking that I probably would not have enjoyed doing business with Enid. She sounds like she was a very hard and rather cold businesswoman behind the warmth of her storytelling. She probably had to be in order to succeed but it was rather jarring to read things like "take no notice - I don't care tuppence".
Enid's female characters are well represented in this issue. Poppy gives us the first taste with her well written article about George, Lotta and Darrell. Two are well known, Lotta was a good choice for comparison as she is relatively less known. I really enjoyed this article.
John Henstock's piece was intriguing. I must admit I never paused to wonder why she didn't write a simple camping story without villains. I think I must have just taken it for granted as a child that an Enid Blyton story would involve suspense and baddies.
Enid's letter from London was very evocative and the letter from Buster was fun. I then thoroughly enjoyed Anita's examination of
Spiggy Holes. Like Anita it's not my favourite book. I seem to have an odd attitude towards it. I find it hard to decide to pick it up but then I love it when i'm reading it. I also never realised until now that it was Enid's first holiday adventure book. It now stands a little taller in my estimation as I can see clearly how the template for so many other books was laid down in it's pages. A fabulous job Anita and I really look forward to your next two articles as they will be covering two of my all time greatest Blyton books.
Phew, this was the Journal that just kept on giving. I always enjoy John Lester's articles and here he gives us Dinah and Diana, two more of Enid's greatest female characters. A great comparison and I was surprised to realise how much alike they are as I have always thought Diana Lynton to be a much more passive girl than Jon shows us. Dinah is of course a wonderful girl, probably much better than George Kirrin actua;lly.
The Beaney lecture sounded most interesting and reading Courtenay's article made me wish I had been able to attend. Similarly the articles by Freda Knight and Angela Canning and Ruth Soar were very interesting. I was saddened to hear that Eileen Soper held her FF work in such low esteem. I possess a couple of old Ordnance Survey maps myself so enjoyed Ruth's article. Anything on Mr Meddle is sure to be entertaining and Angela is another contributor who never disappoints.
Pippity's Pink Paint was a great story in typically Blyton magical mode. I do enjoy these stories from the 20s. They would be lost forever if it were not for the journal. Lastly John Pickup's article reminded me immediately of the beginning of my own Blyton collecting when I found a copy of
The Castle of Adventure in the war and history section of an Oxfam shop! So well done John and I hope your collection is doing better than mine; which wouldn't be difficult actually.
It only remains to thank Tony as always for producing yet another masterpiece. I only hope that most of the resubscription forms come back promptly and safeguard the future of this brilliant little magazine.