Secret Seven Annual Artwork

[Tony Summerfield]

This morning I was sent an email by the seller about this artwork on ebay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-ART ... SwNkxa3yBn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It looks nice if anyone has got £250 to spare!

[Anita Bensoussane]

That's a lovely piece of artwork. I've always thought that the Secret Seven Annuals (or at least some of them) have some attractive illustrations.

I notice that the listing for the artwork says, "Artist unknown but believed to be ' Mary Brooks'." I know from the Cave of Books that a Mary Brooks illustrated some Noddy books for Enid Blyton in the 1950s. A 1966 BeStime Noddy jigsaw also features a picture by her, though I don't know whether that was painted specially for the jigsaw or whether it was taken from a book that had been published earlier:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... ary+Brooks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tony Summerfield]

I am not too keen on 'believed to be by' when it comes from a seller. I think it is just a guess as Mary Brooks was a Purnell illustrator, but I think she was illustrating mostly in the 50s and 60s and I am wondering if she had stopped by the 80s. I was told in the 90s that she was in a nursing home in Surrey, but I am not sure how reliable that is.

She illustrated two of the Noddy Library Books, Noddy Gets Into Trouble and Noddy and Father Christmas and some of the BeStime jigsaws were taken from these books.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Tony. Looking at the jigsaw again in the Cave, I see that it says the picture was taken from Noddy Meets Father Christmas.

[pete9012S]

Oh, if only more Maxey original artwork would appear for sale too!!!!

[Rob Houghton]

Really nice artwork - although I'd prefer some original Famous Five annual artwork, as that has big nostalgia value for me. I never had any Secret Seven annuals as a child.