Other Illustrators

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

Well said, Courtenay! I agree it's interesting that Enid's stories have continued through the years while many of her contemporaries didn't. Of course, there must be several reasons - one being that her stories were so readable with memorable characters and settings - also, of course, her books were phenomenally popular - and continued to be so through the 1940's and 50's - which in turn encouraged publishers to keep them fresh with constant reprints and also paperback versions - as well as those modernisations which we all like to complain about.

I've only read bits and pieces by Enid's contemporaries, but none of them have ever matched up, for me personally. I've tried to read Malcolm Saville many times and can never get into his books - they just don't have the same magic, and are very slow-moving. A good place to read stories by Enid's contemporaries is a Daily Mail Annual from the 1940's. I have them all - and it's interesting to see the other authors who were invited to contribute - Betty Rosamond, Elsie Scott, Percy A. Clarke, Froom Tyler, Mollie Chappell, Reginald Horner and Nancie Lyle, for example. All have sunk without trace except Enid Blyton.
'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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Tony Summerfield
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Robert Houghton wrote:Hi books look very interesting! I've never come across any. Did he ever write in any other books, such as Daily Mail annual etc? Just wondered if I might have him in publications like that?

I love these illustrations - so evocative - and it's interesting how the flavour of Enid's books is reflected in these illustrations - shows how many books were of similar ilk in those days. I often think many people were trying to BE Enid Blyton! ;-)
More similar to EB books than you realise, Rob - here are two.
Image Image

Eric Leyland was prolific and wrote over a hundred children's books for various publishers and under various pseudonyms - he wrote stories for girls as Sylvia Little! His stories can be found in many annuals etc.

Pig's Nose is also Max and Scrap, he is the fair-haired one slightly smaller than Max. His real name is Robert Irons and the nickname Scrap comes from his surname.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

Really like the look of those! 'Under Water' reminds me of the Elan Valley. 8)

They definitely share the Secret Seven style! Interesting how books were modelled to look like similar titles - something that still happens today - so that children will be drawn towards reading them.
'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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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

John Pickup wrote:Eric Leyland wrote quite a few books for children, I've got one called The Counterfeit Mystery published by Museum Press in 1951. The only illustration is the frontspiece which is also replicated on the dustwrapper but not credited. Eric Leyland wrote a book called Mystery Moor set in Cumberland but I've yet to find a copy.

Found this on eBay, John! Maybe a bit expensive though!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mystery-Moor- ... SwYHxWNhN4

8)
'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: Other Illustrators

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I love the illustrations of the books and would have agreed with others the boys did look in their early teens.

I too would buy a book because I love the dust jacket. Those dust jackets of Eric Leyland are lovely, so Secret Sevenish. Books today somehow don't have the same appeal, mind you, they don't always have a dust jacket either.

8)
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Kate Mary
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Kate Mary »

Super illustrations thanks for posting them. I haven't any books by Eric Leyland but I do have one by his alter ego Sylvia Little, "Mystery at Raven Abbey". I bought it years ago when Peakirk Books had a shop but have never got round to reading it yet. I must rectify that. The two artists Tony has posted so far both worked on comics. Leslie Otway for Fleetway; he illustrated Belle and Mamie and Alona the Wild One for Princess comic and many others no doubt, and John Woods did lots of work for D C Thomson's Bunty and Judy comics and probably boys' comics too.
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by John Pickup »

I've got a Sylvia Little book too, Mystery At Queens. I never knew that was Eric Leyland.
You're right, Rob, that copy of Mystery Moor is too expensive for me but thanks for sharing the link.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Ah yes - we've seen those Eric Leyland covers before. Village Under the Water looks very intriguing. What a beautiful cover.

It's funny the way they've printed the letters "y" and "g" in the title Mystery of Pig's Nose. It might lead someone to think it's Piq's Nose, which would probably be pronounced Picks Nose!
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Daisy »

:lol: I did just that Anita, then thought 'no, it can' be!'
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

:lol:
"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."
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Tony Summerfield
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Two more books from the Tony chaos (I have too many books!) that are in series with the same Brockhampton 'livery', there were five Sengler books by Grania Brandon and fourteen Cherrys books by Will Scott which have been covered in another thread. Both use illustrators who have worked on Blyton books, Sengler is illustrated by Norman Meredith and the Cherrys by Lilian Buchanan.
Image Image

Of all these series of books, from what I have read so far I prefer the Eric Leyland books. The Secret Seven are very 'formulaic' with too many characters who we learn very little about. The Leyland books have two or three main characters that we can really get to know and the settings and plots are all very different. Of the two that I pictured above, 'Village Under Water' is set in Switzerland and 'Pig's Nose' is set in Devon. As bibliographical information is so hard to find, I thought I would put in one more list, but I won't bore you with any more!

Eric Leyland (Brockhampton Series)
1 Full Steam Ahead (August 1951) (ill. Leslie Otway)
2 Mystery of Pig’s Nose (August 1951) (ill. John Woods)
3 All Hands on Deck (May 19 1952) (ill. John Woods)
4 Crash Landing (October 6 1952) (ill. Jack Matthew)
5 Village Under the Water (August 17 1953) (ill. John Woods)
6 Danger Below (August 23 1954) (ill. John Woods)
7 Man Overboard (June 20 1955) (ill. John Woods)
8 White Fury (January 19 1956) (ill. John Woods)
9. Forest Feud (January 14 1957) (ill. John Woods)
10. Wings Over the Outback (January 20th 1958) (ill. John Woods)
11. Tall Timber Trail (January 19th 1959) (ill. John Woods)
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

Anything illustrated by Lilian Buchanan has my vote! I love her work. 8)

I agree that the Eric Leyland plots are much more diverse than The Secret Seven - and the settings too. I wonder if I'd have been keen to read them as a youngster though, as I tended to steer clear of books that were set in foreign countries - even disliked 'Valley of Adventure' and 'River of Adventure' etc because of this! 8)
'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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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Great covers, Tony. I agree with Robert that Lilian Buchanan's illustrations are attractive. The Bobby Brewster books I used to borrow from the library as a child were illustrated by her.

One of the first full-length books I ever read was Heidi by Johanna Spyri and it gave me a taste for books set in foreign countries, so I'd have been happy to read Eric Leyland's books if I'd ever come across them. Bernese Adventure by Jane Shaw was another title I read quite young, and What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge.

Interesting posts on Enid's popularity. Another factor might be that she had close contact with her readers through Teachers World, Sunny Stories and Enid Blyton's Magazine. And of course she wrote for children of all ages from toddlerhood to early teens, and in many different genres.
"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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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

John Pickup wrote:I've got a Sylvia Little book too, Mystery At Queens. I never knew that was Eric Leyland.
You're right, Rob, that copy of Mystery Moor is too expensive for me but thanks for sharing the link.

Also, now I've checked again, the company selling it tend to use 'stock photos' - I've had issues with them selling books without dust wrappers when the illustration clearly shows a wrapper! :evil:
'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: Other Illustrators

Post by Courtenay »

I've always enjoyed books set in other countries too (Heidi is another favourite!), so I would probably have liked to read those Eric Leyland ones if I'd ever come across them. Not for the going rate on eBay, though! :wink: Village Under the Water does look very intriguing.
Robert Houghton wrote: Also, now I've checked again, the company selling it tend to use 'stock photos' - I've had issues with them selling books without dust wrappers when the illustration clearly shows a wrapper! :evil:
Oooh, don't talk to me about stock photos. :evil: I've had that happen too — not with a dust jacket, but with a paperback where I wanted a particular cover illustration (as shown in the photo), and what comes along in the post but a completely different cover that I had already and didn't like!! :x It doesn't take THAT much skill these days to snap at least one photo of the actual item and upload it, for crying out loud...
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