Book Listing

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 23 Jun 2006, 15:45

I agree that this is an unfortunate trend Anita, I think it is because they had a fixed maximum number of pages and when they reached it the editor started snipping! Of course they had a problem when this was applied to a full-length story and it was normally the illustrations that lost out here.

What I find much more offensive is when they decide to do this to a hardback book. The first edition of Adventures of the Wishing-Chair had 36 chapters, but obviously Newnes decided that this took up too many pages and all subsequent editions had only 31 chapters. The missing five chapters remained completely lost until the recent new paperback editions.

On the subject of leaving out stories I think you will find that Dean were a law unto themselves. They even managed to leave out chapters in full-length books and in one classic instance they filled a book by using just the first two chapters of a full-length book - you will see this in the Book Listing.

Best wishes
Tony

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 23 Jun 2006, 16:01

Hi Tony,

[Tony:] "Dean were a law unto themselves. They even managed to leave out chapters in full-length books and in one classic instance they filled a book by using just the first two chapters of a full-length book - you will see this in the Book Listing."

I know they left out chapters from the two "Children at Happy House" books, which they mixed with other stories in Sunshine Book and Happy Hours Story Book. Did they do the same for any other full-length books? (Not including omnibus editions - I'm well aware that they've lopped off a few chapters from the second book in their Faraway Tree omnibus edition

.) And yes, the last two chapters of Happy Hours Story Book are the first two chapters of The Boys' and Girls' Circus Book, which is crazy!

Still, in defence of Deans they're still attractive books and it's probably due to those cheap and cheerful publications that so many titles remained in print for so many years (I imagine that one-off titles like Binkle and Flip or Tales of Toyland may well have gone out of print decades ago if it hadn't been for Deans.)

Anita

Julian · Post by **Julian** » 25 Jun 2006, 19:02

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Julian · Post by **Julian** » 29 Jun 2006, 20:43

[post removed]

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 14 Aug 2006, 16:44

As there has been no feedback on our Book Listing since June I thought I would just do a progress report. We have been constantly working on it since then and are still doing so today. It is now almost complete from Child Whispers up to Enid's death in 1968 and recently I have continued some of the series that had already started and taken them into the 70s and 80s.

We have quite a bit more to do, including possibly adding more pictures of reprints, a section on books with Blyton contributions that have not been used in any of her own books, a list of stories from periodicals that have not been used in Blyton books and also a list of changed titles showing the original titles.

The search facility is excellent and if you can just remember one key word from the title of a book or short story, it should be possible to find it.
We currently list just under 1200 books and over 7000 short stories, poems and plays.

It would be very helpful to have a bit of feedback though - how can we improve it? What would you like to see that isn't there? Please let us know, it would be great to hear that at least one person has looked at it since June!!

Best wishes
Tony

Julian · Post by **Julian** » 14 Aug 2006, 17:14

:[post removed]

HeatherS · Post by **HeatherS** » 15 Aug 2006, 00:47

Hi, Tony. Sorry, I give most of my feedback directly to Keith, who fixes up the glitches, accepts the praise, and changes things probably without you even knowing!

But yes, I find I'm constantly referring to the book listing - to check cover art to see if I'm bidding on an earlier edition or later one on ebay, to check dates, to find out if a book with a similar title contains the same short stories, etc. And of course to help people who come to my website with queries.

A very valuable and useful tool. Thank you so much for spending so much time in sharing your information with us.

Steve Alpe · Post by **Steve Alpe** » 15 Aug 2006, 09:22

Sorry Tony I tend to use your bibliographies rather than your listings. I promise to go to your listing more often.

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 17 Aug 2006, 02:21

I've been having a fit of insomnia, & have spent a happy 3/4 hour looking through the listings. It's great! Thanks to Tony, Keith & anyone else involved. Remind me in the winter & I'll submit a couple of reviews

Yawn

Viv

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 17 Aug 2006, 02:27

Anita Bensoussane wrote: I'm well aware that they've lopped off a few chapters from the second book in their Faraway Tree omnibus edition .)

Crikes - I hadn't realised that!

Which should I reccomend; the omnibus with chapters missing or the individual books with the names changed?

Opinions welcome!

Viv

HeatherS · Post by **HeatherS** » 17 Aug 2006, 03:22

Viv of Ginger Pop wrote: Which should I reccomend; the omnibus with chapters missing or the individual books with the names changed?
Opinions welcome!

I'd personally recommend they scour ebay for an ORIGINAL copy before they all disappear! But of course if they are buying from your shop, I'd go with the missing chapters rather than put up with Beth, Frannie, Rick and Dame Snap! Maybe you can benevolently include a photocopy of the missing chapters for them.

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 17 Aug 2006, 09:48

HeatherS wrote:[
Maybe you can benevolently include a photocopy of the missing chapters for them.

Nice thought - but would I then get done for infringing copyright by photocopying the bit left out???

AAAAHH!!!

Viv

HeatherS · Post by **HeatherS** » 17 Aug 2006, 23:57

Viv of Ginger Pop wrote:Nice thought - but would I then get done for infringing copyright by photocopying the bit left out???

I don't see why, if they're not printing it anyway! Just don't put your name on it. Besides, who's going to tell? I can't see your eight year olds rushing off to Chorion to complain...

Heather.

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 12 Apr 2007, 12:04

There has been no feedback on the Book Listing for 8 months now, but during that time I have added an enormous number of books and the database now has over 1400 books in it. I have recently added over 100 Award books, but I have been unable to get hold of copies of some and the details of the short stories (and in a few cases the pictures) are therefore missing. If anyone can supply details that are missing I would be very grateful. I would also welcome suggestions for any books that are not yet listed, that you would like to see there.

Ming · Post by **Ming** » 12 Apr 2007, 12:59

I just checked out the Listing, and it is just fab. I did a search on Award, and got 110 books. Two of them have "Image Not Available" written, but there seems to be many that don't load. Are their images not available too? If so, I have a few of those books. I'm not sure whether they are missing or not, so the one I am sure about:

Book Listing

Abridged editions

Book Listing