General Journal Natter

[Boodi 2]

Same here! On the rare occasions that we go away for a few days I usually bring two or three journals with me !!!

[Katharine]

Number 24 read - (Summer 2004). As always a very enjoyable read.

The highlights for me were Robert Houghton's look at the first of the 'Family' books. I didn't discover this series until a few years ago, so sadly didn't read them at the 'right' age, however I still enjoyed them, and it was lovely to read someone else's thoughts on them.

I enjoyed Tony's article about Georgina Hargreaves, particularly as I saw her talk at the last Enid Blyton day - it brought back happy memories.

Enid's 'From My Window' (5th September 1923) made interesting reading, I wonder if she really did go to tea with a little boy, and if so, who it was. Was it one of her nephews or did he call her 'auntie' as a form of courtesy?

Finally, Terry Gustofson's articles about his book collecting have been interesting, but I particularly enjoyed this one where he describes his tentative journey into the world of internet purchases. It's fascinating to think how much the world has changed in just a few years.

Time to try and locate Number 25 I think.

[Moonraker]

How old will you be when you get to number 79. Katharine? I don't think I'll still be here to read your review on the forum!

[Katharine]

Ha ha - I haven't worked out how long it will take me.

I think I can read a journal in about 3 days, but I like to read other books in between, so it really depends on how long it takes me to read the other books. If I go for Lord of the Rings next time, then it will be Christmas next year before I'm ready for Journal No. 25.

[IceMaiden]

I'm reading them the opposite way - working my way back to number 1! I'm intrigued by the sound of that story Katharine. As I love all of Enid's stories presumably I would love an adult story written by her just as much. In the same way I can enjoy a film I'd normally not like if it's got one of my favourite actors in it.

[Katharine]

Journal 25 duly read and enjoyed.

I couldn't pick out any favourite bits this time as all seemed equally appealing. So apologies to those who find my musings 18 years out of date, but here are my thoughts.

Firstly, a great cover imagine - amazing to think the journal was celebrating its Silver edition - hopefully I'll have read all the back copies by the time we reach 100.

Anita's thoughts on the Rat-a-Tat Mystery were interesting as I've never really thought much of that book myself - I would agree it is definitely weak compared to the others.
Selwyn Goodacre's article about Enid Blyton and the connection with Alice in Wonderland and the mini cine projector stories was very interesting - I always enjoy reading about aspects of Enid's writing other than her well known series.
David Cook's synopsis of Castle of Adventure with all the lovely drawings has made me put that book at the top of my 'to re-read' list.
I was in two minds as to whether to read Julie Parker's article on the Galliano books, as that's a series I've never read, however I decided to risk it, and was glad I did as I felt there was just enough information to whet my appetite without giving away too many spoilers.
Another very interesting snippet was the unused art work by Stanley Roy Badmin - it was great that his son-in-law shared the proof.
Terry Gustofson's final instalment didn't disappoint - I see that some things, like forged signatures and inflated prices for fairly modern books aren't a new problem!
Lisa Newton makes some good observations about the changing role of the characters in the Famous Five books - I'm currently reading Five Have a Mystery to Solve and feel that Dick seems to be taking more of a lead in this book, I wonder if Lisa will feel the same when she looks at that one?
Cliff Watkins's description of the Enid Blyton exhibition at Bromley made me wish for a time machine so I could hop back and visit it!
I would also have travelled back so I could order the 4 Society Booklets that were available at that time of Birns books - sadly long since sold out.
David Chambers' thoughts on modernising Enid's works shows something else that hasn't changed - we still discuss the pros and cons almost 2 decades later!
Robert Houghton's look at the Family series was as enjoyable as the previous one, and I shall re-read 'Pole Star' with renewed interest, knowing it was probably a retelling of Enid's own experience of a cruise.
John Atkins' thoughts on two of the supposedly 'weaker' of Enid's books was interesting, personally I've always been indifferent to 'Mountain of Adventure', but enjoyed 'Disappearing Cat', so I agree with him that books can appeal to people in different ways and for different reasons.
Finally (almost) Jackie Connors info on the Large FF TV books - a prompt that I must make a list of which of those I do/don't have.
Finally, finally - the Enid Blyton diary - I had no idea they were still available until the 1980s - I wish I'd known, I could have asked Father Christmas for one.

Well done to anyone who has read this to the bottom - you have a couple of weeks breather while I read something else before diving into Journal 26.

[Anita Bensoussane]

...amazing to think the journal was celebrating its Silver edition - hopefully I'll have read all the back copies by the time we reach 100.

You've probably added an extra sliver of silver to Tony's hair, mentioning Journal 100!

Selwyn Goodacre's article about Enid Blyton and the connection with Alice in Wonderland and the mini cine projector stories was very interesting - I always enjoy reading about aspects of Enid's writing other than her well known series.

So do I, Katharine, and I remember enjoying that article at the time. I chatted to Selwyn Goodacre at several Enid Blyton Days and we exchanged a few letters, discussing Lewis Carroll and E. Nesbit as well as Enid Blyton.

I was in two minds as to whether to read Julie Parker's article on the Galliano books, as that's a series I've never read, however I decided to risk it, and was glad I did as I felt there was just enough information to whet my appetite without giving away too many spoilers.

I hope you give the Galliano's Circus series a read one of these days, Katharine (not that I'm trying to distract you from the Journals!) It evokes a warm, vibrant community beautifully - though the circus folk naturally encounter many difficulties as well as experiencing many joys.

[pete9012S]

Great review Katharine - thank you.

I will try and dig out Journal 25 myself tomorrow from the depths of my book room!

[Katharine]

Well here are my thoughts on Journal 26.

David Chambers wrote an interesting article about the possible inspirations for the Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair. Not only was the article interesting in its own right, but also because it mentioned two books - Granny's Wonderful Chair, and Imogen - both of which I've read, and neither of which I can remember anything about! I shall have to re-read them at some point with David's article in mind.

Anita's visit to Peterswood (Old Thatch and surrounding area) brought back happy memories of my own visits there, although sadly I never got to explore the area in as much depth as she did. Something else to put on my 'to do' list.

Robert Houghton's description of his holiday to Dorset also brought back some good memories for me, as I spent a week there a few years ago, although I didn't manage to visit as many places as he did - again something I will try to remedy one day.

The review of 'What Happened Over the Wall' by John Atkins is good - I've not come across that story before, or at least not that I can remember. I thought I owned a copy of 'The Children's Own Wonder Book', but if I do, I've either not read it, or it is yet another story that's slipped my memory!

Gordon Lupson's look at the bindings of the Famous Five books is fascinating - I'd no idea there were so many variations. The only difference I was aware of was that my copy of Five on a Hike is a dark cover, and everything else I own is (I think) red. I'd never noticed that they may be different shades, weaves and textures - I will certainly be peeping under the D/W next time I read one.

Once again I wish I had a time turner, firstly so I could have bought a copy of the Society publication of the Secret Seven in Mickey Mouse Weekly. Secondly because of Jackie Connor's pictures of 'Look-in' magazine - I remember as a child someone I know getting that magazine, and if I'd know about the FF articles/covers I could have asked if they would pass them on to me once they'd finished.

Lisa Newton makes some interesting observations about the characters of the FF in the second part of her articles - I was glad to see she included a mention of Anne's 'volcano' which is one of my favourite parts of any of the books.

David Cook continued his look at the Adventure Series - another of my favourite books, this one being 'Valley'.

Robert Houghton picks up the lack of character development in the third part of his look at the Family Series, although he also points out its strengths such as the delightful way Enid describes things. I found the illustrations that accompanied his thoughts very interesting - as drawings they were very good, but I felt the children looked a bit too young.

Anita concluded her look at the 'R' Mystery books. It does appear to be rather 'tired' compared to many of Enid's other stories. Anita ended her article by questioning why the FF books seemed to have more appeal/be more popular that the R books. I have a couple of suggestions. Firstly, from my own point of view, I found stories such as finding hidden gold ingots, much more exciting to read as a child. I only read Rockingdown Mystery as a child, and although I really enjoyed it from an atmospheric point of view - the description of the forgotten nursery stayed imprinted on my mind - plot wise it didn't leave much of an impression. I agree with Anita that the plots in the R books (well the first 4) have more 'feeling' to them, but for me that's not a strength. As a child I would have wanted to read something happy and exciting rather than too in-depth. Even now I have to be in the right frame of mind (ie mentally strong enough) to read something that may provoke "melancholy", whereas if I pick up something like Five on a Treasure Island I know I'm going to feel warm and sunny.

A second reason why the FF books seem to be better remembered may simply be that there were more than 3 times the number of them. As we've discussed elsewhere, some FF books are weaker/less popular than others, but with 21 to choose from, most people can easily pick 2 or 3 favourites (if not more). With the Barney books, there are only 6 to choose from, so there's less chance that they will appeal to a wider number of people.

A third suggestion is the age range. The FF books I would imagine are aimed at a younger group than the Barney books, so possibly many readers would simply have grown out of Enid Blyton books before they got to the target audience.

The last couple of items of this Journal were of course just as interesting as everything else:

The list of all the serial publications - it struck me as very strange that some stories were serialised after they came out in book form, or that the books were published just a few weeks before the serialisation finished. It was also interesting to note that other stories didn't appear in book form until quite a long time afterwards.

The Birns book of Fairy Tales looked lovely - I hope there will be more discovers appearing in future Journals.

Finally, the Enid Blyton Stationery Boxes looked lovely - I wonder how many got used, or if any are still untouched? I'm assuming that if there are still any in mint condition they are selling for much more than their original price!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Good points about the Famous Five series, Katharine, though I must admit I tend to be drawn to stories which have a touch of melancholy (the Barney mysteries also have passages of sparkling humour, so they're not all doom and gloom of course!) Snubby and Barney are wonderful characters as they're both resourceful and independent in their own ways but their circumstances give them a vulnerability that tugs at the heartstrings. I also like the fact that Barney's quest spans several books, as it prolongs the suspense. Although I enjoy quite a lot of the Famous Five books, the characters and many of the storylines don't have the same pull for me.

[Katharine]

Anita, that's the great thing about Enid Blyton - she wrote so many different books that there should be something to appeal to most people.

I do agree that the thread about Barney that runs through the first four books adds a depth that is missing from the Famous Five, and Snubby's situation is different to many of the characters in other books without parents in that he never gets taken on permanently by another family.

[Moonraker]

Good to see a Journal review from you, Katharine, even if it is now an historical document! You have whetted my appetite to re-read earlier Journals!

[Katharine]

Ha ha - well history is a hobby of mine.

In many ways because the articles are mostly about books and information about Enid Blyton, the journal contents don't seem dated.

Just occasionally when there is mention about things like the website being in its infancy, and of course the Society Days and the gardens at Old Thatch being open that there is a sense of the age of the journals.

I hope you enjoy your own trip down memory lane Nigel.

[pete9012S]

Yes, I'm really enjoying these overviews too - many thanks Katharine.

[John Pickup]

Anyone who appreciates the Journal and can be bothered to post about it is a thoroughly good egg in my book.
Your reviews of past journals are very welcome, Katharine.