Elisabeth Beresford

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
Post Reply
User avatar
RDMorrell
Posts: 474
Joined: 25 Jun 2007, 10:32
Favourite book/series: Famous Five, Secret Seven, Adventure
Favourite character: Anne
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Elisabeth Beresford

Post by RDMorrell »

Elisabeth Beresford is best-known for her series of books about the Wombles, characters I was introduced to courtesy of the Filmfair programmes in the 1970s. (Filmfair also made the Paddington Bear programmes, and I am again indebted to this company for introducing me to another of my favourite characters of children's literature.) I remember borrowing the Wombles novels from my primary school library and enjoying them immensely. But for some reason, I never got any Wombles books of my own. I have now redressed that and have most of the novels as well as many of the more recent picture books (with titles like Shansi's Surprise). On the whole, I like the orignial novels the best.

However, Elisabeth Beresford wrote many other books and series apart from the Wombles, although it was the Wombles that really made her famous. Another book I have by her is a one-off novel called The Secret Railway, which I bought in a lot of two books (the other book in the lot was a Wombles book). I found it to be quite a delightful story. She has written a good number of other books, and I have found a site that seems to have a pretty complete list of all the books written by Elisabeth Beresford:

http://www.booksellerworld.com/elisabeth-beresford.htm

As you can see, she wrote a lot more than just the Wombles books! Another major Beresford series is the "Magic" series, and then there is a host of one-off books with various themes - although they seem to be mainly mystery, adventure, or supernatural stuff.

Anyone else here collectors of the Wombles or Elisabeth Beresford books in general? What's your favourite EB (Elisabeth Beresford, not Enid Blyton!) book and/or series? How do you think she stacks up alongside the likes of Enid and other 20th-Century authors? Etc.

Underground, overground, wombling free!
The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we ...
Best Regards

ROWAN M.

A room without books is like a body without a soul - Cicero
User avatar
Almas
Posts: 963
Joined: 09 Jul 2007, 03:11
Favourite book/series: Six Bad Boys/Adventure/Famous Five/ Find-Outers
Favourite character: Fatty (I have a crush on him!!)
Location: Sharjah, UAE

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by Almas »

Hi Rowan. Reading this thread bought me back my old, old memories! I read The Wombles, and The Wandering Wombles as novels in our literature class in grade three. It's been years since I read the books but I did enjoy them when I read them.

I haven't heard about Elisabeth Beresford much and haven't seen many of her books in libraries or book-stores And is she dead or alive?

Almas
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen.
User avatar
Kitty
Posts: 1053
Joined: 17 Jun 2006, 13:10
Favourite book/series: Five Find-Outers/Malory Towers
Favourite character: Alicia, Fatty, Gwendoline
Location: Malory Towers

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by Kitty »

I used to love the Magic books - haven't read any for years, must dig one out!

I was pleased that the Wombles have had a bit of a renaissance in recent times, I think the second generation Wombles are really charming! Stepney, Shansi, etc. Very fond of Wombles, who are probably the reason I have a near-obsessive dislike of waste, and of throwing things out!!
Gwendoline lay down, angry. She determined to make herself miserable and cry.
User avatar
RDMorrell
Posts: 474
Joined: 25 Jun 2007, 10:32
Favourite book/series: Famous Five, Secret Seven, Adventure
Favourite character: Anne
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by RDMorrell »

Almas wrote:I haven't heard about Elisabeth Beresford much and haven't seen many of her books in libraries or book-stores And is she dead or alive?

Almas
Hi Almas.

Despite Elisbaeth's Beresford's reasonably large output, all her books seem to be out of print nowadays. Certainly, I don't think the Wombles novels have been reprinted since about the early 1990s.

To the best of my knowledge, Elisabeth Beresford is still alive and may even be writing to this day! But it seems to have been a while since she had anything new published. According to this Web page - http://www.tidybag.co.uk/wombles-info/e ... sford.html - she lives in St. Anne's on the Channel Island of Alderney, in a 300-year-old cottage! (Sounds like something an Enid Blyton character might do!) In honour of her most famous creation, Alderney even issued a set of Wombles stamps once (called "Wombling Holiday") in 2000 (check them out here, though you'll need to scroll down a bit: http://www.cerise.f2s.com/womble/memorab/memstat.htm).
Best Regards

ROWAN M.

A room without books is like a body without a soul - Cicero
User avatar
Susie
Posts: 699
Joined: 25 Jul 2006, 20:42

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by Susie »

I love the wombles, it was so interesting, and what they did with what they found.
I thought the names were so good too! Great uncle Bulgaria, and Oregano and not forgetting Wellington and Tomsk.

The video was really cute, I watched the whole thing while in a toy shop when I was younger. I will have to look on dvd rental maybe they have some on dvd. Would be great to see them again.

Rowan} my mum keeps singing the song after I read her your post.
There is always something else new to learn.
User avatar
RDMorrell
Posts: 474
Joined: 25 Jun 2007, 10:32
Favourite book/series: Famous Five, Secret Seven, Adventure
Favourite character: Anne
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by RDMorrell »

Susie wrote:I love the wombles, it was so interesting, and what they did with what they found.
I thought the names were so good too! Great uncle Bulgaria, and Oregano and not forgetting Wellington and Tomsk.
The Wombles take their name from a world atlas. So Great Uncle Bulgaria is named after the country of Bulgaria, Orinoco after a river in South America and Wellington after my own home town of Wellington in New Zealand! :mrgreen: Wellington is one of my favourites because of that, and also because he's kind of nerdy and intellectual like me. :lol: But I also like Orinoco, because I have a lazy side to me and a predilection for sweets. :wink: And when I first read about Great Uncle Bulgaria looking over his glasses at naughty young Wombles, it reminded me of my first-year primary-school teacher, who used to do exactly the same thing!

I don't think I dislike any of the Wombles, but Bungo can be a little bit annoying sometimes with his bossiness and self-importance.

Of course, the Wombling Song by Mike Batt is fantastic, and there are some cool videos of that on YouTube. For instance, the 1974 Euro-Vision Song Contest (which ABBA won with Waterloo), held in Brighton, featured the Wombles singing their signature tune in the interval! :D
Best Regards

ROWAN M.

A room without books is like a body without a soul - Cicero
User avatar
Susie
Posts: 699
Joined: 25 Jul 2006, 20:42

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by Susie »

You know I always thought it was Oregano, goodness knows why.
There is always something else new to learn.
User avatar
Stephen
Posts: 2108
Joined: 05 Feb 2006, 09:38
Location: Maidenhead
Contact:

Re: Elisabeth Beresford

Post by Stephen »

I always used to imagine Mam'zelle Dupont sounding like Bernard Cribbins' Madame Cholet! A no-nonsense but easily bewildered Frenchwoman!
Post Reply