The Enid Blyton Society

I love the GGBP editions. It's nice having a copy that doesn't feel like It going to fall apart as I read it!

However I still love reading the old first editions my mother has!

Next to the Famous Five, The Lone Pine books are my favourite adventure books!

You won't be disappointed RDMorrell, Lone Pine London is a very good one!:)

I should really re-read the whole set again!

According to my GGB copy of The Elusive Grasshopper, the original Newnes edition was 248 pages, the Armada paperbacks 158. I can't imagine the Armadas having more words per page than the hardbacks, so you've lost nearly 40% of the book in paperback.

I have 2 versions of Lone Pine Five (all my others are paperback only) and comparing the first few pages reveals just how much they have condensed the text, leaving out a lot of detail.
I have the 158 page Armada version of Grasshopper and the font is quite small and the text seems to be fairly compact, so I hoping the figure is somewhat less than the 40% estimated. It would be nice to get the full versions of these books.

I was bought the first in this series "Mystery at Witchend" by a good friend who said as I loved Blyton, I'd enjoy it.

I'm about 3/4 through it and it is very enjoyable. I do however find the chapters a tad long, at between 30 and 40 pages each in parts - a quick chapter before bed is turning into a marathon effort!!

Has anyone else read the series (21 books) and what are your thoughts on them if so?

Yes, I have read them all and in my opinion the series is worth persevering with. The twins are annoying at times and in the later books some of the romantic ties are a bit slushy, but there are some good stories there and one of the strengths of the series is the accurate descriptions of locations that actually exist - very different from Blyton in this aspect.

What he does have in common with Enid is that the last book in the series is rather weak.

Like you, I am not too keen on the long chapters for my book at bedtime, I much prefer shorter chapters where you can read on if you reach an exciting point!

I only came across the Lone Pine books as an adult and enjoyed the series although, like Tony, I was irritated by the twins. I also got fed up of the way so many characters were paired off - and yes, I too found the last book disappointing and overly sentimental.

On the plus side are the fascinating villains and exciting plots, the varied child/teenage characters (they come from a range of backgrounds and some are "bookish", some "outdoorsy", some a mixture), the strong sense of location in many of the books and the references to history, legends and country lore. The Neglected Mountain is one of my favourite titles.

I'm currently collecting the series as it is reprinted by Girls Gone By Publishers, as many of my Armada copies have been abridged. (Actually, some of them are Merlin, not Armada, but I think those are abridged too.)

I LOVE The Lone Pine Club!

I think like any series, there are faults with the story's, such as the twins becoming a little difficult to handle and wanting to give certain Older characters a thump when they can't see past the end of their noses, but I love the series and it's one the my mum tried to get me interested in after I started reading the famous five, but I wasn't really interested until about three years ago, and they've been part of my reading circle ever since.

The strongest books for me are, Mystery at Witchend, Seven Gates (2nd), The secret of Grey walls, The Neglected Mountain (as Anita has already mentioned). I love them all to be honest and most of them are a smashing read, great plots and interesting twists and things, some don't quite fit in, but they are superb! I couldn't love this series more.

And Next to the Famous Five they are my second favourite series. Peter and David are possibly two of my all time favourite characters.

Plus, don't forget the token, yet ever so faithful, Macbeth.

They have inspired me also to keep going back to Shropshire, which is a beautiful place, just to try and get an idea of what Malcolm Saville was writing about.

I too have got the Lone Pine books and first read them as a child and have since read the series right through fairly often. I must say I haven't noticed the long chapters - but then I can when necessary force myself to stop in the middle of one! As a child I liked the twins better than I did in later reads. I still have a letter from Malcom Saville which was a reply to one I wrote to him in appreciation of the Marston Baines series which I came to as an adult. Persevere Zoe, I think you'll enjoy them.

Pippa-Stef wrote:Peter and David are possibly two of my all time favourite characters.

I'm fond of Peter and David as well, Pippa-Stef. And I'd like to visit Shropshire one of these days, and Rye, and some of the other locations connected with Malcolm Saville's books. I've been to Lewes in Sussex, which was the inspiration for Malling in The Secret of Galleybird Pit (originally called Four and Twenty Blackbirds). That's one of the very few Saville books I read as a child - I completely missed out on the "Lone Pine" series.

Daisy wrote:I still have a letter from Malcom Saville which was a reply to one I wrote to him in appreciation of the Marston Baines series which I came to as an adult.

I recall you telling me about that at an Enid Blyton Day, Daisy. How lovely to have a letter from a favourite author. I've collected all the "Marston Baines" books but haven't got round to reading them yet! I have read the "Jillies" series though, which I enjoyed immensely, and the "Buckingham" and "Brown Family" series (of which The Secret of Galleybird Pit is the first title).

I am collecting the Lone Pine books in Girls Gone By editions too, my favourite so far has to be "The Gay Dolphin Adventure". The earlier titles are better than some of the later ones, but this is not unusual in a long series.

My favourite Malcolm Saville books of all are the Nettleford series. The Hertfordshire setting is rather more domestic than the Lone Pine novels although in the fourth and final book "The Secret of Buzzard Scar" the children do venture as far as Yorkshire and, of course, explore an old mine (Malcolm Saville was obsessed by mines!) The second title in the series "Christmas at Nettleford" has a lovely snowy setting and for me is one of the best Christmas reads.

Kate.

Reading this thread, I thought I might try and buy one of these books from EBAY, as everyone seems to like them too.

Better still, Julie, get a Girls Gone By edition.

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Kate

Kate Mary wrote:I am collecting the Lone Pine books in Girls Gone By editions too, my favourite so far has to be "The Gay Dolphin Adventure". The earlier titles are better than some of the later ones, but this is not unusual in a long series.

My favourite Malcolm Saville books of all are the Nettleford series. The Hertfordshire setting is rather more domestic than the Lone Pine novels although in the fourth and final book "The Secret of Buzzard Scar" the children do venture as far as Yorkshire and, of course, explore an old mine (Malcolm Saville was obsessed by mines!) The second title in the series "Christmas at Nettleford" has a lovely snowy setting and for me is one of the best Christmas reads.

Kate.

I have gone back to my book shelves, just for you Kate!




A good half hour distraction from my usual Cave duties!

I too love the Nettleford books - I had All Summer Through for years before I found the rest. My favourite is also Christmas at Nettleford. Such lovely family stories.

What I wouldn't give for a browse along Tony's book-shelves!

Kate.