The Enid Blyton Society

To promote even more Enid Blyton based discussion and to shine a spotlight even more brightly on our wonderful Cave Of Books I thought it might be a good idea to share together what we have been looking at or searching for there.




I've just been reading a fascinating review about the very early (1928) Blyton story Let's Pretend!.
As the review of the book mentions,there's something pretty unique about this book that most of the general public may not know....

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... 7s+Pretend" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;!

I'm sure many of us here will be able to share more gems from our cave and also things they have found and enjoyed in the days and weeks ahead.

This morning I was in the cave looking at this poem from 1917:



Nash's and Pall Mall Magazine
'Have You_?

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=2568" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a copy for sale on ebay,not sure what it will fetch:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enid-Blyton-N ... Sw3mpXK3aB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I only get a blank screen (other than the border illustrations) when clicking on your first link, Pete.

So do I, Nigel.

I've just corrected the link. It had an apostrophe at the end which shouldn't have been there. - Anita

Thank you, Anita.

Let's Pretend was a wonderful 'gem' to pick, Pete, as it has every page from a large book with the complete story. Its only downside is that it has got a review from me that was actually written as an article for Journal 37!

I have just been reading through it all again and I am now doubting something that I have always thought was correct. As I say in the review the colour plates were all taken from another uncredited book, but as
I. Bennington-Angrave is credited in the Blyton version I just assumed that she was the artist of the colour plates as well. I am now wondering if all she actually did were the line drawings and the colour plates were done by some other uncredited illustrator. This has only just occurred to me as I noticed the initials 'BJ' on one of the colour illustrations this morning! I welcome opinions on this, one illustrator or two?

It's hard to tell. I did notice that the hair colour of the childen is not consistent from one story to the next.... perhaps they had wigs among their dressing up clothes? Whether the illustrator is the same as the one who did the colour plates, I'm not really sure.

Well, I bid as much as I wanted to for the Nash's Magazine - £52.50 - but as usual was outbid with just TWO SECONDS to go - grrr! All's fair in love and bidding, I guess - but annoying to have missed out on owning the first publication Enid appeared in. Oh well!

The other magazine from the same seller sold a little cheaper Rob:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291758807852? ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That was because I didn't bid on it, lol - I pushed the price up on the first one single-handedly from £25 to £52.50, but forgot to bid on the other one. Presumably, looking at the bidders, the same person won both of them.

If anyone on here won the first one, then I apologise for pushing the price up, lol!

Daisy wrote:Whether the illustrator is the same as the one who did the colour plates, I'm not really sure.

I'm not sure either, though I enjoyed looking at the illustrations and reading Tony's review again.

Sorry you didn't get the magazines, Rob!

I don't have any of the three Nash's Magazines myself, Rob, which is why one has a poor pic in the Cave and the other two don't have pics at all! I have managed to put in pics of all three poems as I do have Enid's own scrapbook which is better than nothing!

The seller has been a registered member of these forums for just over seven years using the same name as on ebay, although they have never actually posted. I have know them for over 20 years!

Tony Summerfield wrote: I do have Enid's own scrapbook which is better than nothing!

I should say!!

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... 8No.+14%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just dipped into the cave to what this 1966 book contains.

It's a nice book, Pete - one I've had since a child.

One of my absolute favourite short stories is in this book - 'A Noise In The Night' - plus a few other faves - He Wanted Adventures, The Quiet Little Boy, The Vowel Dolls, You're A Bully, The Wrong Berries and Mr Squiggle!

I also loved the poem 'The Storm' -

Hark! The thunder roars aloud
Black is every lowering cloud,
Swift the lightning comes and goes,
All around the storm-wind blows.
Now there comes the falling rain.
Crash! The thunder speaks again.
What a grand and lovely sight
Is a storm by day or night!'