Journal 79

[Boodi 2]

Although I agree that the reference to The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage in the 1947 Daily Mail article sounds wrong, the idea of the boy from Hull learning how to break and enter by reading the FFO series does not surprise me, as I am half ashamed to admit that when I was young my friends and I decided to imitate the FFO and in the absence of a mystery to solve decided to enter an old derelict mansion via the coal hole, which we had read about in Enid Blyton and following the advice in the book we even brought sacks with us to slide down on to ensure that our clothes did not get dirty!!! We obviously did not do any damage and found it ever so exciting (but scary when we suddenly saw our reflections in an old mirror in one of the rooms), but as an adult I am aware that we entered private property without permission and worse still, we could have had a serious accident.

[Lucky Star]

Journal 79 has been duly devoured. A magazine more packed with articles of interest, fun and pleasure would be hard to find. Tony's editorial was a little depressing, reminding me of all the wonderful titles that are no longer to be found on our bookshop shelves but, as he himself said, the goodies to come in issue 79 more than wiped out the blues.

I read it straight through which meant that Norman Wright's article on the history of my beloved EBS Day came first. I always knew that Tony, and to a lesser extent Norman, put in a great amount of effort to get the event up and running successfully each year but this article really brought that effort into focus. It was a fascinating story. Sadly I only attended the last five Days in Twyford but I truly wish I could have been there from the beginning. I saw some fantastic speakers during my five years of attendance but some of the earlier ones sound even better. I was left with a real pang of sorrow when I reflected that it has now been just over ten years since I last disembarked the train at Twyford and practically ran all the way to Lodden Hall. The effort involved was huge but both Norman and Tony can rest assured that those wonderful Days will never be forgotten by anyone who attended.

Every Journal sees me newly awestruck at the depth and breadth of research carried out by David Chambers. He surpassed himself this time. I devoured his fascinating article in one go and then read it all over again. His meticulous tracing of the history of Blyton's activities in magazines from the other side of the world made me feel quite embarrassed that I would not even know where to start with such a project. And I did like their illustrations, particularly the FF ones and the one of Mr. Goon.

Great to see the return of "Stories from the Roaring 20s", there wasn't one in 78, and The Adventures of Bob Bunny was a very enjoyable little story. The return of Kiki to Germany by Winifried Secker was very interesting too, especially the interview with Achim Dressler which hinted at more good things to come for German Blytonites.

Tim Venning is always a reliably good read and his dissection of Five Fall into Adventure was no exception. I always enjoy how Tim relates the story events to real life places. It's obvious that he really knows his stuff and I also liked how he made the case that even though Jo is initially described in less than flattering terms she works her way up to showing us that she's just as good as the FF themselves.

I'll finish this later as this issue was too packed to ever fit into one post.

[pete9012S]

My Journal arrived the other day, so far I've read the Editorial, which I always start at, and John's very good Rilloby Fair article. John's style of writing is very easy and relaxed to read, and so I went straight to that after the Editorial from Tony.

I've read John Henstock's article on Enid Blyton's Adventure Treasury, and found it most enjoyable. I love this book, with all the stories inside. I agree with John, when he says, he wished that Enid had written more stories about this boy - Detective John Collins. I wrote about Detective John Collins in Journal 50, as he deserved an article all to himself, as I find him an interesting character and not unlike Frederick Algernon Trotteville, (Fatty) of the Find-Outers.

I'll continue next with Norman Wright's article, which I'm looking forward to reading. Thanks to all the contributors, who I've yet to read, and thanks to Tony for yet again another splendid Journal to cheer up the wintry evenings.

That's really whet my appetite to read the Journal Julie.
Whilst I don't want my break to end, I am looking forward to getting home, lighting our kitchen coal fire and snuggling up with The Journal & John Pickup!

[Boodi 2]

I am pleased to say that my copy of the journal arrived today (also in a soggy envelope, although the journal itself is fine) and I can't wait to start reading it, but unfortunately I am busy with work today so will have to wait until later this evening (or the weekend). Many thanks to Tony and all the contributors for what looks like an excellent read!

[Lucky Star]

I have really been enjoying Anita's short stories series and the latest installment was no exception. Contrary to her opening assumption I don't know Keats' poem at all but then again I don't particularly like poetry. It's possibly the only written genre I never read! Anyway the From my Window piece that Anita then quotes ought to put to shame anyone who drones on about the banality of Enid's writing. The descriptive prose here is magical.

I read The Guy in the Wheelbarrow with great interest for the first time a few years ago as it so closely parallels the Secret Seven adventure and it's a perfect Autumn choice. I have enjoyed most of Anita's story choices myself although I can't recall having read The Very Fat Conker or The House in the Fog. I must look out for them. Funny One's Present is a marvelous story. It's interesting that Anita and her friends called sycamore seeds "Spinning Jennies". We used to call them "Helicopters". I wonder how many other nicknames these endlessly entertaining seeds have got throughout the world. I think Anita has now done Spring, Summer and Autumn stories. The problem of course is that there isn't a winter journal but it would have been lovely to see such an article. Maybe next year.

On to Return to Rilloby by our own John Pickup. The Barney series is one of my favourites and possibly the only series that I read in the correct order as a child. Rilloby Fair combines a cracking mystery (which I couldn't solve the first time I read it) with tons of humour and great characterisation and John's article manages to portray all of that vividly. And he's so right about the incident with Snubby being terrified outside the gates of the castle in the dark. Enid is so skillful at portraying children's emotions and this is a perfect example of that skill. I do hope John intends to give us articles on the other four books of this wonderful series because, as he concludes, it's "one of Enid's greatest".

The Adventure Treasury loving and expertly compiled by Mary Cadogan and Norman Wright is a joy of a book and I took a lot of pleasure from John Henstock's article. I have a first edition of the book and frequently flick through it reading bits here and there. As John said "it's a glorious mixture...".

Appropriately for the time of year John Lester takes us into the Christmas season with his timely article on Sunny Stories through the seasons. This is another very enjoyable series which I have been following despite the fact that I do not collect the Sunny Stories magazines at all; I just don't have the time, space or money for them. But what a lovely poem he chose to close the article. Superb.

And of course there were numerous well chosen contributions from Enid herself and many long unseen gems from the depths of The Cave which are always good to see as they would otherwise be lost forever. What a great Journal it was. A worthy addition to this terrific canon. it is a huge tribute to Tony that The Journal continues to be so strong where many other magazines tend to wither as time goes on. The beautiful illustrations which accompany each article and the very obvious painstaking care which goes into the preparation of each issue are what keeps us all coming back. Thanks Tony once again for all that you do and of course many thanks to all of our wonderful writers who keep producing the fascinating and entertaining articles for Tony to work with. Roll on Journal 80.

[Anita Bensoussane]

...the idea of the boy from Hull learning how to break and enter by reading the FFO series does not surprise me, as I am half ashamed to admit that when I was young my friends and I decided to imitate the FFO and in the absence of a mystery to solve decided to enter an old derelict mansion via the coal hole, which we had read about in Enid Blyton and following the advice in the book we even brought sacks with us to slide down on to ensure that our clothes did not get dirty!!! We obviously did not do any damage and found it ever so exciting (but scary when we suddenly saw our reflections in an old mirror in one of the rooms), but as an adult I am aware that we entered private property without permission and worse still, we could have had a serious accident.

Ooh, I'd have done exactly the same, Boodi - I couldn't possibly have resisted! The story about the boy from Hull is rather different in that he and his three friends stole stationery from the school they broke into!

Great to see the return of "Stories from the Roaring 20s", there wasn't one in 78, and The Adventures of Bob Bunny was a very enjoyable little story.

It is indeed an adorable tale, gorgeously illustrated by Harry Rountree who conveys the humour beautifully. It's great to be able to read such an early story by Enid Blyton (June 1922), especially as she has a character named Mickey Mouse who predates Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by some years! Even more interesting is the inclusion of certain details that were to reappear in The Enid Blyton Book of Bunnies (1925) - later retitled The Adventures of Binkle and Flip. Bob Bunny (the main character in the short story) lives at Oak Tree House in Tree Town, while bunnies Binkle and Flip (the main characters in the book) live in Oak Tree Town. A Dilly Duck appears in both the Bob Bunny story and the Book of Bunnies, and the rest of the characters are similar too, as are the comic events and the overall tone of the narrative.

I have really been enjoying Anita's short stories series and the latest installment was no exception. Contrary to her opening assumption I don't know Keats' poem at all but then again I don't particularly like poetry.

Sorry for the generalisation!

I think Anita has now done Spring, Summer and Autumn stories. The problem of course is that there isn't a winter journal but it would have been lovely to see such an article. Maybe next year.

Going back a year to Journal 76, I wrote a piece in which I picked out three Christmas stories, three New Year ones and three typically wintry ones. At the time I intended it to be a one-off article (a lot of my favourite stories simply happened to relate to that season, so I thought I'd write about them) but then it occurred to me that I could do the same for spring, summer and autumn. So I was a bit of a nuisance from Tony's point of view, as he could have labelled the Journal 76 piece 'Part 1' if only he'd known I was going to write three more articles that followed on from it. The trouble is, I didn't know that myself!


Turning to Tim Venning's article, I agree that Five Fall Into Adventure is a thrilling story in which the stakes are high and there is real danger, and that the introduction of feisty Ragamuffin Jo adds to the excitement. A very thorough review which captures the essence of the book.

Whilst I don't want my break to end, I am looking forward to getting home, lighting our kitchen coal fire and snuggling up with The Journal & John Pickup!

[Hannah]

My journal has arrived today but so far I've only read the very interesting interview regarding the new German edition of the Adventure series.

I'm looking forward to reading the other articles.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Enjoy reading the rest of it, Hannah!

Looking at John Lester's article, I think the story 'They Didn't Believe in Santa Claus' sounds fun, with Santa trying to make adults believe in him by reminding them what he gave them for Christmas when they were children! It's interesting too to read of a reindeer hurting its leg on a television aerial in another story - a note of modernity (for the times). Another detail that strikes a modern note (for the times) is Santa Claus telephoning Enid Blyton in the letter on the inside back cover.

The front cover of the Journal is lovely but the back cover is very colourful too, with the Dean & Son Story Books dating from 1922 - meaning (as Tony points out) that 'The Adventures of Bob Bunny' and another story, 'Waddles', are a century old. The Dean books have delightful cover pictures, so evocative of the era.

The whole Journal is super as always. Thanks for all your hard work putting it together and sending it out, Tony!

[Boodi 2]

I started reading the journal in bed last night, which was not a good idea as I could not put it down until it was well after midnight, with the result that I did not hear the alarm ringing this morning. Having said that, I only read the first 33 pages, so there are still plenty of treats in store. The information in the editorial about the ever increasing list of Blyton books that have no future ahead of them is depressing, especially as it will lead to an increase in the price of second-hand books. I really enjoyed the article about the first Enid Blyton Day and how I wish I could have attended some of them. I always thought that the Enid Blyton Day was an annual event and only ceased in 2020 because of the pandemic, hence I was surprised to read that the final Enid Blyton Day was in 2012! Bundle and Cosy were new to me and I liked Spot's illustrations. The excellent article on Enid Blyton and Woman's Day by David Chambers was very interesting, as were the illustrations. Amazing that The Adventures of Bob Bunny published in 1922 also had a character called Mickey Mouse!! I also enjoyed The Return of Kiki to Germany minus the N and Z words by Winfried Secker!!! However, I was slightly confused by the heading "From the Land of 'Honey' and 'Nunny' ", as while the pronunciation of "Hanni" does resemble "Honey" I can't see how "Nanni" equates with "Nunny", but then I am not a native speaker. On that note I finally switched off the light and fell asleep, looking forward to the treats to come, especially Return to Rilloby Fair by John Pickup. Thanks to Tony and all the contributors for such a splendid journal.

[Hannah]

"Hanni and Nanni" are rhymes. I'm not totally sure how "nunny" is pronounced but I think Hanni and Nanni rhyme to the English word bunny.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've read John Henstock's article on Enid Blyton's Adventure Treasury, and found it most enjoyable. I love this book, with all the stories inside. I agree with John, when he says, he wished that Enid had written more stories about this boy - Detective John Collins. I wrote about Detective John Collins in Journal 50, as he deserved an article all to himself, as I find him an interesting character and not unlike Frederick Algernon Trotteville, (Fatty) of the Find-Outers.

I remember reading your article and enjoying it, Julie. Gosh, it's hard to believe it was more than nine years ago!

I was wondering whether anyone knows who illustrated the John Hollins stories. Something about the hair, faces and hatching makes me think of Stanley Lloyd. However, he usually signs his artwork and these illustrations aren't signed.

[MJE]

Hallo, everyone.

     I got my Journal yesterday (Saturday), but it might have arrived some days prior, because I rent a post-office box which is in the centre of the town I live in, and I don't check it every day (I live on the outskirts of the town, a couple of miles out from the town centre). (I decided a few years ago to rent a post-office box because I thought unknown persons were tampering with my letter-box - and also I've had a couple of Journals get rather water-logged in the past from sitting even for only a couple of hours in that letter-box, which is not at all waterproof. And you'd be astonished at how much paper snails can eat in a short time, rasping away at it with those tongues of theirs which have thousands of little barbs on them.)
     Anyway, I was quite intrigued, Anita, about several of the autumn stories you mentioned in your article. You made them sound most intriguing, and I feel I'd like to read them - but of course I have no idea where to find them, or even whether they are available at all. My feeling is that trying to find individual Blyton short stories is a needle-in-haystack matter for each one.
     You must own just about every Blyton short story that exists, Anita. And I suppose, because you chose them for their autumn settings, they are from all different collections. Would you mind letting me know, please, at least which collections you found them in, and I could keep my eye open for them?
     And I second the suggestion above about making a winter collection of stories and writing an article about them, even if there isn't a Winter issue of the Journal. I'm sure such an article would still be welcome, let's say, in the following Spring issue.

Regards, Michael.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm glad you want to try to track down some of my autumn choices, Michael. I took the stories mainly from the Purnell or Dean & Son hardbacks I had as a child in the 1970s, though a few came from elsewhere. Here's a list of the books (or the magazines, in two cases) that I used:


'The Guy in the Wheelbarrow' - Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories no. 392 (magazine)

'The Very Fat Conker' - Storytime Book, Dean & Son

'The Poisonous Berries' - Fireside Tales, Purnell Sunshine Library

'The House in the Fog' - Anytime Tales, Purnell Sunshine Library

'The Prisoner in the Cave' - Happy Adventure Tales, Purnell Sunshine Library

'Funny-One's Present' - Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories no. 391 (magazine)

'Poor Old Podge' - I'll Tell You Another Story, Macmillan

'The Little Toy-Maker' - Happy Hours Story Book, Dean & Son

'An Adventurous Evening' - Sunshine Book, Dean & Son


The illustrations for the Journal article come from those publications, except for 'An Adventurous Evening' where the pictures in Sunshine Book were on the dark side so Tony used some of the Desmond E. Walduck illustrations from The Wonder Book of Comics, Odham's.

Of course, the editions I used may not be the easiest for you to find, Michael. If you put each story title into the search box in the Cave of Books, you'll be able to see which books they've appeared in over the years.

'An Adventurous Evening' is available to read in the Cave:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... +of+Comics

Regarding winter stories, I wrote an article on those for Journal 76 (November 2021) but it had a slightly different format - three Christmas tales, three New Year tales and three general wintertime tales. The November issue of the Journal is "on the cusp", coming out at a time when autumn is giving way to winter, so it's suitable for both autumn-themed and winter-themed contributions (and of course for contributions that aren't seasonal at all, which probably applies to most).

[Boodi 2]

I loved your Autumn Choices Anita, especially as I had only read two before (The very Fat Conker and An Adverturous Evening). "The House in the Fog" was amazing and to some extent most un-Blyton-like! The use of the name Podge was interesting as it is (or was) often used in Ireland. It is a diminitive of Pádraig, which of course is the Irish version of Patrick, and when I was young I knew at least one boy who was called Podge

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Boodi. It's interesting that Podge is/was often used in Ireland - I didn't know that before.