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Barney says: This is slightly puzzling Elizabeth. The story, 'Tommy's White Duck' does appear in a 1954 book, which was a new edition of 'The Daffodil Story Book'. The pictures you describe certainly fit the story, but two things are wrong. Although it was described, there was no full-page picture of a rearing horse with the duck and secondly the illustrations for this story were provided by Eileen Soper and not Helen Jacobs. If you can send scans of the illustrations we might be able to help you further.

Barney says: We have pictures of the book covers and internal illustrations (black and white) in the Cave of Books, Neil. Your son may enjoy looking at them, though they won't blow up to poster size. I hope someone reading this is able to help.

Barney says: If you enjoyed those series you may well enjoy the Adventure series, Five Find-Outers books, Secret series and Barney Mysteries, Prabahika. Click on the buttons (above this Message Board) to find out more.

Barney says: I just had a look on Amazon.com, Peter, and I'm afraid "Enid" only seems to be available as a Region 2 DVD. Therefore, I assume you would need a multi-region DVD player to be able to watch it.

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't give valuations, John. Collectors usually prefer books in fine condition with dustwrappers, though of course a genuine Enid Blyton signature is a nice thing to have. You could have a look what similar signed books are selling for on sites like Abebooks and eBay.

Barney says: Perhaps someone reading this will be able to help you find a copy of the audio book, Katy. If it's still available new, you should be able to order it from a local shop or from Amazon. If not, you could see whether second-hand copies are available from sites like eBay. I'm afraid that the children's names have been changed to Joe, Beth and Frannie because Jo sounds like a girl's name, Bessie is an old-fashioned name that was apparently associated with black slaves (or so I've read!) and Fanny has sexual connotations. The Dean editions of the books still have the original names but I think they were altered on the Kate Winslet recordings. It's possible that Dame Slap might also have become Dame Snap - I'm not certain exactly when that change was made.

Barney says: Woof woof, Stephen! Welcome to the website and happy reading!

Barney says: I'm glad that you liked Fred's article, Julia. I am not sure about when the auction will be, but I am sure he will let us know and we will say something about it on this board.

Barney says: Thanks, Rob!

Barney says: I'm sorry to hear about your experience with Navrang, Don. We give a link to their site because our webmaster has used them himself and was pleased with the service he received. I wonder how others have got on?

Barney says: Gollies have unfortunately been removed from Enid Blyton books over the last couple of decades, Dawn, and I don't even know whether that particular title would still be in print. If you need to replace your book your best bet would be to look out for a second-hand copy online, on a site like eBay or Abebooks.

Barney says: Heyo! Do you mean how many books are there in the Famous Five series, Enid-Jo? If you like the Famous Five then you've got many hours of happy reading ahead of you because there are twenty-one books in the series, as listed in the Cave of Books. Timmy is the best character, of course!

Barney says: I would have a go myself, Sue, but my paws are not made for delicate work with a needle and thread!

Barney says: Hi Gerry, It will be fine for you to buy the tickets in a month's time. I do hope you can make it to the Day on Saturday 15th May - it's always immense fun. There is no set date by which tickets have to be bought, though they do have to be purchased in advance and are not available on the door. I suppose it's possible that tickets could run out if there's a mad rush, but that's unlikely as Loddon Hall is a fairly large venue.

Barney says: Thank you, Nan. I hope Cathy is still looking in. I also wish you luck in finding out more about the 'Land of Nod' poem.

Barney says: What a bargain, Simon! I bet your tail hasn't stopped wagging!

Barney says: Cheers, Keith! The link will only work for Society Members who have logged in using the password.

Barney says: In yet another version, Dame Slap has become Dame Tickle!! Enid Blyton has been out of favour for a while in many schools in Britain, but there are always a few Blyton-friendly teachers who keep the flame burning and I have heard of her books being used in some classrooms even in the 21st Century.

Barney says: It's not clear whether you mean an Enid Blyton book or a book by any author, but first editions of "Five on a Treasure Island" have been known to fetch at least a couple of thousand pounds.

Barney says: The badges were red and green and are described in detail in "Secret of the Old Mill": 'The girls set to work that very evening, as soon as they got home, to make the little badges. Janet begged three small buttons from her mother, and a bit of cloth. She covered each button in red, and then threaded a needle with bright green silk. She neatly sewed S.S. on each button in green. They really looked beautiful when they were finished.' Typically, the girls make the boys' badges as well as their own (Janet's three badges are for Peter, Colin and herself).

Barney says: There are a lot of illustrations in the Cave of Books, JulieG. You could save the pictures you want into "My Pictures" and then print them out. Alternatively, if you have a scanner you could scan pictures from your own books.

Barney says: Our Webmaster will certainly make that option available as soon as he has the time, Michael. Although we don't have a new serial at the moment, there is one in the pipeline as Trevor Bolton is currently working on an exciting new 'Adventure' book - "The Lake of Adventure."

Barney says: You had me puzzled there for a minute, Kate, as I couldn't think what on earth you were talking about, but then I realised that you used the name 'Anonymous' last time and it is the Noddy books that you are interested in! They certainly came out after the 70s as they have been in print all along apart from a brief spell recently. The illustrations were altered in places in the late 80s when the golliwogs were 'culled'. All these later editions would have simply had shiny laminated covers, so it is difficult to know precisely which edition you are talking about, but they did return to the older styled titles.

Barney says: There are three possible courses, Alan. You could do it yourself on ebay, send them to auction or take them to a specialist dealer. It is obviously entirely up to you which one you choose.

Barney says: This particular edition of the Bible frequently turns up, Heath, and the same printed message is in every one. Credit must go to the printers as you are certainly not the first person to think that this is a handwritten message and judging by the number of enquiries that have come in over the years you won't be the last!

Barney says: I hope someone reading this is able to help you, Debbie. Have you tried looking on Amazon and eBay?

Barney says: This sounds like the reprints of the "Round the Year with Enid Blyton" books, and you will find them in the Cave of Books in the Education section. They were frequently reprinted and are quite common and therefore not worth much.

Barney says: Only the first six titles were reprinted by Thames Publishing, Gerry. It's interesting to compare Stuart Tresilian's revised dustcover designs with his original ones, and it's a pity that Thames Publishing didn't reprint "Circus" and "River".

Barney says: Hiya Lily, I'm glad you love the books so much, but it would have been nice to know what your favourite titles are.

Barney says: The editions you have are likely to be from the late 70s. When the black backed title design first came in they used up spare dustwrappers from the previous edition. When the dustwrappers ran out they simply issued the books with their laminated boards and with no dustwrapper. So your books are correct and have not suffered from a 'switcheroo'!

Barney says: Heyo Enid-Jo!! Trevor Bolton is working on a new serial called "The Lake of Adventure." I'm not quite sure when it'll be ready so you'll have to be patient, but I'm sure it'll be well worth waiting for. As for the next Journal, that is almost ready to go to the printers and should be with you in about three weeks or so.

Barney says: I agree that the Faraway Tree series is marvellous and I hope that one day you will achieve your dream of reading every single Blyton book. Although her stories live on, Enid Blyton died in 1968.

Barney says: I'm afraid we're unable to give valuations, Rich, but I'm posting your message in case anyone is interested in the books. You could always list them in the "for sale" section of our Forums, though you'd need to register to do that.

Barney says: If my Master wants to give me any commands after reading that, regarding nipping ankles or anything along those lines, I'm at the ready!!

Barney says: "Story Time Book" is listed here, Jan. If you scroll down, you'll see a note at the bottom which tells you that the first edition had eight titles listed on the dustwrapper. It also points out that the dates inside the Dean & Son books mean nothing. Dean used to continue printing the date of the first edition even in later printings. Tony Summerfield wrote an article on 'Deans in Dustwrappers' for the "Enid Blyton Society Journal" (Number 10.) He says in his article that there were 48 titles in the first batch of Dean & Son books, published between 1963 and 1974. The first 27 books were issued in dustwrappers but 10 of those had the wrapper changed around 1970, so there are 37 in total to collect in dustwrappers. Hope that helps!

Barney says: I don't know whether such a thing might be possible in the future, Captain Hastings, but it's not something we've really thought about up to now as there is already a lot of work involved in organising the Enid Blyton Day. To produce a DVD we'd have to have the necessary equipment, find someone willing to do the filming, get permission from the speakers (there might also be copyright issues regarding any film or audio clips shown), be able to guarantee reasonably good sound and picture quality, work out the costing, deal with orders... A lot to think about, as you can see!

Barney says: I'm sorry you were disappointed, Chloe, but the purpose of the film was to look at Enid as a person rather than as a writer. To those who are familiar with Barbara Stoney's "Enid Blyton - the Biography" and Imogen Smallwood's "A Childhood at Green Hedges," the portrayal of Enid Blyton in the film probably didn't come as too much of a shock. Perhaps a little more emphasis could have been put on her fun, creative side - not much was mentioned in the film about her musical ability, or her days as a teacher - but the fact remains that she did cut her mother and her first husband out of her life and that she had very little time for her daughters as they were growing up. The drama did attempt to show some understanding of why Enid was like that, emphasising the trauma caused by her beloved father walking out on the family when she was twelve. Despite everything, Enid Blyton's books have entertained, educated and inspired millions of children over the years and in that way she has been, and continues to be, a force for good. I'd say that the best of her went into her books and that they can be enjoyed on their own merits.

Barney says: Hi Jan, If you put the titles of the books into the "search" box in the "Cave of Books," you'll be able to see pictures and details of the first editions and reprints.

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't give valuations, Derek, but I'm sure it would be worth consulting a dealer.

Barney says: A pianist is someone who plays the piano, Zahraa.

Barney says: Do you mean a report on her life or her books, Alison? If you click on the "Author of Adventure" button you'll find a lot of information about Enid Blyton's life. If you want book reviews and information on the major series, click on the "Cave of Books" button. Good luck with the report!