Another New Book

[Tony Summerfield]

Books about Enid Blyton are getting a bit like London buses, we get nothing for years and then three come along at once! First we had Duncan McLaren's book, then a few days ago I posted about Tess Livingstone's book and I have now learned of another one that is coming out this autumn, Enid Blyton: The True Story by Ria Follop. I don't know much about this book as yet, but apparently the Follop Family were near neighbours of Enid's in Beaconsfield for a period during the 40s and 50s. The author is claiming that her grandfather, Reg Follop, was a 'close friend' of Enid's. As she wasn't even born when Enid died, I am always slightly sceptical about stories and anecdotes that get passed down from generation to generation (her grandfather is no longer alive), liable to get spiced up a bit at each retelling much in the manner of the old Chinese whispers game. We will have to wait and see, all I have managed to find out so far is that it will be a paperback, published by Feodouly Books (never heard of them and nor has Google!) sometime this autumn.

[Enikyoga]

I think it is great that yet another book on Enid Blyton is to be published. This underscores the popularity of Enid Blyton through the generations. For a person most of whose personal diaries were destroyed, keeping Enid Blyton's memories and works is of paramount importance. It is great that people who were not even around while Enid was still alive are writing about Enid Blyton which demonstrates Enid Blyton's enduring popularity. In fact people who have the hottest websites on EB including the original designers of this website were not around while EB was alive. Yes, it is true that as time passes, information about a big person like Enid Blyton tends to be distorted over time. Nonetheless, it is the myths at times that accentuate a person's importance. For instance Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, etc are still being written about, long after they are gone and you bet that through the ages, more non-relatives of these writers or personalities have written more about these celebrities than their own relatives. Thus, you should not be surprised that more books in either autumn or early next year come out dealing with Enid Blyton and her works, after all these books coming out during this period would coincide with the important fortieth anniversary of her death.

[lizarfau]

Jolly good, Tony!

[Moonraker]

Ria Follop has had quite a few works published, often in the Springtime. Ancestors of this literary family used to live in Salisbury, they had a large property on the northern side of the city, and often wrote to the local newspaper regarding their mildly eccentric neighbour. Sadly, they all died and their once ancestral home is now a youth hostel.

[Rob Houghton]

Ria Follop - yeah, right!

And I was starting to get a bit excited too...

[Tony Summerfield]

I have to admit that my Ria Follop, was a slightly lame attempt and all but one spotted the anagram and the publisher is an anagram as well. With the BBC doing something on flying penguins I just wanted to put an April Fool on this site too - but I didn't get away with it.

Having let the search engines back in, I am just hoping that Google hasn't picked the book up!!

Oh heck, I have just checked Ria Follop on Google and it is in 3rd position!!

[Rob Houghton]

Oh heck, I have just checked Ria Follop on Google and it is in 3rd position!!

That's even funnier!

This could be the start of something big for Ria Follop!

[Fiona1986]

While looking for something else entirely I stumbled upon this thread and wondered how one earth I'd missed the Follop biography.

Surely that must be a record, falling for an April fool's thirteen years late??

[Katharine]

Ha ha - caught me out, I hadn't joined the forums when this was posted.

By sheer coincidence, I've just started a re-read of Duncan's book, and so thought there was yet another book I needed to add to my collection.

[Fiona1986]

I was a member when it was posted so it's entirely possible that I have fallen for this twice .

[pete9012S]

I see Ria Follop hasn't take it personally and has gone on to pen very wordy things..

On the origin of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies
Ria Follop

https://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0703806.pdf

[Boatbuilder]

It seems Ria Follop contributed to that document in 2007, before this topic. Perhaps she is a friend of Tony.

[Jomo]

Watch out for the in depth analysis and review of Follop’s book by Prof. Olaf Priol, Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University. To be published April 2022 - better late than never.

[pete9012S]

Watch out for the in depth analysis and review of Follop’s book by Prof. Olaf Priol.