E. Nesbit - The Railway Children, etc.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting about 'The High-Born Babe' and The Very Big Secret, Rob! I must re-read The Wouldbegoods when I get the chance.

[Rob Houghton]

yes, the children see the baby in a 'perambulator' in the lane where gypsies are asleep on the side of the lane, then later the gypsies have gone and the baby is alone so the girl's take it to the Shepherd's hut to look after it!

[Rob Houghton]

I seem to remember that New Treasure Seekers is a little odd in that it goes back in time, though I enjoy it as it contains one of my favourite episodes - the story of the plum-pudding!

I'm reading New Treasure Seekers now and I see what you mean - its a bit 'all over the place' time-wise. Still enjoyable, but the stories seem to have less purpose than in the other two books. I also enjoyed the story of the plum pudding - washing the fruit with soap etc!

[Boatbuilder]

That reminds me of when I was a child and was at my grandmother's house. My younger cousin who was probably about three at the time was helping her grandmother (a different person) prepare the veg for the meal - my cousin was stood on a chair next to the sink. Her gran had peeled the potatoes and told her to wash them whilst she did something else. When she turned round to see how she was doing, the bowl was full of bubbles as she had put soap powder into the water.

[Rob Houghton]

Great story!

That just shows how good E Nesbit was at gauging the way a child thinks!

[pete9012S]

Just starting E.Nesbit's The House Of Arden. Sounds good!

Plot summary
Two impoverished children, Edred and Elfrida Arden, inherit the decrepit Arden Castle and search for the lost family fortune that will allow them to rebuild it. With the assistance of the magical Mouldiwarp, they travel back in time to earlier periods of English history, searching for clues.

[Rob Houghton]

That's one E Nesbit book I've yet to read. Be interested to know what you think!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I read The House of Arden as a child and was mesmerised by it. It combines fantasy with history and is quite poetic in parts. There's some kind of overlap with another E. Nesbit book - Harding's Luck - though I can't recall exactly how they fit together. Let us know how you get on with it, Pete!

[pete9012S]

Was reading the book late last night. It was published around 1908 when Enid Blyton would have been about ten years old I think.

Not sure if Enid Blyton read any of E.Nesbit's work, but this little passage certainly reminded me of Enid:

They went slowly up the red-brick-paved sidewalk that always looks as though it had just been washed, and when they got to the top of the hill they stopped and looked at each other. “It can’t be wrong,” said Edred.

“She never told us not to,” said Elfrida. “I’ve noticed,” said Edred, “that when grown-up people say ‘they’ll see about’ anything you want it never happens.” “I’ve noticed that, too,” said Elfrida. “Auntie always said she’d see about taking us there."

E. Nesbit. The House Of Arden / A Story for Children

Although written in 1908, the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...

[Rob Houghton]

Was reading the book late last night. It was published around 1908 when Enid Blyton would have been about ten years old I think.

Not sure if Enid Blyton read any of E.Nesbit's work, but this little passage certainly reminded me of Enid:


Although written in 1908, the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...

I'm convinced Enid must have read many E Nesbit stories. There are so many similarities. E Nesbits stories were serialised before being published as books, so the chances are that ENid could have read them in 'Strand Magazine' where they first appeared, if not in book form.

The reason I love E Nesbit is that her books are so fresh and move along at a good pace. The Enchanted Castle is one of my favourites, and The Wonderful Garden, which I only read just recently is another good one.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I too feel that Enid Blyton must have been familiar with E. Nesbit and that she may have encountered some of her work in The Strand Magazine.

Although written in 1908 [The House of Arden], the writing and pace of the storytelling still seems fresh and moves along so far at a good rate...

Yes, E. Nesbit's writing is very fresh and natural. Strangely, her style doesn't seem as old-fashioned as the style of some authors who were writing several decades later. I'm thinking of authors like Elinor Brent-Dyer, Eleanor Graham, Geoffrey Trease, Mary Treadgold, Lorna Hill and Gwendoline Courtney, as well as many of the writers of full text stories (as opposed to picture-strip stories) that appeared in annuals. In my opinion, those authors (along with a number of others who were writing in the first half of the twentieth century) have a stilted, formal quality to their writing which E. Nesbit manages to avoid.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Hurrah - the 1970s TV serial of The Phoenix and the Carpet is out on DVD at long last! :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Carpet ... 9204&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rob Houghton]

That's brilliant!

Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...and perhaps The Swish of the Curtain'...!

And a DVD of The Machine Gunners would be good too! (or has it been released and I missed it?!)

[Boatbuilder]

Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...

Maybe this will do in the short-term while you're waiting, Rob.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sterling-Silve ... 01KFZNFN8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rob Houghton]

Now I just want 'A Little Silver Trumpet' to come out...

Maybe this will do in the short-term while you're waiting, Rob.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sterling-Silve ... 01KFZNFN8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

lol! £50!!