What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

I'm not 100% convinced that the Faraway Tree books won't be abridged...or at least altered in some small ways. I'm pretty sure the Dean versions of the 1970's were slightly edited...? Hopefully not.

I'm glad the Secret books seem to have been left untouched for so long (though I don't think that's the case now!!) and also the Find Outers were left untouched until at least after these versions -

Image

As far as I can tell, anyway. 8) I have a few of these and they seem to be the original text.
'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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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Rob Houghton wrote:I'm not 100% convinced that the Faraway Tree books won't be abridged...or at least altered in some small ways. I'm pretty sure the Dean versions of the 1970's were slightly edited...? Hopefully not.
I don't think the 1970s Dean editions of the Faraway Tree books (individual volumes) were edited as I've never heard anyone mention any changes, though I'd be interested to hear if anyone has found any.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Wolfgang »

Today the postman delivered two more books:
Le mystére du chat siamois Hachette idéal 1964 The mystery of the disappearing cat
Le mystére des enveloppes mauves Hachette 1984 The mystery of the spiteful letters
At least Jaques Fromont (illustrator of the idéal Bibliothèque Mystery series) had the common sense to give the children other clothes when they're sleeping in bed ;-).
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:
Rob Houghton wrote:I'm not 100% convinced that the Faraway Tree books won't be abridged...or at least altered in some small ways. I'm pretty sure the Dean versions of the 1970's were slightly edited...? Hopefully not.
I don't think the 1970s Dean editions of the Faraway Tree books (individual volumes) were edited as I've never heard anyone mention any changes, though I'd be interested to hear if anyone has found any.
Hopefully not - I think I did briefly compare volumes when I first had an early edition Faraway Tree book...but I've since got rid of the early editions by selling them!! Its the only series where I really prefer the 1970's versions regards illustrations, so I chose to keep the Dean versions instead - plus, the original versions are just too expensive to buy in wrappers! 8)
'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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Kate Mary
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Kate Mary »

I have the three Faraway Tree books as single volumes in the 1971/72 Dean editions too and it does say that they have been revised but I haven't been able to detect any revisions. Money is not mentioned other than silver pieces, golliwogs appear in chapter 9 of The Enchanted Wood and the word queer is used often. I haven't checked word for word but the Mammoth edition looks like the same text. How the Dean differs from the Newnes version we'll never know unless someone with both editions goes through them page by page!

I did wonder if the editor at Dean's back in 1971 was given the task of updating the currency, went through the Faraway Tree books and finding nothing to update left them alone but they were noted as revised. We know The Adventures of the Wishing Chair had three shillings changed to 35p in the first chapter and the Naughtiest Girl books had many updates as money was mentioned so often. Do you think this is a possible explanation?
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

That seems possible to me, Kate. I've sometimes wondered the same thing but I haven't got any earlier editions so I can't do a comparison.
"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."
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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Not a book, but this arrived yesterday from eBay - a Sampson Low Noddy jigsaw -

Image

Mine is complete, and has a box. the box was quite bashed, but I've reinforced it with card inside (sacrilege I know!!) ;-) and I'm very pleased with it, as I won it for £1.99! :-D
'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: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Daisy »

That looks like a bargain, Rob. Well done.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Looking in The Cave, I see there were only 4 card puzzles issued by Sampson Low - and also it was illustrated by Beek - so it seems I certainly did get a bargain! :-D
'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: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Tony Summerfield »

Funnily enough although there were only four of them the Sampson Low Noddy jigsaws turn up far more frequently than the BesTime ones. The illustrations for all Noddy jigsaws were taken straight from the books, the Sampson Low ones from the Big Noddy books. The boxes for both series are normally horribly squashed and I think it was sensible to try and strengthen it with cardboard. The BesTime ones are even worse as they were all sealed with the horrible yellow sellotape and normally torn open by the children! All the images you see in the Cave have been painstakingly repaired!! :roll:

The illustrations for all the other BesTime ones were specially done for the jigsaws, Famous Five, Secret Seven etc.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

It certainly was 'horribly squashed' - looked more like a paper bag than a box!! :lol:

Just out of interest, here's a photo of the 'before' and 'after' - :-D

Image
'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: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Courtenay »

That's quite a remarkable repair job, Rob — well done. :D
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Fiona1986 »

That does not look like the same box at all!
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thank you - I was surprised myself! :lol:
'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: What Enid Blyton book have you recently bought?

Post by sixret »

Very impressive, Rob! :D

If it was me, I would have just thrown it away! :lol:
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