adventure series

[Aunt Fanny]

Please, I am trying to collect the Macmillan Adventure series hardbacks/dw that were published in 1980's. So far have Island , Ship and Mountain. Don't even know if whole series published? Tony, please! Many thanks, liz--aunt fanny.

[Tony Summerfield]

Yes Liz - all eight books were published as hardbacks with Pamela Goodchild dustwrappers and they are not at all easy to find - but you know that already!! It has taken me several years to complete my own set and I only managed to do so at this year's EB Day. Surely these have got to be the best modern dustwrappers for an EB Series?

Best wishes
Tony

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've heard about the Pamela Goodchild dustwrappers for the Adventure series, but never seen them. Would it be possible for scans of those covers to be put on the website at some time, Tony?

I also wanted to ask about the abridged Collins editions of the Adventure series, which again I've never seen. They're mentioned in a note at the beginning of some of my Piccolo paperbacks, eg my 1979 copy of The Valley of Adventure states:

"First published 1947 by Macmillan and Co Ltd.
Abridged edition published 1968 by William Collins Sons and Co Ltd."

Does anyone have any information on these?

Anita

[Tony Summerfield]

This is news to me Anita, to the best of my knowledge Collins have never published the Adventure books. In the late 60s the Adventure books were being published in paperback by Armada and Collins took over Armada from May Fair books around about this time, so this possibly explains the Collins copyright. I must admit that having never read the Armada editions I hadn't realised that they were abridged, though they are certainly missing some of the Tresilian illustrations.

You probably have seen the Pamela Goodchild covers without realising it as they were used on the Macmillan paperbacks from the same period - they look much better on the hardbacks however.

Best wishes
Tony

[Anita Bensoussane]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for clearing up a few things for me. Yes, I realise now that I have seen the Pamela Goodchild illustrations for the 1980s Macmillan "Adventure" paperbacks and they're not bad at all. I've kept my 1970s Piccolo paperbacks from childhood, with cover illustrations by Juliet Stanwell-Smith, and I've always found those rather attractive too, especially as the pictures go right across the spine and on to the back cover. The Castle of Adventure is a particularly good one with lots of craggy rocks, gnarled trees and lowering clouds, and a lovely willowy Tassie on the back cover, gazing up at the soaring eagles near the gloomy castle.


[Tony:] "In the late 60s the Adventure books were being published in paperback by Armada and Collins took over Armada from May Fair books around about this time, so this possibly explains the Collins copyright. I must admit that having never read the Armada editions I hadn't realised that they were abridged, though they are certainly missing some of the Tresilian illustrations."

I expect you're right about the 1960s "Collins" Adventure books being the Armada paperbacks. I wonder whether the text was actually abridged, or whether "abridged" refers merely to the removal of some of Stuart Tresilian's illustrations? My daughter has an old Armada paperback copy of one of the Adventure books in her bookcase, so I'll have a look when I get the time.

Best wishes,
Anita

[Anita Bensoussane]

Just checked my daughter's 1968 Armada paperback of The Valley of Adventure. Luckily, The Valley of Adventure is just about the only Blyton book of which we have three copies - the 1968 Armada paperback, a 1979 Piccolo paperback and a 1957 Macmillan hardback. All three versions have 31 chapters and, having looked closely at the first two chapters, they appear to be the same in all three books. So, there's no evidence of the text being abridged in the Armada edition. The main difference is that the two paperback editions (Armada and Piccolo) have smaller print, and fewer of Stuart Tresilian's illustrations, than the Macmillan hardback. Personally, I find the Armada cover illustration unappealing - it's so dark, and the children look far too young.

Anita

[HeatherS]

I've heard about the Pamela Goodchild dustwrappers for the Adventure series, but never seen them. Would it be possible for scans of those covers to be put on the website at some time, Tony?

I'd love to see them too - and I'm sure other collectors would as well, especially since they're so difficult to find. In fact, if it's not possible to get them onto the Blyton Society site any time soon, I'd love to feature them on the Illustrator pages of my website if anybody is able to send me scans.

[Aunt Fanny]

Thanks Tony very interesting, will keep looking, all best, liz.