Journal 82

[Chrissie777]

Journal # 82 arrived this afternoon in Massachusetts. Thank you, Tony! I will resubscribe in December.

[Chrissie777]

Mine has arrived, the first time I've had King Charles stamps on my post I think.

My envelope still had Queen Elizabeth II as a stamp.

[Boatbuilder]

I've just renewed my subscription by BACS.

[Hannah]

My journal is here too (it might have already arrived yesterday afternoon). Looking forward to a nice read

[Judith Crabb]

Journal 82, which of course hasn't yet arrived in Australia, sounds as though it will be another specialty.
I hope 'Demon Island' was one of the articles you enjoyed, Courtenay - I realised that by giving to that short critique the title that I did might make some readers assume that I myself had written a Blytonesque adventure, quite beyond my capacity nowadays.
Not so as a schoolgirl! The local children's section - 'Possum's Pages' (makes me think of Edna Everage - Barry was a book collector and a memorable customer) - of the Sunday paper published a number of my short stories. I even got a photograph taken by their staff photographer. The stories were strikingly Blytonesque, and no doubt are preserved forever on microfiche or something more modern. It took me a while to get published but eventually I figured out that short stories were the way to go, so my novel-length attempts have disappeared for all time (just as well). One day, just for fun, I might investigate delving into the State library archives and getting copies.
Well, now I can anticipate a lively time reading new contributions by what have become favourite writers in my favourite journal. Happy days.

[MJE]

Ooh, I like the sound of "Demon Island, an Australian Blytonesque Adventure" by Judith Crabb! :D Looking forward to reading that one, thanks, Judith.

     So I take it that that is a review of a book, not a complete short story. I am interested in that, too.
     In fact, over the years I've heard of various books by other authors which it was claimed were in the style or spirit of Enid Blyton, biut unfortunately I don't remember most of them now. I think one was a series of a few books set in Wales, if I remember correctly.
     Does anyone know if there is anywhere on line a list of such Blyton-like works?
     I haven't received the new Journal yet - it looks as if it will have some interesting items in it.

Regards, Michael.

[MJE]

The local children's section - 'Possum's Pages' (makes me think of Edna Everage - Barry was a book collector and a memorable customer) - of the Sunday paper published a number of my short stories.

     I remember Possum's pages - you must have been in Adelaide then, Judith. My first couple of decades were spent in Mebourne, then Adelaide, then Melbourne again.
     But I also recall that the stories featured there tended to be very short - far shorter than even a Blyton short story - and they probably had very strict upper limits to how many column inches could be devoted to readers' fiction. So if you were able to come up with some of your stories that were published there, I would be interested to see how you managed to cram a Blytonesque adventure story into such a tiny space. I guess you would have to ruthlessly prune anything extraneous, all the cosy feeling of togetherness that Blyton creates, the jokes, the banter, the meals they eat together, and all that - and focus on the adventure from the very first sentence.
     At the time I read Possum's pages, in the mid 1960s, I was trying to write the first versions of several stories in a series I had created (I later rewrote them completely and (I think) improved them).
     I recall that one story I read in Possum's pages featured a supposedly haunted house, and there was a bit of atmosphere with someone - probably a couple of children - going to investigate the derelict house on a moonlit night. I don't remember anything beyond that now, but it inspired a haunted house story of my own, called simply "The Adventure in the Haunted House", where I used the idea of a supposed haunting by ghosts, and I used the corny trick of men dressed up in white sheets making strange wailing sounds. A gang of thieves was using the house as a hiding place, and used the haunting effects to frighten people off. But the children in my story discovered a hidden door or panel somewhere which led into a secret passage between the walls, and there were steps that led up to a tiny secret room in the roof-space of the house - and there was another passage that led into a garage, I think, that was attached to the house - the whole house seemed to be riddled with secret passages and tiny hidden rooms. Anyway, the children got tangled up with the men, held prisoner, and had to escape - and in the course of all that, they discovered a hidden hoard of valuable stolen items.
     I crammed all of that into a short story of about 12 pages or so - having originally tried writing novels in the series earlier, I came to realize I was padding them out far too much with irrelevant detail to make my chapters sufficiently long, and I decided to make my attempted novels into short stories when it came to rewriting them. But I think I went too far the other way, and made the stories too short (but even so, they would have been far too long for Possum's pages) - they contain a lot of action for their size, and maybe novellas might have been the more comfortable size to use.
     But whether, after all these decades, they are worth doing anything with by now, I'm not sure. I haven't even seen the books containing my stories for a couple of decades, but they're somewhere around - I don't ever throw out anything of that kind.

Regards, Michael.

[Judith Crabb]

Michael, I was rather hoping that Society members would come up with memories similar to mine and I enjoyed your account of your 'Blytonesques' and your recollections of 'Possum's Pages'. I recall my stories were across genres (just like Enid Blyton) not just adventures but school, animal, fairy, which I guess would have made the short, short format easier. Of course I was not entirely faithful to Enid Blyton - I remember L.M. Montgomery being another inspiration. I modelled myself and my writing on Anne of Green Gables for a while. [Shudder - what did Montgomery do to deserve that!] After I left school I gave up fiction forever, except that I am still a voracious reader.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Really enjoying taking my time reading through the Journal. I always love the front Christmas pictures on the Winter Journal. I also like the spread out dustwrappers by Lilian Buchanan on the back of the Journal, of the 1957 Malory Towers books. The favourite dustwrapper of mine has always been the Second Form one, the picture is so dramatic of the Cornish Coast and the daring rescue, with the rough sea below.

As mentioned I always read Tony's Editorial firstly, and then I went onto John's article of Rat-a-Tat. Really enjoyed this John, I love the way you write which wants us to carry on reading, bringing the reader into your article. I agree about Enid probably wanting Rubadub to be her last Barney Mystery, and once again she gives the readers what they want when they asked for more. But sadly both the last two books in this series are not Enid's best.

I then went onto John Henstock - The Last Three Fives, written as John says, when Enid was past her best, due to her illness but still very readable, especially for me - Mystery to Solve, which I did always enjoy.

That is all I have read so far.

[Lucky Star]

Even by the high standards of the EBS Journal number 82 was a good 'un! I loved the wonderful Christmassy front cover and also the beautiful Lilian Buchanan Malory Towers covers on the rear. As always I read Tony's editorial as soon as I'd ripped open the envelope and was sad to see that Georgina Hargreaves has passed away. I was at the EBS Day in Lodden Hall when she spoke and enjoyed her speech very much indeed. R.I.P.

On to Tim Venning's Five Go Down to the Sea article. I've always enjoyed the Cornish coastal atmosphere of this book and really liked how Tim, as always, expanded that theme with asides into the real history of wrecking, smuggling and Mummers. And as ever his article was a mine of information about the great 1978 TV series and it's locations. The story of Clavell's Tower having to be dismantled and moved inland due to cliff erosion reminded me very much of the Belle Tout lighthouse near Beachy Head in East Sussex, one of my favourite spots. It too had to be moved inland some years ago for the same reason - and may have to be moved again in a few more years as the cliffs sadly continue to erode.

On to John Pickup's eagerly awaited Rat a Tat Mystery article. I have always had a soft spot for this book while fully realising one of John's central points; that the different circumstances under which Barney now lives have altered the whole feel of the series completely. It probably was indeed written under pressure from readers and publishers and thus it does lack a certain spark although I fully agree with John's conclusion that it is a fine book in it's own right; it just doesn't (to be fair it couldn't possibly) live up to the previous four books of the series. As usual a most enjoyable and precise analysis of the story. I now dare to hope that JP will finish out the series and give us his thoughts on The Ragamuffin Mystery in Journal 83.

Demon Island sounds like an interesting book. It's child heroes are definitely a bit more bloodthirsty than Blyton's characters. All that talk of cannons, guns and axes certainly raised my eyebrows. But the similarities in style and plot are plain to see. When Judith mentioned the shipwrecked sailor still guarding the treasure I was, however, immediately reminded more of Ben Gunn, the R.L. Stevenson character from Treasure Island; he who was desperate for a little bit of cheese! I wonder if Cecil Baldock had him in mind?

I'm not a stamp collector but found Selwyn Goodacre's article immensely interesting. But what a howler to put Dinah and Philip Mannering as two of The Famous Five!! Typical bureaucrats no doubt.

Angela Canning gave us a marvellous account of Lillian Buchanan, an illustrator whose small output of Blyton work I have always liked very much indeed. I was unaware of her wartime service and did really love that painting of a wartime operations room. I'm glad that she lived to the wonderful age of 91.

John Henstock gave us The Last Three Fives. Now, unlike many I have always really liked Demon's Rocks and Mystery to Solve though Together Again leaves me cold. I was glad to see that John gave careful examination to these three books and found all of their merits rather than slating them. Of course Mystery to Solve is riddled with continuity errors but it's still a good story with lots of classic Blyton elements to it even if they don't quite come together as well as they should. As a child I was enthralled by the mysterious "Keep-Away Island" or "Whispering Island" if you prefer and remembering feeling a delicious sense of danger when the children were blown onto it with it's armed keepers roaming around. It's possibly the last really exciting book that Enid wrote although as John gives plenty of credit to Five are Together Again I'll look more closely at that one on my next Fives re-read.

Anita continued her Circus theme of recent editions with Three Boys and a Circus. As always she made it a scintillating read with plenty of personal reminisces amidst the book review. I have the same volumes on my shelf (albeit bought in adulthood as I didn't discover the Mary Pollock books as a child). And I agree it's a great pity that those who critiscise Enid as racist don't read some of these type of books instead of just Noddy and the FF. She really does treat all of these circus folk from different backgrounds exactly alike and equally.

John Lester's Benjy and the Others was an interesting trip into a character I am really not familiar with. And Neville Barlow's continuing article on the Famous Five and child development was a very interesting though weighty piece of reading.

Lastly the wonderful stories and articles by our heroine herself rounded out a Journal which truly did have something for everybody and was vastly entertaining all the way through. It is a never ending source of amazement to me how Tony, with the help of the contributors, manages to keep it all so fresh after a whopping 82 editions. As ever my thanks go out to each and every person involved and I am looking forward already to number 83.

[Boodi 2]

I am really enjoying Journal 82 and this time I am reading it in order rather than picking out what I consider my favourite contributions and reading them first. So far I have read Tony's editorial, Tim Venning's Five Go Down to the Sea (one of my favourite FF books) and John Pickup's excellent article on the Rat a Tat Mystery. I fully agree that the different circumstances under which Barney now lives completely altered the whole feel of the series, which is perhaps the reason why I have never read The Ragamuffin Mystery (deep shame). I was interested in the information about the illustrator Anyon Cook, who I had never heard of before. I also enjoyed the introduction to Bundle and Cosy and look forward to continuing with Judith Crabb's Demon Island.

As always, a big thank you to Tony and all the contributors for another splendid journal.

[Bertie]

I got the latest journal a good few days ago, but I've been quite busy and so I've leant it to my mum to read first this time. As a huge Enid fan as well, she always reads each journal at some point anyway. It looked a very promising read and, from what she's said so far, it isn't going to disappoint. Thanks to everyone for all the hard work they put into each one.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I was interested to hear about your Blytonesque stories, Judith. I also wrote stories inspired by Enid Blyton when I was a child, with titles like An Adventurous Holiday and First Year at Castle Towers, though none of them were good enough for publication!

The cover of Journal 82 is beautiful, with a magical feel to it.

It's good to be reminded in Tony's editorial that Enid Blyon's books (the ones that are available!) are still selling well, and that the Malory Towers TV adaptation has been a roaring success - with the fifth series having just been filmed. It'll be interesting to see what the forthcoming Famous Five TV series (of only three episodes) is like.

I'm aware that things are difficult financially with the Journal, primarily down to postage increases, as mentioned by Tony. When Royal Mail put up the cost of postage so drastically and without warning, they don't take into account how that affects people who produce publications where subscribers have already paid in advance for a certain number of issues.

As several forumites have said, the last two Barney books really do feel like afterthoughts. Things simply aren't the same after the wonderful happening in The Rubadub Mystery, which seems like the real end of the series. Reading John Pickup's very thorough article on The Rat-a-Tat Mystery, it was good to learn a little about Anyon Cook (until a few years ago, I too thought she was male). "The narrative is emotionally bereft" sums up the book perfectly. The story has some promising elements but doesn't engage the reader in the way that the first four titles do. John, I hereby pledge to try the footprint trick if it snows this winter!

The introduction to Bundle and Cosy is delightful. Funnily enough, a Daily Mail Annual which I bought at a bookstall last week contains a fairly lengthy Bundle and Cosy story - and instructions on how to make your own toy Bundle from fabric and stuffing! In 1945, Enid included a black spaniel called Bundle in The Family at Red-Roofs. Her comments on humour and animal characters are perceptive: 

Humour of this kind is good for children, for it lacks any malice or vulgarity, and it brings in its train a kindly feeling for the animal-characters, which is usually transferred to the real animals that are in the child's own daily life.

We all know that animals interest children immensely, for the child recognises unconsciously in the animal a simplicity very much akin to his own - and also a fellow-feeling in the fact that dogs and cats, like boys and girls, are subject to the commands and dictates of the grown-ups!

Bertie, it's lovely that your mum reads the Journal too!

A great Journal, and I'll have more to say when time allows.

[Kate Mary]

I’ve read through the latest issue of my favourite magazine, the Journal and as ever thoroughly enjoyed it. Some highlights for me were John Pickup’s article on The Rat-A-Tat Mystery. I’ve always loved this book for the atmosphere of an isolated snowbound house, I agree it isn’t up to the standard of the previous books, Enid must have been badgered into writing it by her legions of fans and her publisher but it is an enjoyable story nonetheless. I was interested to read Judith Crabb’s article on Demon Island by Cecil R Baldock, it’s not a book I’ve ever come across and it does sound rather bloodthirsty! I found myself thinking of The Grenville Garrison by Gwendoline Courtney, another Blytonesque adventure that involves guns and violence, it’s a good story though. Anita’s article on Three Boys and a Circus immediately made me want to re-read that story so it’s now on my ‘to be read soon list’ which grows ever longer.

We were treated to some lovely little pieces from Enid, a Pip the Pixie story I’ve never read before, The Last Thatcher was a delight, and I always love the From My Window column. And being a Bundle and Cosy fan it was interesting to see the advert for the B & C letters in the Sunday Dispatch, what a treat these must have been for children in wartime.

Many thanks to Tim Venning and John Henstock for their articles on the Famous Five and to Angela Canning and John Lester I enjoyed your articles very much. And thanks to Tony, the Journal must be a lot of work, it is much appreciated.

[GloomyGraham]

I used to read 'Possum's Pages' each week in the 'Le Cornu Weekly' as we sometimes called the 'Sunday Mail'.

I don't think I ever submitted a story but think I might have sent in some riddles or jokes which were published and got me something like book token as a prize.