Continuation Books/The One Show

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I was phoned this evening and asked if I had seen BBC The One Show. I hadn't, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. I had not contacted the BBC about this, even though It is about a subject close to my heart. It is well known that I won't stock "continuation novels" because I believe that they are designed to mislead children - as expressed by the Trading Standards chap. It starts 18 mins in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011f78m" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 6_05_2011/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As Matt Baker said "what a result!"

Viv

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Viv. I thought Sheila Hancock demonstrated the problem well by giving two of the newly-written Wishing Chair books to a group of Year 4 children (aged 8-9) and asking them who the author was. Hardly surprising that, on looking at the covers, they thought Enid Blyton had written them. Hurrah for the trading standards officer who concluded that Enid Blyton's signature was being used not merely as a trademark, but as a way of deceiving readers about who had written the stories. It's good news that publishers will have to put the name of the real author on the covers of future editions.

[Tony Summerfield]

I'm afraid I slipped up here as I had meant to put something about it on the forums. I got phoned by The One Show ten days ago and had a long conversation about this. It was actually through our website that she learnt that the author of those Wishing-Chair books was Narinder Dhami and we discussed all the various continuation books in detail. She did tell me that it was intended for the show on May 16th, but said she would confirm it nearer the time, but she never came back to me. I had mentioned it to Anita, but forgot all about it myself!

I actually phoned Chorion about this when the books first came out about two years ago. I was particularly annoyed by the page which listed other books by Enid Blyton, over half of which had nothing to do with her as they even used completely different characters. The person I spoke to who no longer works there said she would look into it and come back to me but she never did.

A pity the website didn't get a mention as it was the main point of reference for them.

[Fiona1986]

Will have to watch that when I get home tonight as i completely agree, it is unfair to deceive the reader and I also think it's unfair the authors do not get Proper recognition for their writing.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Here is the bit from Barbra’s biography, which gives a clear idea of what Enid herself thought about ghost writers.

She wrote to her solicitor
...I announced in my magazine last Wednesday that it had been reported to me from South Africa that I did not write my own books but merely put my signature to them and asked any child to tell me at once if they heard such a rumour so I could immediately put it right. I put in this announcement because I have had several extrememly rude letters fro South Africa, from children, pouring scorn on me for being such a fraud! (I don't wonder the children felt like that, really - to believe in a person and then find she has apparently decieved them for years is a blow to a worshipping child!)

She went on to describe an incident when a young librarian, speaking at a school, implied that all the books bearing the name “Enid Blyton” were not necessarily written by the author herself. An apology in open court followed.
Enid Wrote
… This is very damaging, not only to my books but to me. I am such a public figure now, and well trusted, as you know, and run many clubs and societies which bring in money, that I absolutely must have those rumours cleared up – for who is going to believe that I am honest if I don’t even write my own books!... In the last month or two we have had rumours from Australia that I am dead and someone else is writing my books. Rumours from S. Africa that I am dead and no longer write my books and rumours, also from S. Africa that I am alive, but do not write my books and now here is a librarian with the same slander…

Viv

[Moonraker]

Thanks for providing the link, Viv. I am delighted that Chorion say they are going to ensure that the true author's name goes on the cover. Time will tell if that does or does not happen!

I have never had an issue with follow-on novels (or fan fiction) - indeed, Rob Houghton's The Mystery of the Disappearing Tramp is far superior to Banshee Towers.

The problem I have is with the name on the cover. Some continuation books look to be written by Enid Blyton. This, in my opinion is wrong on two counts. Firstly, it is not by Enid Blyton and secondly it is by someone else and should say so!

I can understand that a publisher will like uniformity and continuity in its cover designs, but there is nothing to stop the real author's name being displayed on the cover with "based on Enid Blyton's characters" alongside it.

[Eddie Muir]

I'm in total agreement with all you say in your post, Nigel, especially with what you say about the true author's name appearing on the cover of his/her books.

Thanks for providing the links to The One Show, Viv. I have only just had the opportunity to watch it. Most interesting!

[Tony Summerfield]

I don't want to give the impression from my earlier post that I am against continuation books as I certainly am not and I think it is a slightly bigoted approach to lump them all in one basket, Viv.

It is not surprising that The One Show merely mentioned the Wishing-Chair books as these are the only ones where the author is not clearly named, at least on the title page if not on the cover.

I agree with the quote that you have used from Enid Blyton above, she had every right to be angry as she was still writing her books at the time. However the quote is completely irrelevant to things that are happening forty years after her death. I can name a number of dead children's authors who have had recent sequels written and I think it is a tribute that there is still an appetite for their work. Regrettably I get frequent letters from children addressed to Enid Blyton, saying please write more books in various series. Only this morning on the breakfast news I saw Frank Cottrell Boyce being interviewed about a sequel he has just written for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When he was asked why he did it, his reply was, because I was asked to.

So let's not put everything into one basket, to me the important thing is quality and if the characters are being used as Enid originally wrote them I am in full approval.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Thanks for the link, Viv. I'll look when I have a few spare moments.

I fully understand that Enid had every right to be annoyed and angry when she was alive and writing her books. Any author would be. And I have to confess that I haven't read any of Pamela Cox continuation books, but that's only because at the moment I'm not into the school stories.

I remember reading some of the Famous Five contination books by Claude Voilier, but they just didn't ring true as the Famous Five were. But I think it's a great tribute to Enid and the works that she gave us, that authors want to carry on with Enid's characters, bringing them once more to live as Enid did.

But I do think that the author's name should be on the front cover as it is their story after all and should be recognised as such.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Just out of curiosity, I checked my Knight paperback Claude Voiler Famous Fives and Evelyne Lallemand Secret Sevens (I don't have a complete collection of the latter), which were translated from French into English and published in Britain in the 1980s. In those days they didn't put Enid Blyton's name on the cover, but the names Claude Voilier and Evelyne Lallemand didn't appear on the cover either. No author was mentioned until the title page, where there was an explanatory note saying, "A new adventure of the characters created by Enid Blyton, told by Claude Voilier/Evelyne Lallemand, translated by Anthea Bell". The same applies to my 1968 Children's Press edition of Heidi Grows Up. There's no mention of either Johanna Spyri or Charles Tritten on the cover, but a note on the title page says, "by Charles Tritten, Johanna Spyri's Translator". Still rather misleading, though the Claude Voilier and Evelyne Lallemand sets of books had their own "look" and the covers didn't resemble the covers of the Enid Blyton Famous Five and Secret Seven books of the time.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Yes, I've just checked out one of the Claude Voilier books I have, Anita.

And as you say there is no author on the front cover at all. Just the name The Famous Five and the ......

inside it says a new adventure of the characters created by Enid Blyton, told by Claude Voiler, translated by Anthea Bell.

[ria ann]

In both my books the name Claude Voiler is mentioned in the front cover itself.

[RDMorrell]

I think the editions printed in the early 1990s (which dropped the internal illustrations) had Claude Voilier's name on the cover, but earlier ones published in the 1980s did not.

Great news that continuation books will be required to have the actual author's name on the cover! I've never understood why it had to be such a big secret. There is a similar problem with the German Famous Five continuation books, which have Enid Blyton's name prominently on the covers, and an almost grudging admission that Sarah Bosse is the actual author on the publishing info page.

[lizarfau]

Excellent news - the authors' names should appear on the covers, and there's never been any doubt in my mind that publishers have been trying to deceive people into thinking the recently published fillers/continuations were written by Enid herself.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I think the editions printed in the early 1990s (which dropped the internal illustrations) had Claude Voilier's name on the cover, but earlier ones published in the 1980s did not.

Thanks, Rowan. Mine are the earlier ones.