Other Illustrators

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Yes, it's a gorgeous cover. I love the Lake District and have enjoyed reading Arthur Ransome's books set in the area.
"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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Machupicchu14
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Machupicchu14 »

Isn't the Lake District where Beatrix Potter lived? I would love to visit it. :) :D
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
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Tony Summerfield
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Tony Summerfield »

I managed to complete my Newnes Tower House Series of 16 books today, 25 years after getting my first one! This is the series that the six Mary Pollock books belonged to and the one that I have just managed to buy was a Mary Pollock book which I have been looking for since I started. A whole variety of authors and illustrators in this and I can list the 16 if anyone wants, but I thought I would post two books as tasters!
Image Image

Two Enid Blyton illustrators here, Eileen Soper and Jessie Land.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Great-looking books, Tony. I've read Six in a Caravan but I can barely remember a thing about it!
Machupicchu14 wrote:Isn't the Lake District where Beatrix Potter lived? I would love to visit it. :) :D
Yes, she lived at Hill Top Farm in Ambleside. I've never been to Hill Top Farm although I have been to Ambleside and several other parts of the Lake District, one of my favourites being Derwentwater. My daughter was in the Lake District about three weeks ago, hiking in the Buttermere area.
"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 »

GROAN! More gorgeous books to go collecting! ;-)

I really love the Eileen Soper cover (never been a fan of Jessie Land! - although I can see from this cover how good she was at buildings, compared to people!) I also love the title...'Six In A Caravan'...hmmm! Just add one extra person, lol! :lol: That would have definitely been a book I'd have wanted to read as a child.

I'd love to see the full list...and also interested to hear which Mary Pollock book you just bought? Mind you, I only have one with 'Mary Pollock' actually on the cover. 8)

I've been to the Lake District a few times - and also to Hill Top - it's a lovely place, and very interesting if you're familiar with Beatrix's book illustrations, as there are many locations around the house that she used, and the illustrations are on display so you can compare the reality with the illustration! :-)
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 29 Mar 2016, 17:05, edited 1 time in total.
'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 »

I should have said that if anyone wants to see any of the Mary Pollock Tower House books they are all in the Cave apart from the one I have just bought! I added two more yesterday.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/nove ... arypollock" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just seen your request, Rob!

Newnes Tower House Series
1 Six in a Caravan (November 1945) by Bridget Mackenzie (ill Eileen Soper)
2 The Kennys on Their Own (November 1945) by Jill Latimer (ill G. E. Breary)
3 Ringed Round With Foes (November 1945) by C. Bernard Rutley (ill C. P. Shipton)
4 Smuggler Ben (November 1945) by Mary Pollock (ill E. H. Davie)
5 Those Turbulent Twins! (November 1945) by Agnes M. Miall (ill Dudley C. Cowes)
6 Three Boys and a Circus (December 1945) by Mary Pollock (ill Edith Wilson)
7 The Luck of Riverlands (November 1945) by Cecily M. Rutley (ill Dorothy White)
8 The Children of Kidillin (December 1946) by Mary Pollock (ill Edith Wilson)
9 Demon Island (October 1946) by Cecil R. Baldock (ill W. Bryce Hamilton)
10 The Secret of Cliff Castle (July 1947) by Mary Pollock (ill W. Lindsay Cable)
11 The Adventures of Scamp (July 1947) by Mary Pollock (ill uncredited)
12 Mischief at St. Rollo’s (July 1947) by Mary Pollock (ill Hilda McGavin)
13 The Runaway Four (April 1948) by Ann Beverley (ill G. W. Backhouse)
14 Peril on the Ridge (April 1948) by Michael Poole (ill Arnold Bond)
15 Kidnapped on King’s Moor (May 1948) by Cecily M. Rutley (ill Jessie Land)
16 The Mystery Man (January 1949) by Charlotte M. Kelly (ill S. Bright)
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Thought some of those titles rang a bell - we've got an old thread on the Newnes Tower House Series:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... use+series" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"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 »

Thanks for the list, Tony! I just realised that there are some more Mary Pollock covers to collect - and they really are nice. My Mary Pollock original is the Lindsay Cable version with the 'red white and blue' cover Interesting he is billed as 'Lindsay Cable' not 'W Lindsay Cable'! ). I also have 'St Rollo's' illustrated by Hilda McGavin but with no wrapper...so I definitely need to go searching!

However, if you took 25 years to get the complete Tower House set, then I guess I won't be too successful!

One thing I'm a bit confused about is that you refer to them as 'The Mary Pollock Tower House books' - but weren't the first editions also 'Tower House'? Are you referring to the second dust wrappers which were full colour, rather than the first edition covers? :? Or maybe I'm confusing the covers! ;-) I'm presuming the version you only just bought must be a second edition cover??
'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 »

The first two Pollock books were published in 1940 and the next four in 1943. They all just had pictureboard covers and had the price in a diamond on the front cover. The Tower House series was launched in 1945, so none of the Pollock books in that are 1st editions. I have just realised that I haven't put a large illustration of Scamp in yet, but I will remedy that shortly. The one I have just bought is St. Rollo's and I have yet to see it in a wrapper. Annoyingly I have lost my Werner Laurie St Rollo's - I had two copies in dustwrappers and I couldn't decide which was the better one, so I am not even sure if it has a wraparound wrapper. One day I hope they will both turn up but I haven't seen them for five years!
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thanks Tony - I was just confused (and still am in a way!) because my copy of Cliff Castle is one with a dust wrapper, but the same design as the original first edition printed board version...whereas I see the wrappers were also redesigned sometime between the printed boards and the later 'Werner Laurie' dust wrappers.

So my Mary Pollock book of Cliff Castle is a Tower House book but it actually has the same cover as the first edition except the cover is cloth boards with a separate dust wrapper. Confusing!

The St Rollos I have is a Mary Pollock Tower House book but has no wrapper. :-(
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 29 Mar 2016, 18:42, edited 1 time in total.
'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 John Pickup »

Thanks for the list, Tony. I have one Mary Pollock book, The Children Of Kidillin published by Newnes but there is no publishing history in it. There is, however, an inscription on the front endpaper "To Peter, with love from Mum and Dad, Xmas 1941". My copy has a full colour front board but a blank white back board. It is the same as the 1st edition as depicted in the Cave.
Anita mentioned the Arthur Ransome books set in the Lake District, I have all five of the Bannerdale series by Geoffrey Trease and The Beresfords In Tarndale by Peter Lethbridge which are also set in the Lakes.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Rob Houghton »

Tony Summerfield wrote: Annoyingly I have lost my Werner Laurie St Rollo's - I had two copies in dustwrappers and I couldn't decide which was the better one, so I am not even sure if it has a wraparound wrapper. One day I hope they will both turn up but I haven't seen them for five years!
I can confirm that the Werner Laurie St Rollo's doesn't have a wrap around wrapper - just the front cover picture, with an advert for Werner Laurie show books on the back cover. It's one of only two Werner Laurie books I have in complete dust wrappers! :-)
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 29 Mar 2016, 19:42, edited 1 time in total.
'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 »

There were a couple of Mary Pollock books (no dust wrappers) at my local second hand bookshop down the hill some time ago... unfortunately the shop owner, being no fool, was onto the fact that "Mary Pollock" was actually Enid Blyton and had priced them accordingly! :wink:
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

John Pickup wrote:Anita mentioned the Arthur Ransome books set in the Lake District, I have all five of the Bannerdale series by Geoffrey Trease and The Beresfords In Tarndale by Peter Lethbridge which are also set in the Lakes.
Thanks, John. I hadn't heard of Peter Lethbridge's The Beresfords in Tarndale but it has a lovely cover:

http://pictures.abebooks.com/FILBRY/11317546819.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I read the first couple of Bannerdale books in their Girls Gone By incarnations but I'm afraid I found them dull. Geoffrey Trease once described Enid Blyton's writing as being "drained of all difficulty until it achieves a kind of aesthetic anaemia" but I consider her writing to be full of zest and his (what I've read of it, at least) lifeless!
"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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Re: Other Illustrators

Post by John Pickup »

The Bannerdale stories are quite dull as Anita says especially if you're used to the break neck pace of Enid's work.
I have a slightly different edition of The Beresfords In Tarndale to the one Anita has posted, mine has the same cover and spine illustration but instead of Brock Books at the base of the spine mine says Hampton Library.
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