Enid Blyton Society Publications

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Bum? Posterior? Enid Blyton avoided mentioning that part of the anatomy, or referred to it coyly in one or two stories as "his little sit-me-down"!
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Daisy
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Daisy »

:lol: I'm trying to remember in which Find-Outer book that part of Goon's anatomy was referred to as.. what? This isn't a quiz question.... but it would take a lot of time researching the answer! Anyone know?
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I don't know if it's the passage you're thinking of, Daisy, but in The Mystery of the Strange Bundle Mr. Goon falls off his bike after skidding on the ice and Enid writes, "Mr. Goon found himself sitting down very suddenly in the middle of the road." Bets asks if he has hurt himself but Enid says, "Mr. Goon had plenty to sit down on, so he wasn't hurt, only considerably shaken." All very carefully worded!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Daisy »

It could well be that one Anita. Yes, very carefully worded indeed.
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Katharine »

I'm half way through the first of the Merry Moments publications, and am loving it. I'd thoroughly recommend them to anyone who likes Enid's early works and/or short simple tales.

If I've understood the foreword correctly, it's not 100% certain that Enid wrote everything that's in these booklets, but even if she didn't, it's lovely to see examples of the kind of children's stories that were being printed nearly 100 years ago.
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Yes, you understood it correctly, Katharine, but we did give it considerable thought before deciding what should and shouldn't go in. I think the most interesting thing about these stories and poems is that they were certainly Enid Blyton's earliest published children's material. Up to the discovery of these items it was always thought that her earliest work was in Teachers World.
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Katharine »

Tony, so far most of the stories have a distinct 'Blyton' feel about them, with just a couple of exceptions in the language, but even those are similar to other stories she wrote, so I can see why they've been included. It must have been a real labour of love to analyse them all and decide which ones to include.

I'm now intrigued to know what didn't make it into the book, and how that material differed to make it unlikely to be an Enid Blyton story. :D

Thanks to anyone involved with the production of these booklets, I'm really glad I'm able to read them.

I've just thought, in House at the Corner, Lizzie was very disappointed not to see her name in print at the end of her stories, I wonder if Enid was drawing upon a similar feeling from her early days?
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Rob Houghton »

Katharine wrote:I've just thought, in House at the Corner, Lizzie was very disappointed not to see her name in print at the end of her stories, I wonder if Enid was drawing upon a similar feeling from her early days?
I've often wondered that, and I'm pretty sure Enid was writing this from experience, as she had many uncredited stories and poems published when she was starting out, as far as I can tell. :-)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Tony Summerfield »

It was brought to my attention that there is currently one of our Society Booklets for sale on Ebay for anyone who thinks that they have £19.46 to spare - the person who pointed it out to me almost bought it until I told him that all the stories in it can be found in the Periodical Section of the Cave!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ENID-BLYTON-I ... SwBP9UYM6e" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There have been a total of 53 Society booklets and as many of them are now long out of print I am considering putting them in the Cave in the Continuation Books Section. As is the case with the Enid Blyton Newsletters, they don't really belong there but I can't think of anywhere else to put them unless somebody has a bright idea! Most of them are of course stories by Enid Blyton, but some like the indexes aren't and I would like to keep them all together.
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

Wow, I've just had a look at their shop, whoever this person is, and including this booklet being advertised there are also three other booklets of the Society also. Two of them are Bob's letters.

8)
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Kate Mary »

I think it is a good idea to add the Society booklets to the Cave and Continuation Books is as good a place as any to put them at the moment. But we really need a Miscellaneous section to cover everything that won't fit elsewhere. Perhaps we can have one if/when the website has a makeover.
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Re: Enid Blyton Society Publications

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Having just read the Society booklet Life Stories from History (number 2 of 2), I must say that Enid Blyton tells the stories beautifully. Some books of history or biography deal with historical figures out of context, as though they suddenly loomed up out of nowhere, but Enid gives the background to their lives and work so readers can understand what was going on in society at the time and what helped shape and motivate these individuals who became so influential.

Some of my favourites:

'Sir Thomas More' - Enid Blyton treats us to an interesting account of the revival of learning in the fifteenth century. I've read Thomas More's Utopia and was surprised at how forward-thinking it was.

'Sir Isaac Newton' - His story is a fascinating one, full of drama with a touch of humour, and Enid recounts it in her usual lively, enthusiastic manner.

'The Story of Guy Fawkes' - This contains the following thoughtful passage:
In these days we seldom get angry with people if they do not think or believe or pray in exactly the same way as we do. We know that all people are not the same, and each of us must think as he feels best. No one has a right to say to us, "You are wicked because you do not think the same things as I do," and neither have we ourselves any right to judge others because they are different from ourselves.

But three hundred years ago people did not allow others the right of free thinking. They thought that everyone should think as they did, and, if they did not, that they should be punished in some way...

...We cannot understand in these days that the ordinary, kindly folk of three hundred years ago could, because of their religious beliefs, go so far as to persecute others - could hate them, despise them, even kill them. All parties were the same, and the thing worked round and round in a circle. For instance, the Protestants hated the Roman Catholics, and did all they could to keep them under. This made the Roman Catholics feel that they were justified in fighting for their religion, and so they made plots to overthrow their enemies. These plots angered the Protestants, who felt that they were justified in persecuting the Roman Catholics because of their plots - so they went on with their hatred and their resolve to destroy their enemies. Thus, as you can see, hatred went round and round in a circle, growing bigger as time went on.
A great booklet! Thanks very much indeed to David Chambers and Tony for putting it together!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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