The Enid Blyton Society

As a kid, I was 100% sure that The Famous Five and Secret Seven all lived in the present day - the late 1970's, early 1980's. I knew the Famous Five rode chopper bikes and wore flared jeans, and I knew the Secret Seven had crew cuts and wore bomber jackets. They were very much products of the 1970's and I didn't actually realise the books were set in any time other than contemporary times.

Is there a reason the paperbacks shifted the series on by two or even three decades counting from the first few books? Apart from the copy covers of the originals, I don't think I've ever seen a paperback cover illustration depicting the proper era of the books .

No - according to the publishers, the stories always took place in 'modern day' and not the past.

I'd say because the paperbacks started being published in the '60s and '70s and the publishers naturally decided to give them a "contemporary" look to appeal to the kids of the day. After all, Enid's stories could just as well have been set in any era up until about the mid-1990s, when mobile phones and the internet started becoming ubiquitous — and then developing into smartphones and social media and all the rest of it within the following decade — after which of course it wouldn't be possible to set these books in the present day without rewriting the plots beyond recognition. But before that, they really were almost timeless.

That's true. I must admit I thought they were contemporary stories when I was a kid in the 1970's. I sometimes wondered why people had Nannies and cooks and maids, but I just presumed these were what people usually had in stories!

Interesting comments.
I was just reading what Enid herself wrote about the generational changes in children way back in 1923...





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Rob Houghton wrote:I must admit I thought they were contemporary stories when I was a kid in the 1970's. I sometimes wondered why people had Nannies and cooks and maids, but I just presumed these were what people usually had in stories!

I think I always had some perception that they were set "in the past", because I knew my parents had read these books when they were children as well — and I certainly suspected that most people didn't have maids and cooks and nannies any more, even in England — but I never really wondered too much about what era they were supposed to be set in or how long ago it actually was. I just enjoyed the stories!

Thanks Pete, for posting the preface to Child Whispers. I've never had the opportunity to read it before. Are you lucky enough to own a copy?

Yes, very interesting, Pete! I'm not lucky enough to own a copy - but do have Silver and Gold. One day I might find a cheap copy of Child Whispers!!!

I noticed that there are two versions of Better Maxeys Famous five covers...at least for the early four or five volumes. Then the later ones are with same cover design
Why and how is this so ?
Example - Five go adventuring again ....old version had the five looking out of a window.
The later one has George and Julian hiding behind a door .

I think Tony did post an explanation about these early covers, but I can't seem to find the thread that post featured in. Maybe someone else can??

Anybody?

Try the thread in bold after the following quote:

pete9012S wrote:
Also,while we are on the subject of the Knight paper backed Famous Five's,I have always wondered why a few have differing covers to the rest ie:











Are these cover reversals deliberate or possibly a mistake? Surely not.



Just a slight change to the tower in the background on this one!


Regards
Pete

Famous Five - Red Boards 1974 cut off year?

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Regards

Pete