Journal 36

What did you think of the latest Journal?
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Julie2owlsdene
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

What a lovely read this journal is. Full to bursting. I love to read all the reviews and the Secret Seven Character study by Dennis was very good. I've only just read all of this series for the first time, and found them to be very good for the younger reader. I agree that From My Window was very amusing. You could almost visualize the scene. Roberts review of The Hidey-Hole was a good read, even though I didn't agree with everything he had to say, (Sorry Robert). Personally, I loved that book, simple story line I know, and plot very weak, but considering Enid wrote this in the early stages of her illness, I think it was still well written, and had a lovely charm about it. Especially the black berry picking. It's well worth a read.

In all a well packed Journal, thanks Tony, and to everyone for their efforts.

8)
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Petermax »

Well, I have finally got around to reading Journal 36, it took rather longer than expected, which necessitated a pint of Spitfire to reinforce the already consumed Ruddles County. :wink:

Once again, the Journal was packed end to end with quality, making it very difficult to favour one article over any other. The latest of David Cooke's articles about The Five Find-Outers and Dog was particulary enjoyable, as before joining the E.B.S I had never heard of this series, unbelievable as it may seem. My childhood Blyton diet consisted of the more staple fare such as the Adventure, Seven and Five series plus the numerous short story books and one-offs such as The Boy Next Door and The Six Bad Boys.

My belated discovery of The Five Find Outers is therefore something of a shock, more trips to Ebay I fear, as I seek to read this series for the very first time.

The Joyce Grenfell Enid Blyton spoof (Writer of Children's Books) on page 40 had me in stitches, the dialogue could have almost been lifted from The Story of My Life, perhaps it was! I was introduced to the delights of Joyce Grenfell by my drama teacher back in 1978, he would read to the class from George Don't Do That in a classic Grenfell jolly hockey sticks voice, it was hilarious!
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Rob Houghton »

Still havent finished reading the journal yet (had a lot on this week!) but just thought I'd have to comment (despite the risk of this thread appearing like a mutual admiration society!!) on Anita's excellent article about Red Roofs. I totally identified and agreed with your comments on the ending of this book, Anita, and recall feeling similarily let down by the 'miracle' ending when father was found safe and well.

Enid sets up the trials and tribulations and the children's over-coming of them so well that as a child i felt empowered that they were taking things on just like adults, and I felt very proud of the children and how they reacted. Then, when father returns, so called 'normality' returns with him: a quick pat on the back for each child, and then its back to school and college for them: give up the jobs, give up their 'adult' ideas and go back to being children. I was very disappointed by this, just as I was disappointed with the ending of 'House at the Corner' when their surgeon father regains the use of his hand. It all seemed a bit of a 'cop out' to me, even as a child.

Several other good articles (well, they all are really!!) especially David Cook's article on 'The Pantomime Cat' - my favourite Find Outer mystery. Also love the 'through my window'. havent read much more yet, but it's a great mixture as usual. Congrats and many thanks to you Tony, as ever. :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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Lenoir
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Lenoir »

Another fine Journal packed with interesting articles.

It was good to see the first day covers from 1997 and I’m glad this centrespread was included. They were reviewed in Journal 4. I suppose they are collector’s items now?

Interesting to see how references to Enid Blyton crop up in many different places (The E.B. connection). I’ve noticed it from time to time as well, and it is usually Enid or Noddy or the Famous Five that is mentioned. (I’ve never heard anyone referring to “The Hidey-hole”).

Arthur Mee’s letters seem dated now, and patronising and even extreme in parts, but reveal how people thought back then. Maybe Enid agreed with the passage on the proper management of a kitchen, as her cooks were always top class. Even Mrs Stick and Mrs Moon were good cooks.
I like the quote “Let us wait before we smile” (Sally Hope comes to mind.)

I agree, there are some very funny bits in the Pantomime Cat, as there are in most of the FFO books. Remember the ‘moon face’ bit! One of the best for me too.

The Hidey-Hole must have been one of the first Blyton books I owned; only my Noddy books pre-date it I think. I enjoyed it as a child and have a certain amount of affection for it I suppose because it’s been in my bookcase for so long. I think it’s quite a nice little story, fine for someone starting to read.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the article! I agree that it has potential to be a better story as the ingredients are there but not utilised.
Chapters 1 and 4 both have the dreaded word in the title, so it all adds up, but I wouldn’t have guessed the total to be so high. On page 32 the text says “it was great fun picking the black, juicy fruit” instead of actually mentioning ‘you-know-what’, so it seems that Enid took pity on Rob at that point!
Robert Houghton wrote:have only scanned through the Journal as yet - a full report will follow soon: but it looks good enough to eat! :D
You mean it tastes better than blackberry pie? :)
Julie2owlsdene wrote: the Secret Seven Character study by Dennis was very good.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Aunt Fanny »

Every time I say each Journal is the best-, much as olympic athletes, one wonders just how this can be, but thank you so much!
I also love reading opinions and comments of other members then going back to pick up (and possibly pick at!) their points. Well done Tony, yet again! :)
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Lenoir wrote: Arthur Mee’s letters seem dated now, and patronising and even extreme in parts, but reveal how people thought back then. Maybe Enid agreed with the passage on the proper management of a kitchen, as her cooks were always top class. Even Mrs Stick and Mrs Moon were good cooks.
I like the quote “Let us wait before we smile” (Sally Hope comes to mind.)
I was always an admirer of The Children's Encyclopaedia edited by Arthur Mee, as it was a delightful source of knowledge, wonder and amusement for me as a child, but he certainly does come across as pompous in some parts of his Letters to Girls. For good measure I also read his Letters to Boys, which is written in the same tone. These days, books giving advice to young people generally present the facts and perhaps have features in which young people tell of their personal experiences. In Arthur Mee's Letters, however, there is a fair amount of moralising and he simply puts forth his own opinion on all sorts of matters. In Letters to Boys he attempts to discourage his readers from taking up smoking by saying:
Of course, you will have no time to smoke; you will let the other boy do that. It will do you no good, and is almost sure to do you harm; and it is a thing you can leave till you are years and years older, when it will not be worth while to begin. The smoking boy is the loafing boy, the boy who goes about the world slowly, reading silly papers in the street; the boy who is never to be relied upon, who is never there when he is wanted, never comes back when he is expected, and is never particularly missed when he goes.
:lol:

Then there are Mee's views on physical exercise:
...you will not have to invent all sorts of poor exercises to keep you fit and well. You will never be so silly as to worship muscle, as if that were anything at all to be proud of, and as if, in any case, a man could ever match a horse for that. Perhaps, if for some special reason you cannot take natural exercise, you may put up with some poor artificial second-best, such as we call gymnastics - which may be good sometimes, no doubt, if rightly and moderately used; but such things are not for the healthy life.

The truly healthy boy takes no exercise for its own sake, for he knows that energy wasted in this way is lost to other things. We have so much energy, and if we spend it in swinging dumb-bells we cannot spend it again in walking to the station, or in playing cricket, or in cycling, or in reading.

The natural exercise of a human being, and the best exercise of all, is that of which we are generally unaware - walking, playing, bathing, or any other of the ordinary interests of a healthy life which keep the body moving. Artificial exercise is a medicine which healthy people do not need, any more than they need half the rubbishy drugs which ignorant poeple will take till they can take them no more.
Hmm - he doesn't mince words, does he?!

There are some lovely passages in both books, though. I particularly like the chapter/letter "To the Boy Who Loves a Book," in which Arthur Mee writes:
When nothing that money can buy will bring you peace, the power of reading may heal your sorrows. When all others fail, a book will be your friend, and reading will bring you the friendship of the kings of men...

...You will choose your books wisely, as you choose your friends, and you will find in the world no more enduring friends than books. Never let yourself be far away from them. In the train, in the field, wherever you are, you may have them with you; at home or abroad they will follow you, the most constant, the most unfailing, the most comforting helpers of men. You will find one, if you seek it, on almost any subject in the world; in hope or in perplexity you may seek a friend in books, and at the door of those friends you need never knock in vain.
That's the way I've always felt about books. Wherever I go, I carry a book in my handbag and would feel quite anxious about going anywhere without one!

Anita
"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."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Journal 36

Post by Moonraker »

I have just inwardly devoured the latest Journal. As usual, it contained many interesting articles. It was encouraging to read Tony's Editorial where he mentioned that we had gained 140 new members to the Society, this goes to show that our heart is still pumping and our blood is healthy! Don't let us get complacent though, it has little benefit if we welcome 140 new members and 120 fail to re-subscribe. Can I nudge those of you that haven't yet re-subscribed to get your fingers out!

Having just read it, I especially enjoyed John Lester's review of The Boy Next Door. I really enjoyed this book, and feel it would make an excellent TV adaptation - maybe serialised into six parts.

David Cook's remarkable series of reviews of my favourite of Blyton's series was also excellent. He even picked out things that I had never noticed - Pip turning into Larry, for instance. However, as with John's review, David does give the whole plot away which I find quite annoying. To me a review should whet the appetite and encourage the reader to obtain the book - there is little point to do this when the whole plot and finish is revealed.

I found it fascinating to compare Robert's review of The Hidey - Hole with Julie's, here on the Booklistings section. Julie finds it "an adorable book" whereas Robert is irritated by its obsession with blackberry picking! Although most of the plot is revealed, I have never read this novel, and would like to do so.

At least Anita warns us not to read her article further if we don't wish to know the outcome! I didn't really, but hey, who can resist Anita's articles? This was up to her consistantly high standard of writing - her thoughts and comments on the book are intertwined with examples and memories of her own childhood.

I loved Enid's article on Manners. How true this is. I am sure we have all (seemingly the norm, these days) visited shops and had to wait while the assistant files her nails or discusses last night's date with her colleague.

Dennis T Worley's piece on the Secret Seven was fascinating to conclude with. I have always had a soft spot for the SS, yet always felt that five of the seven were pretty superfluous. However, thanks to Dennis, I now have a much better idea of the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of the characters of the seven. A great article.

So, that was Summer 2008. A marvellous Journal, thanks to all the contributors and Tony for his splendid job of Editing and distributing.
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Lenoir »

The smoking boy is the loafing boy, the boy who goes about the world slowly, reading silly papers in the street; the boy who is never to be relied upon, who is never there when he is wanted, never comes back when he is expected, and is never particularly missed when he goes.
That's a bit prejudiced, but classic stuff all the same. :) I enjoyed reading these other extracts.

Coincidentally, in The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat we see that Fatty seems to subscribe to these views. When John James asks if he has any matches, Fatty hands him a full box at once and says: “Keep the whole box. I’m not smoking till I’m twenty-one”!

It might be an idea to look out for some of his books next time I go to the bookshop!
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Lenoir wrote:Coincidentally, in The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat we see that Fatty seems to subscribe to these views. When John James asks if he has any matches, Fatty hands him a full box at once and says: “Keep the whole box. I’m not smoking till I’m twenty-one”!
I was reminded of that episode too! And your comment has got me thinking that (if I remember correctly) a number of Enid Blyton's "baddies" leave cigarette stubs behind at the scene of the crime, or the children catch sight of their lit cigarettes glowing in the dark, while her "goodies" tend to smoke pipes (or at least the men do - are there any instances of women smoking in her books, I wonder?)

Do we know whether Enid Blyton herself ever smoked?
Lenoir wrote:It might be an idea to look out for some of his [Arthur Mee's] books next time I go to the bookshop!
I take it you mean a second-hand bookshop! :)

Anita
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Rob Houghton »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: her "goodies" tend to smoke pipes (or at least the men do - are there any instances of women smoking in her books, I wonder?)

Do we know whether Enid Blyton herself ever smoked?

Anita
Don't know if Enid ever smoked herself, though something tells me I read somewhere that she did, (probably wrong, though!)

I know kenneth smoked a pipe - so he was obviously a 'goodie'. I think one woman did smoke: was it Old Ma in Rilloby Fair who smoked a pipe, or am I thinking of the woman in 'Missing man', who was really a man anyway?! :?
'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: Journal 36

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Robert Houghton wrote:Don't know if Enid ever smoked herself, though something tells me I read somewhere that she did, (probably wrong, though!)
I had a vague idea that I'd read it somewhere too, but I'm not absolutely sure.
Robert Houghton wrote:I think one woman did smoke: was it Old Ma in Rilloby Fair who smoked a pipe, or am I thinking of the woman in 'Missing man', who was really a man anyway?! :?
I can't remember, I'm afraid. I'll have to flick through the books later. There are a lot of pipe-smoking fathers and uncles, but I can't recall any mothers or aunts who smoke.

Anita
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Lenoir »

Pantomime Cat again ...
In chapter 13 Zoe says: “He (Goon) also wanted to know what kind of cigarettes we smoked.” She showed him a box of Player's, so Zoe and her sister both smoked it seems.

In Five on Kirrin Island Again, Uncle Quentin states that he doesn’t smoke cigarettes “and nor do any of you!” (Referring to Fanny and the 5).
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Well remembered, Lenoir! I'd forgotten about Zoe and her sister.

Anita
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Ian Regan »

When John James asks if he has any matches, Fatty hands him a full box at once and says: “Keep the whole box. I’m not smoking till I’m twenty-one”!
Zoe says: “He (Goon) also wanted to know what kind of cigarettes we smoked.” She showed him a box of Player's, so Zoe and her sister both smoked it seems.
I was rather surprised, to say the least, to find that both of these overt references to smoking were still to be found in the 1991 Armada paperback reprint of this title. I would have thought that these passages would have been edited and sanitised long before 1991, but apparently not it seems!

Does anyone have access to the modern paperback version of Pantomime Cat? What's the betting that these passages are now vastly different and contain not even a whiff of a reference to either smoking or cigarettes? :wink:
“I am fighting an enraged chair,” Jupe puffed. “And I think I’m winning. Give me another couple of minutes.” - Jupiter Jones in The Mystery of the Fiery Eye.
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Re: Journal 36

Post by Tony Summerfield »

The latest edition I have of Pantomime Cat is the 1997 Dean hardback and that paragraph is still there. Funnily enough the most recent version of the book is also a Dean hardback, published a few months after the latest paperback, and I am willing to bet that the paragraph is still unchanged in it. I have noticed that Dean make very few changes when they bring out new editions, unlike some publishers. It will be interesting to see if the Egmont edition has been altered, possibly not, as they are the same 'stable' as Dean.
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