The Enid Blyton Society

Further Reading

This section lists the various books that have been written about Enid Blyton's life and work. It has been divided into two sections, the first dealing with Enid's life and work and the second listing various reference books about her works.

The books are listed in chronological order of publication.

Enid Blyton's Life and Works




The Story of My Life
by Enid Blyton
Pitkin, 1952
This is Enid's autobiography written for children, with plenty of personal photos and chapters on various aspects of her life and writing career.


Enid Blyton: A Biography
by Barbara Stoney
Hodder & Stoughton, 1974 — ISBN 0-340-16514-6
Revised editions 1992 and 1997
New edition — Tempus, 2006 — ISBN 0-7524-4030-6
The definitive biography of Enid Blyton and the main source of all other books about her.
See also 1992 and 2006 editions, return to 1974



The Blyton Phenomenon
by Sheila Ray
Andre Deutsch, 1982 — ISBN 0-233-97441-5
Sheila Ray, who was a senior librarian, takes a look at the changing attitudes towards Enid Blyton and her work.



The Enid Blyton Story
by Bob Mullan
Boxtree, 1987 — ISBN 1-85283-201-0
Tied to the TVS television programme 'The Story of Noddy', this books is liberally illustrated with many pages in full colour.



A Childhood at Green Hedges
by Imogen Smallwood
Methuen, 1989 — ISBN 0-416-12632-4
Enid's younger daughter, Imogen, recalls her childhood memories of having a mother who is a famous author.



A Smattering of Monsters
by George Greenfield
Little, Brown and Company, 1995 — ISBN-0-316-91402-9
Enid's Literary Agent for many years, George Greenfield, devotes chapter 6, 'The Famous One' to her.



Enid Blyton in Beckenham and Bromley
by Nicholas Reed
Lilburne Press, 1997 (revised 1998) — ISBN 1-901167-05-4
A 24-page booklet with plenty of illustrations dealing with Enid's early life, including pictures of all her early homes.


Hook Remembered
by Mark Davison
Frosted Earth, 1997 — ISBN 0-9516710-9-X
A section of the book deals with Enid and the Thompson Family with some super early photos from Enid's little school.





Enid Blyton: A Celebration and Reappraisal
Edited by Nicholas Tucker and Kimberley Reynolds
NCRCL, 1997 — ISBN 1-871954
This contains talks by various authors given at a meeting at the Roehampton Institute to celebrate the centenary of Enid's birth.



Tell Me About Writers — Enid Blyton
by Gillian Baverstock
Evans Brothers, 1997 — ISBN 0-233-97441-5
A simple biography for children by Enid's elder daughter, Gillian.
See also 2003 edition, return to 1997



Enid Blyton
by George Greenfield
Sutton Publishing, 1998 — ISBN 0-7509-1633-8
A biography of Enid by her literary agent and friend, which reveals information about financial irregularities in the company.



The Enid Blyton Dossier
by Brian Stewart and Tony Summerfield
Hawk Books, 1999 — ISBN 1-899441-70-0
A celebration in full colour of Enid's life and works, with chapters on all different series and genres.



Gillian Baverstock Remembers Enid Blyton
by Gillian Baverstock
Mammoth, 2000 — ISBN 0-7497-4275-5
A biography for children by Enid's elder daughter in Mammoth's 'Telling Tales' series about children's authors.



Enid Blyton and the Mystery of Children's Literature
by David Rudd
Macmillan, 2000 — ISBN 0-333-74718-6
An academic study of Enid's work by a senior lecturer at the Bolton Institute.



The Dorset Days of Enid Blyton
by Vivienne Endecott
Ginger Pop Promotions, 2002
A full-colour booklet with some super photos of possible locations for some of Enid's books.



Enid Blyton and her enchantment with Dorset
by Andrew Norman
Halsgrove, 2005 — ISBN 1-84114-480-0
Another book about Enid's love of Dorset with further speculation about locations for some of her books.



Reference Books on Enid Blyton's Works




The Famous Five — a guide to the characters
by David Rudd
David Rudd, 1995
Revised — Norman Wright, 1997 — ISBN 0-95274669-0-5
A booklet with a full guide to all the characters appearing in the Famous Five series.
See also 1997 edition, return to 1995




Enid Blyton's Magazine 1953-1959: An Index
by Tony Summerfield and Norman Wright
Enid Blyton Society, 1994




Sunny Stories 1942-1953: An Index
by Tony Summerfield and Norman Wright
Enid Blyton Society, 1995




Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories 1937-1941: An Index
by Tony Summerfield and Norman Wright
Enid Blyton Society, 1996




Sunny Stories for Little Folks 1926-1936: An Index
by Tony Summerfield
Enid Blyton Society, 1998



Who's Who in Enid Blyton
by Eva Rice
Richard Cohen Books, 1997 — ISBN 1-86066-119-X
New edition — Orion, 2003 — ISBN 0-75286-061-5
A character guide to Enid's main series, with a lot of new information added to the revised edition. See also 2003 edition, return to 1995




The Famous Five — Everything you ever wanted to know!
by Norman Wright
Hodder Children's Books, 2000 — ISBN 0-340-79228-0
A mass of information about all aspects of the Famous Five, with many colour illustrations.




Enid Blyton: An Illustrated Bibliography Part 1: 1922-1942
by Tony Summerfield
Milford Books, 2002




Enid Blyton: An Illustrated Bibliography Part 2: 1943-1952
by Tony Summerfield
Milford Books, 2002




Enid Blyton: An Illustrated Bibliography Part 3: 1953-1962
by Tony Summerfield
Milford Books, 2003




Enid Blyton: An Illustrated Bibliography Part 4: 1963-1974
by Tony Summerfield
Milford Books, 2005




Enid Blyton in the Sunday Graphic
by David Chambers
Enid Blyton Society, 2003




Enid Blyton in the Evening Standard
by David Chambers
Enid Blyton Society, 2004