The Secret of Killimooin - Reissued in 1981?

[pete9012S]

1981: ENID BLYTON: THE SECRET OF KILLIMOOIN: HARDBACK: BASIL BLACKWELL £2.75

Published: Reprinted 1981

Publisher: Basil Blackwell
HB
Blue Cloth covered boards with gilt titles
Dimensions: 8 ½” x 5 ½”
Pages: 136
ISBN: 0361024700
Illustrated

The book has some very light wear and buffeting commensurate with age, apart from which it is in excellent condition with no rips, tears writing or other obvious flaws.

Any Blyton experts come across this edition before???

A 1981 reprint? I haven't heard about that.
I've bought it for £2.75 so there's not a lot of risk involved in this purchase.

[Lucky Star]

Never heard of it. It also doesn't seem to be in The Cave. Possibly Tony knows something about it. Otherwise we'll have to wait for it to arrive. Do let us know. I thought I had seen all the editions of this old favourite.

[pete9012S]

Thanks John - Yes I am intrigued - hope its not just an awards edition without a wrapper!!

[John Pickup]

Never heard of it, Pete. As you say, not much risk involved, please update us when the book arrives

[Judith Crabb]

Interesting, Pete. What do you mean, 'awards edition'?
Presumably it was issued in dust-jacket? Updated jacket?
Was the whole series reissued in 1981 and if not why not? And if not, why Killimooin by itself?

[pete9012S]

Judith, see the cave details of the 1990's editions:

1992 Award, illustrations and cover by Dudley Wynne

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... Killimooin

Regards

Pete

[Judith Crabb]

Thanks, Pete, I checked out the cave. I don't think Oxford University Press would have any 'Award' publishing connections. I'll be interested to find out if this 1981 edition is illustrated. It does look a bit as though it was done 'on the cheap'.

[pete9012S]

Well the book has arrived. It's in very good condition and is extremely well made.
It's just a bit narrower in width than my earlier copy, but it is the same height.

I can't seem to find out anything about this lovely 1981 reissue. All the internal illustrations are the same as the original.

What I would really like to see is the 1981's original dustjacket.

I have found a cover that it is not in the cave, but I'm not sure if it is the cover that would have come with my 1981 reissue:


Compared with my Nov 1947 edition


The 1981 book on the right is not as wide as my older version.


Could this have been the cover for the 1981 reissue?

Here's all the info the cave has on this book:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... Killimooin

[Tony Summerfield]

I'm afraid that the book you have shown is in the Cave, Pete, just in a different place. It can't go on the Killimooin page as it is not available in this country - only in India!

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... Killimooin

Unfortunately I didn't see your post until after you had bought your book or I would have told you that it wasn't in the Cave as it is just a straightforward reprint of the original book without the dustwrapper, which would also have been the same as the original.

[pete9012S]

Many thanks indeed for all that helpful info Tony.

I was hoping my 1981 book did originally come with a copy of the original dustjacket.

No that I know it does, I may look for a 1981 reissue edition with a wrapper.
I suspect though that the 1981 reissue may not have been printed in large quantities.

Best Wishes

Pete

[Lucky Star]

Great to have the mystery solved. Thanks Tony. Best of luck with the search for the dust wrapper Pete. I suspect it will not be a quick one. That looks like an excellent reading copy though.

As an aside that Indian cover is very nice.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I collected the Secret books in paperback in the late 1970s and certainly didn't see any hardback copies in WHSmith or in the small bookshop near my house. However, most books in libraries and schools were still hardbacks in the 1970s and 80s, so maybe the hardback versions were printed mainly for libraries, schools and larger bookshops?