Faraway tree collection

[Georgie]

Hi could someone help me out please when I was little my mum used to read me the faraway tree books and I wanted to buy them again now to read to my little ones but I am a bit confused about what order the books are in and some collections say they are the three books in one but I am not sure if there are 4 books also if the wishing chair collection is part of this or not related at all? can anyone help?

[Moonraker]

Most answers to our book queries can be found in the Cave of Books, Georgie. Your Faraway Tree answers can be found in the Cave.

[Anita Bensoussane]

There is a fourth Faraway Tree book called Up the Faraway Tree, but that's only a picture-strip book with minimal text.

The Wishing-Chair books are about Mollie and Peter, who have adventures in a flying chair. They're not related to the Faraway Tree stories except that Mollie and Peter seem to visit one or two of the same lands (eg. the Land of Goodies.)

Anita

[Moonraker]

There is a fourth Faraway Tree book called Up the Faraway Tree, but that's only a picture-strip book with minimal text.

Yes, I didn't notice that that was missing - I imagine Tony hasn't included it as it isn't a novel. I did buy this, but have yet to 'read' it - somehow, a comic-strip format doesn't appeal to me.

[RainbowJude]

What I'd like to ask about the "Faraway Tree" books is the following. There is an omnibus of the three books at the shops at the moment. It's put out by Dean and the cover looks like this:



The names are the original names and so on, but it says on one of the pages near the start of the book that The Magic Faraway Tree has been slightly abridged. What's been removed?

Later days
David

[Anita Bensoussane]

Booklover once wrote about that (just looked up his post and can hardly believe it was three and a half years ago) but, as his post comes somewhere in the middle of a thread on "Omnibus Bargains," I'm cutting and pasting his words below:

Now the bad news: The 1970s Dean "revised" edition of The Magic Faraway Tree contains 26 chapters. The omnibus "slightly abridged" version only has 20 chapters, the 20th chapter being "The Land of Magic Medicines". That is, the following chapters are not included:

(21) Some Peculiar Adventures
(22) Watzisname has some Queer News
(23) The Land of Tempers
(24) A Most Exciting Time
(25) Everything Comes Right
(26) The Land of Presents.

Dean has omitted the very exciting scenes involving Moon-Face and Silky being taken prisoner by Sir Stamp-a-Lot and Dame Yell-Around from The Land of Tempers. They have also left out the lovely visit to The Land of Presents that follows.

But to make the story seem ordered, Dean has cobbled together bits and pieces of chapters 20, 21 and 22 under the heading of chapter 20, then added the final paragraph from chapter 26(!) to finish the book.

In particular, in The Land of Magic Medicines, Dean includes the text up to where the pixie asks Jo (in chapter 20) if he has come for some medicine for shining eyes. Everything after that is left out until the scene (in chapter 21) where the goblin asks the children what medicine they want. That is, Dean has left out Dick growing tall and then being shrunk back to size and Saucepan Man taking a pill that makes his nose grow.

Having resumed the story with the goblin's question, Dean publishes the paragraphs where Jo receives the Get-Well medicine, then has him state:

"Now, come along everyone. Let's go and give dear Mother a dose of this magic medicine. It will be so lovely to see her looking well again and rushing around the house as she always did. "

The rest of chapter 21 is then omitted. The next paragraph is the first paragraph of chapter 22 - ie "Fanny was delighted to see Jo, Bessie and Dick back." The story then follows chapter 22 up to the following paragraph:

"We'll put the rest of the bottle of magic medicine away", she said [ie the children's mother], I don't need it any more - but it would be very useful if anyone else is ill".

The rest of the book is then omitted, except for the last paragraph of the final chapter after the children visit The Land of Presents. Even this is modified, as it originally described the children walking through the wood.

I am very upset with Dean. With so much of the story left out, the book is hardly "slightly abridged".

As you can see from that, a huge chunk of the book is missing I'm afraid, David!

Anita

[RainbowJude]

That's such a pity! I've got all three books individually - with an unabridged The Magic Faraway Tree - and would never get rid of them, but I was looking to get the omnibus edition as it matches the others I've got in that series of compilations - and they look great on the shelf!

Later days
David

[Moonraker]

Booklover once wrote about that (just looked up his post and can hardly believe it was three and a half years ago)...

Phew! Amazing, Anita. I have just bought this book as a gift for a colleague's child. Yes, it is abridged, but it still captures the essence of the series and is, imo, a great inexpensive (I can't help being tight - I can't spell 'freudal') buy.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I have just bought this book as a gift for a colleague's child. Yes, it is abridged, but it still captures the essence of the series and is, imo, a great inexpensive (I can't help being tight - I can't spell 'freudal') buy.

I agree that these omnibus editions are great value for money, though it is a pity to abridge a book in that way. Hope your colleague's child enjoys climbing the Faraway Tree to Magical Lands, Nigel. By the way, the word you're looking for is "frugal"!

Anita

[Philip Mannering]

I am very thankful that I have read the unabridged editions, with the original names. Of course, omnibus editions are great bargains -- and look so very nice sitting in a shelf. To date I have only purchased two omnibus editions however -- one, The Adventures of the Six Cousins which is an incorrect title, and has abominable illustrations; and The Family Collection. This also contained faults -- on the back cover it is written that The Seaside Family comes before Pole Star! Also, in the content Buttercup Farm is placed ahead of Queen Elizabeth! But it looks very nice, and for once the illustrations are decent. Can anyone tell me whether there were updates in this new Dean omnibus edition?

By the way, what is the meaning of the word "omnibus"? (Moonraker, don't put that "I must Google before asking dumb questions" smilie, for I have tried, but don't get good results.)

[RainbowJude]

To date I have only purchased two omnibus editions however -- one, The Adventures of the Six Cousins which is an incorrect title, and has abominable illustrations....

I saw that in the shop the other day. Why is it incorrect? And are they unabridged?

By the way, what is the meaning of the word "omnibus"? (Moonraker, don't put that "I must Google before asking dumb questions" smilie, for I have tried, but don't get good results.)

An omnibus is 'a printed anthology of the works of one author or of writings on related subjects'.

Later days
David

[Moonraker]

By the way, the word you're looking for is "frugal"! :wink

Thanks Anita - another 'senior moment'!

[Moonraker]

By the way, what is the meaning of the word "omnibus"? (Moonraker, don't put that "I must Google before asking dumb questions" smilie, for I have tried, but don't get good results.)

Okay Phil. I won't then! As David has already given you the definition, I won't waste my time in suggesting that you try an online dictionary!

[Anita Bensoussane]

To date I have only purchased two omnibus editions however -- one, The Adventures of the Six Cousins which is an incorrect title, and has abominable illustrations....

I saw that in the shop the other day. Why is it incorrect?

The title The Adventures of the Six Cousins , coupled with the cover illustration showing the children in a cave, gives the impression that the Six Cousins books are adventure stories, when in fact they're family stories.

And are they unabridged?

I haven't seen The Adventures of the Six Cousins but Enid Blyton novels are rarely abridged (the abridgement of The Magic Faraway Tree mentioned above is a rare exception) so I doubt the stories will have been cut, but it's possible (though not certain) that the text will have been updated/made more politically correct in places.

Anita

[Philip Mannering]

As far as I know, The Adventures of the Six Cousins hasn't been cut. Updates are few too -- if PC updates would happen then the part about not wearing sandals (extremely odd! I noticed it when I was reading, and also in your review, Anita.) would have to be removed. Thankfully, it has not been removed! I don't know about any other updates, however.