Journal 78

[Moonraker]

Rich pickings, indeed! Time is rather tight (nod to BT&theMGs) right now, so I'll list my favourites from this issue - not that there was a dud article at all!

Editorial: Hmm, one of the highlights for me, so try to make it longer next time, Tony. Nevertheless, apology accepted - I am sure there was a valid reason!

In Praise of Ern: Magnifique! A most enjoyable article with great accompanying illustrations. I share Helen's puzzlement regarding Fatty's, "I bet I'll say that about you someday, Ern!" - rather a pompous statement which has had me puzzled since reading it first in the 50s. Is it possible to have a friend who doesn't consider yourself a friend?

The Telescope and the Castle: JP excelled himself here, to the extent that I must dust off my copy and re-read it. Although far too old to be eligible to read SS books, they have always been one of my favourite series. Like John, most of my Enid-reading as a child was courtesy of Salisbury Public Library, but not the school library as EB books were deemed too poor for us mortals to read. For this reason, little was read in order.

Five Get Into Trouble: One of my favourite 5s. I still get a kick out of reading it for the nth time now. Tim wrote an absorbing article full of interesting points. However, I don't share his (or anyone else's for that matter) Dorsetfying of the locations. Undoubtedly, Green Pool was heavily influenced by Wareham's Blue Pool, but that doesn't mean the novel was set in Dorset, imho. Never have I had the slightest inkling when reading this book that it was set in Dorset - or indeed a real location. Enid was influenced by countless locations that she had visited. I feel that these all melted into her mind and formed fictional locations made up of many different elements. I think much time is wasted by trying to match-up Enid's locations with real ones, unlike Malcolm Saville's books which clearly state where they are based, still whatever floats your boat, I suppose. However, full marks for your imagination, Tim - and of course, I may well be wrong!

Summer Sizzlers: I was never a great fan of Enid's short stories (or anyone else's for that matter), so I speeded through Anita's article (no fault attributed to Anita!). Brer Rabbit holds no interest to me, although I did read the Uncle Remus stories as a child. I wonder at Enid's re-use of many names - Lucy Ann, Rool, Jock, John etc. I have never known a girl called Lucy Ann! Having said I am not a fan, I have a complete shelf full of her short stories!

Newnes List: I noted the asterisk next to a title denoted the book suitable for 'the older child'. I noted that Amelia Jane Again was asterisked, but Naughty Amelia Jane wasn't. Hmm.

The First Six Fives: A most interesting article from John Henstock. I particularly enjoyed his way of explaining Enid's anomalies by not mentioning her memory too much! As for poor George, it's a wonder Anne didn't say, "They're real boys, not pretend boys like you. And I am a real girl, not pretending to be something I'm not, like you!" Now that's even less woke!

At the Last Minute: Someone posted a comment that it was a pity that there was no article/story from Enid in this issue. Wasn't this super story written by Enid?

Fatty and Buster: Another really interesting article from Angela Cannings. Full of interesting comment on this boy/dog combination.

The Mystery of Boodi: A great piece by our fellow-forummer, Boodi. I had no idea about these horses. Not only did I enjoy the article, I learned a lot, too. I liked the car in the illustration at the beginning, it reminded me of my first car, a 1950 Ford Prefect.

For those I haven't mentioned, please excuse me. I did read everything and disliked nothing!

[Lucky Star]

Apologies for the lateness of my comments. I devoured Journal 78 a couple of days after it arrived but due to various reasons I just have not had time to post any meaningful reviews. Suffice to say it was the usual sumptuous feast of all things Blyton with not a single dud article in it.

I loved Helen Richards' In Praise of Ern. He is a majorly important character in this well loved series and Helen did a fantastic job of examining how Enid introduced, then developed, his personality throughout his appearances. The Telescope and the Castle by John Pickup was a worthy next article. An excellent examination of the contentious Susie and her relationship with the Secret Seven all viewed through the lens of one of the better SS books. And some personal memories were evoked here too as I also borrowed quite a number of Blyton books from our school library and yes, they were often in a truly shocking state after having passed through so many hands.

Five Get into Trouble is a cracking book and the always entertaining Tim Venning did his usual fantastic job of examining it, cleverly blending the story with real life places and the TV adaptations. Together with photos and illustrations it made a very enjoyable read.

Summer Sizzlers by Anita was just as enjoyable as the Spring article in Journal 77. I thoroughly enjoyed getting reacquainted with childhood favourites like The Girl who was Left Behind and The Stolen Shadow. And although I'm not a big Brer Rabbit fan the story of Brer Rabbit melting sounds wonderful indeed.

The First Six Fives was yet another wonderful article from the pen of John Henstock whose efforts are always much appreciated. He chose a great subject this time as these six books do indeed form almost a mini series within a series to me. A great read. The depth and scope of David Chambers' research is always awesome to me and he has excelled himself this time. The search for Enid's earliest writings may never be fully concluded but this article reads like a detective story and as David says each piece of the puzzle takes us nearer to the full picture.

Articles by John Lester, William Ferguson, Angela Canning and Monique Federsel rounded out this wonderful issue in such fine fashion that I barely noticed the lack of a story from the lady herself. I'm a big fan of those rare stories from the 1920s that the Journal usually contains so hopefully there will be more of them in the future but Journal 78 was so chock full of fascinating information and entertaining writing that it didn't matter this time..

Thanks as always go to all of the contributors and most especially to Tony for his tireless work in putting it all together so beautifully. Roll on Journal 79.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I enjoyed Journal 78 immensely, from the exciting-looking front cover to the newly-discovered Denizens of the Jungle on the back. The latter is a great find, but curious. "Denizens" is an unusual word for Enid Blyton to use, and whoever would have thought that polar bears roamed the jungle?! I was left wondering whether Enid was perhaps asked to provide information for a book about animals, and someone else came up with the title later - without having read the book properly! Not only does the volume feature animals that don't belong in the jungle, but the layout is confusing. The very first page deals with random mammals from Asia and Africa but has no headings or sub-headings to help clarify things. Some of the illustrations are awkward-looking and there's a picture of a tiger with the caption "An African Tiger"! The front cover describes Denizens of the Jungle as "A story book for the little ones" even though it's a non-fiction book. What a peculiar but fascinating publication! The whole book can be read here:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... the+Jungle


The Frederick Muller illustration of the young Elizabeth and Margaret visiting Bekonscot (Editorial) is gorgeous - just right for the year of the Platinum Jubilee. As for the forthcoming Famous Five musical, if it's anything like as good as the Malory Towers one (2019), it'll be well worth seeing.

I love 'In Praise of Ern' by Helen Richards. There's a great deal of fun and sparkle in the Find-Outers books, as well as ingenuity. I admit I was somewhat Bets-like in my hero-worship of Fatty when I was a child, copying many of the things he did (such as disguising, writing messages in invisible ink and attempting ventriloquism) but I also warmed to Ern. I agree that it's disappointing to see the Find-Outers taking advantage of Ern's gullibility and to read that Fatty is unsure whether to count Ern as a friend even after the latter has shown himself to be a true friend time and time again.

John Pickup's article about Good Old Secret Seven is a cracking read. Like him, I felt envious of Jack and Susie's telescope as a youngster - and of the field-glasses owned by children in other Blyton series. Fortunately, my sister and I were given a pair of binoculars as a present one Christmas (about 1979 or 1980) and they're still going strong! I too feel that my love of castles was partly inspired by reading Enid Blyton.

The back cover of A Complete List of Books is striking, though it makes me chuckle as Enid Blyton appears to be wearing Tower House as a hat! It's fascinating to see the list, though like Nigel (Moonraker) I noticed that Amelia Jane Again! is (surely mistakenly) asterisked as being for "the older child"! The centrespread illustration showing so many Blyton characters from books published by Newnes is fantastic.

John Henstock provides an extremely interesting overview of the first six Famous Five titles, though I don't think Julian shows too much "arrogance and insolence" in his treatment of the Sticks. Their own arrogance is shocking and it's about time they had a taste of their own medicine. They're also indolent, greedy and cruel, taking pleasure in causing fear and suffering. I do feel sorry for poor Tinker though, and I'm glad to see John sticking up for Anne. I hate to see her dismissed as submissive and wishy-washy as there's so much more to her.

David Chambers always unearths fascinating nuggets of information, and 'Uncharted Beginnings' is no exception. It's interesting that The Hampshire Independent used stories that had previously been published in Merry Moments - and that after its merge with The Hampshire Advertiser (to become the Hampshire Advertiser and Independent), Merry Moments tales continued to be used, together with stories from elsewhere (untraced), some of which were possibly by Enid Blyton too. I agree that 'The Mysterious Prisoner' seems to look ahead to The Boy Next Door. The "Auntie Mabel" moniker provides food for thought and it's interesting to hear of stories appearing in periodicals in New Zealand and Australia. How sad to learn of Amy Conolan's house fire in 1925, and of the huge fire which destroyed the premises of Birn Brothers in 1924. The newspaper references to the young Enid are great. 'At the Last Minute' is an enjoyable story whether it's by Enid Blyton or not, and the 'Rough and Fluff and Polly Pat' strips are fun.

Monique Federsel's (Boodi's) 'The Mystery of Boodi' is a very good read. I've always liked the character of Boodi, who has plenty of personality, and the information about Icelandic ponies is interesting.

Thanks for all the comments on my 'Summer Sizzlers' article - they're much appreciated.

Another absorbing Journal - thanks so much to Tony as always!

[Moonraker]

"Denizens" is an unusual word for Enid Blyton to use

Yes, I immediately honed in on that word. When I was a sales rep for Platignum, we had a range of "press-outs" - cardboard figures and scenes children could press out and colour in. One of the titles was "Denizens of the Deep". That was the first time I had seen the word.

John Henstock provides an extremely interesting overview of the first six Famous Five titles, though I don't think Julian shows too much "arrogance and insolence" in his treatment of the Sticks. Their own arrogance is shocking and it's about time they had a taste of their own medicine. They're also indolent, greedy and cruel, taking pleasure in causing fear and suffering. I do feel sorry for poor Tinker though, and I'm glad to see John sticking up for Anne.

Yes, reading this book as a child I was thrilled by Julian's attitude to the Sticks. I never saw it as arrogant or insolent. Class distinction was important in the 40s era, and it must be remembered that the Sticks were of a lower class than the Kirrins, and would be treated well (as with Joan) if they kept to their station. However, once Fanny and Quentin were out of the picture, they rose far above their place and quite rightly, needed taking down. Who better than Julian - who remained calm and polite. As for Tinker, I also saw nothing wrong with his treatment, nor Edgar's for that matter. Of course, in today's enlightened times, it appears abusive.

I too feel that my love of castles was partly inspired by reading Enid Blyton.

Oh, me too! I can't look at a ruined castle without looking for a face at a tower window! I remember exploring Wardour Castle with our boys when they were young. We looked for secret ways and steps up to towers! For me, Faynight's Castle is the best of Enid's castles. They also tried to search out secret passages in National Trust properties, even asking stewards if there were any! All thanks to Enid Blyton.

[Chrissie777]

I too feel that my love of castles was partly inspired by reading Enid Blyton.

We looked for secret ways and steps up to towers! For me, Faynight's Castle is the best of Enid's castles. They also tried to search out secret passages in National Trust properties, even asking stewards if there were any! All thanks to Enid Blyton.

Nigel, there is a castle in East Anglia called Orford Castle which was mentioned in P. D. James master piece "Devices and Desires".
I was thrilled when I visited it in 1995 and noticed that it had two outer walls. You can walk in-between the walls, just like walking in a secret passage.

[Jack400]

I too love castles probably because of Enid and Orford Castle sounds like an amazing place to visit, Chrissie.
Apparently the castle is having renovation works and is currently surrounded by scaffolding. On the English Heritage website, under its history, it talks of "modern updates"- that took place in the 14th century!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I remember exploring Wardour Castle with our boys when they were young. We looked for secret ways and steps up to towers!... They also tried to search out secret passages in National Trust properties, even asking stewards if there were any!

I still do that now!

For me, Faynight's Castle is the best of Enid's castles.

Faynight's Castle is appealing but my own favourite is the castle in The Castle of Adventure because of the dramatic location. I picture it as majestic but mysterious and I love the nesting eagles and the suits of armour.

Kirrin Castle is a favourite of mine too, even though there's not much of it left! Just imagine having a little island with a ruined castle, a cave and a wreck - and owning a boat to row to the island, accompanied by a wonderful canine companion like Timmy. Sheer bliss!

[Lucky Star]

Yes I too think the castle in The Castle of Adventure is her finest. It's shrouded in mystery, vaguely sinister and the descriptions of the underground room and the towers and battlements are wonderful. The castles in The Circus of Adventure and The Secret of Killimooin are also very evocative.

[John Pickup]

Another sumptuous addition to the ever-growing journal ranks, despite a short editorial from Tony.
Ern has always been one of my favourite incidental characters from the major series and Helen Richards highlights his contribution to the FFO brilliantly.

I enjoyed reading Tim's article on Five Get Into Trouble, one of the best Five books. The photographs enhance the prose and I like the additional information about the 1978 TV version. When I first read this book, I was more frightened of the sinister Mr Perton than of the bullying Rooky.

Anita always manages to convince me to seek out the stories she writes about and her Summer Sizzlers doesn't fail. The Stolen Shadow I can vaguely recall but not the others she mentions so I will look to see if I have any of the others in my collection.

I didn't realise there were so many of Enid's titles published by Newnes, who also published the Lone Pine books by Malcolm Saville. The list in the centre pages is very interesting.

More about the Famous Five from John Henstock as he remembers the first six books. On Kirrin Island Again was the first FF book I read and holds special memories for me as it was the first time I was aware that you could signal in daytime using the sun. Wherever Kirrin is situated, it really is a beautiful place.

I was intrigued by David Chambers article about the Merry Moments story paper and the mystery surrounding Enid's early published work. The Mysterious Prisoner is a story I'd like to read although I agree it is most likely not by Enid. Once again, David embarks on some major research into events and papers from nearly a hundred years ago. Excellent work.

At The Last Minute is a compact little story but as Tony says, there is only a slight possibility that it's by Enid.

Angela Canning reminds us of some of Fatty's exploits regarding disguises and his brilliance at just about everything else. His altercations with Goon remain a memorable part of the FFO series.

I've never read Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm and it was a pleasure to read Monique Federsel's about how she came to choose Boodi as her user name on the forum.

John Lester continues his look at Sunny Stories through the seasons, a marvellous publication which for many children, would be eagerly anticipated as each edition hit the newsagents. John highlights various stories including the delightful Mr Twiddle who remembers to buy his wife three red roses. And Mrs Twiddle did write us a short note on his behalf!

I know little about the Zenith FF films but enjoyed reading William Ferguson's article about Paul Child and his portrayal of Dick Kirrin. It's obvious that William is a huge fan of Dick's character.

It seems the articles have pushed out the ephemera and obscurities we are usually rewarded with in the journal but hopefully Tony will find something for us next time.

Many thanks to all the contributors and many thanks for the kind comments made about my own little offering. The biggest thank you as always goes to Tony for his superb work in compiling and editing this fine publication, the jewel in the crown of this wonderful society.

[Lenoir]

I am still looking forward to receiving this fine publication. Each weekday I check the letter box to see if it has come. Thursday is the most popular day for post it seems, not that we get much anymore.

[Chrissie777]

Same here. From formerly 6 days the mailman now comes only on 3 or 4 days per week and the amount of mail did shrink quite a bit since COVID-19.

[Boodi 2]

On the subject of post, while I thankfully received my copy of the journal about two weeks ago I was surprised to see a large notice outside our local post office this morning informing the public that due to understaffing caused by illness (I assume Covid!) the post office will only be open for a few hours each weekday morning until September 19th (i.e. no counter service on afternoons and Saturday mornings). As there are often long queues in the post office under normal circumstances I dread to think what it will be like with such limited opening hours and sincerely hope that we don't need to send any parcels or registered letters!!!

[Lenoir]

I had to go to the post office to pick up my journal this morning. I don't think that's happened before, but at least I know there is no chance of it getting damp from being delivered into the letter box at home on a rainy morning.
When I got home I started it right away. The editorial set the scene with an appropriate photo.
I enjoyed the first article on Ern. It took me on a memory trip through the books featuring Ern and it was nice to recap some of the classic episodes from the Mystery books. I enjoyed the way it was made personal for the author as well, and good points were made about how Ern's relationship with the Find Outers changed. He ended Hidden House on a high note so the bad start he made was redeemed.

Looking forward to more reading this afternoon on a day where cocoa and biscuits and a fire would be appropriate.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm glad your Journal has arrived, Lenoir. Yes, Ern proves he's made of good stuff even by the end of Hidden House and it's a shame that that is downplayed.

[Bertie]

Recently finished reading it.
Some lovely illustrations and a very enjoyable read, especially the sections on the series I know well - Famous Five, Find-Outers, Secret Seven.
I particularly agree with the point about Enid being inspired by the wonderful PG Wodehouse by basing Buster and Goon on Bartholomew and Constable Dobbs. I've always thought that since checking and seeing that the book was written before any of the Find-Outers series. The Find-Outers books have a lot of Wodehousian type humour and descriptions of characters - especially Goon's facial features when his face reddens, eyes bulge, and plenty of examples of zoomorphism.