Post a Message

Barney says: Which films do you mean, Wendy? Do you mean films based on particular books, or films about Enid Blyton's life?

Barney says: Cheers, A4! When it comes to continuation books by other authors, or books which have been rewritten to the point where they differ greatly from the originals, it's up to the publisher whether the author is identified on the cover. Some publishers choose to acknowledge the author - Anne Digby's name is on the cover of her "Naughtiest Girl" sequels - while other publishers either put the author's name inside or don't mention it at all (meaning that young readers will wrongly assume they are buying a genuine Enid Blyton book).

Barney says: Every day spent in the Cave is an adventure, thanks, A4! I think the book you mean is "The Adventurous Four - Trapped!" It started life as a shortish story of four chapters in "Enid Blyton's Omnibus!" in 1952, with the title 'Off With the Adventurous Four Again!' In 1998 Clive Dickinson added a lot more chapters of his own to turn the story into a full-length novel, meaning that much of the content is not by Enid Blyton. Also in 1998, "The Adventurous Four" was retitled "The Adventurous Four - Shipwrecked!" and "The Adventurous Four Again!" was retitled "The Adventurous Four - Stranded!" Some alterations were made to the texts, including name changes.

Barney says: Tomorrow I might need some more bones and biscuits to keep my strength up! ;-)

Barney says: It sounds as though you have masses of time, Alison! If I were you, I'd start keeping a notebook about Enid Blyton. You can jot down anything you learn about her, and anything interesting that occurs to you while reading her books. Then you'll have plenty of material to work with when you come to write the article.

Barney says: When that question was put to Enid Blyton she said that golliwogs were simply nursery toys, not symbols of racism or representations of black people. Golliwogs are generally presented as smart, cheerful, lovable characters and they tend to be loved by the children who own them. Although they have been removed from children's books and were hard to find in the shops at one point, they are now making a come-back in Britain. In your case, your golly is a family heirloom and I'd continue to cherish him and explain to friends that he is nothing more than a much-loved cuddly toy.

Barney says: It sounds as if these are the New Testament Bible Plates, that were produced to go with Blyton's Bible Readers published by Macmillan. Because of their size they are difficult to store (they originally came in a large brown 'wallet') and equally difficult to display in quantity. For this reason they are not really of much interest to Blyton collectors.

Barney says: Is your "new" book secondhand, Poppy? (That sounds like nonsense, but you know what I mean!) There used to be a Famous Five Club for fans, who were sent a badge and a membership card on joining. Unfortunately the Club came to an end years ago. The badges do sometimes turn up on eBay but can be quite pricey, I'm afraid.

Barney says: Golly, you make me feel as if I'm doing 'Enid Blyton' as a special subject on "Mastermind", asking me all these questions! ;-) Enid's favourite book as a child was "The Princess and the Goblin" by George Macdonald. She had two younger brothers, Hanly and Carey. Her first book was "Child Whispers", a slim volume of poetry which was published in June 1922 when Enid Blyton was twenty-four. You can find out more about her life by clicking on our "Author of Adventure" button. Good luck with your article!

Barney says: Cats are all right in their place - but their place is certainly not in my basket!

Barney says: If you're asking whether anyone has written a Naughtiest Girl continuation book for this website then I'm afraid not, Yumi. I don't know whether you know, but six Naughtiest Girl sequels were written by Anne Digby some years ago.

Barney says: Thanks very much, Katie! And don't worry, I wasn't upset. If some visitors prefer to correspond with a female, perhaps my master will consider finding me a nice lady canine companion to help me out on the Message Board! Not a bad idea at all!

Barney says: It was a real privilege to spend a sunny afternoon in the grounds of Rowe Hall, Nigel!

Barney says: Thanks, Loony! It's great to hear from a fellow canine!

Barney says: I like to think I'm an approachable dog, Katie, and that people are happy to come to me with their questions. I do like the set-up over at www.enidblyton.net, where questions are answered by several characters from the Find-Outers books, though I don't think visitors are able to choose whether their queries are answered by Fatty, Bets or Inspector Jenks - it depends which character gets there first! Much of the time our Message Board isn't quite as busy as the one at www.enidblyton.net, so having one dog answering questions is probably sufficient for now. Thanks for your comments though - it's always interesting to hear people's suggestions.

Barney says: Interesting that you have a family connection, Jackie. If you want to buy books with Lilian Buchanan dustwrappers, you could look on eBay or try the booksellers we list under "Lashings of Links". Occasionally original artwork by book illustrators turns up at auction, but more often than not publishers threw away artwork when it was no longer needed, in order to free up space.

Barney says: It is indeed disappointing that so many of Enid Blyton's books have been edited/updated - some series more than others.

Barney says: I haven't seen "Waterloo Road", Katie, but I imagine that school uniforms on actresses in their 20s may look somewhat perverse!

Barney says: That's interesting, Katharine. I know some small village schools still operated in that way until fairly recently - perhaps some still do?

Barney says: I don't know of an Enid Blyton poem called 'I Wonder' but you might possibly be thinking of 'Things I won't Forget', which is included in Appendix 1 of Barbara Stoney's "Enid Blyton - the Biography" and first appeared in Enid Blyton's poetry collection "Silver and Gold" in 1925: When I'm grown up I won't forget the things I think today -/ I won't forget the sort of things I like to do and say;/ I won't be like the folk I know, who seem so very old,/ And quite forget the things they did when they were eight years old./ There's lots of other things, of course, that I'll remember too;/ And then when I'm grown up I'll know what children like to do./ I'll know the things they're frightened of, I'll know the things they hate -/ And oh! I hope they'll love me, though they'll know I'm long past eight!

Barney says: I'm enjoying the summer very much thanks, Javier! We don't really know why Enid Blyton didn't write about the third form or sixth form at St. Clare's but there are a few oddities in the stories, such as the fact that the O' Sullivan twins are already aged 14 in the first form, so perhaps she decided to miss out a year or two in order to avoid focussing too much on the fact that they would be rather old by the time they got to their final years at the school! The Malory Towers series is better-structured but even there there are some inconsistencies, e.g. Darrell starts Malory Towers in the summer term, some characters spend more than three terms in one year and some members of a class move up early to the next form while the majority stay put. It's possible that things are more flexible at private schools than at state schools, but it's still difficult to make sense of it all. Luckily, we soon get caught up in the exciting stories and stop dwelling on minor details! As you may know, Pamela Cox has written books about the third year and sixth form at St. Clares.

Barney says: I'm afraid I've no idea, Emma, but perhaps someone reading this will know. Alternatively, you could look on a site like Amazon.

Barney says: An occasional question is fine, Ana. If you mean are all Enid Blyton's books still in print, not all of them are but most of the full-length novels are still published as well as many of the short stories. If you want to know about specific titles, you could check sites like Amazon to see whether those titles are currently available to buy new.

Barney says: It's nice to see this series mentioned as it appears to be one of Enid Blyton's lesser-known series.

Barney says: Hope you enjoy "House-at-the-Corner", Poppy.

Barney says: "The Six Bad Boys" is a stand-alone novel, Poppy, but if you liked that you may enjoy some of the other 'family and society' novels written for the same age-group (if you haven't already read them), e.g. "The Family at Red-Roofs", "House-at-the-Corner", "The Put-em-Rights", "The Children at Green Meadows" and the two "Six Cousins" books.

Barney says: Sadly Enid Blyton's elder daughter, Gillian Baverstock, died three years ago, Katie. We can't give out the address of Enid's younger daughter, Imogen Smallwood, but many fans have been able to meet her as she regularly attends the Enid Blyton Day with her daughter, Sophie.

Barney says: Cheers, Julie. You're welcome to share my bones and biscuits any time!

Barney says: Gosh, you do put a dog in a dilemma, Nigel! It's impossible to pick a favourite as the dogs you mention are all so appealing in their own ways. Timmy is wise and brave, Scamper is wonderfully patient and Buster's admirable aim in life is to nip Goon's ankles as often as possible. Then there are Loony and Crackers, who more than live up to their names, and Lucky the fox-terrier, clever as paint. I suppose which one I like best depends on what kind of mood I'm in. If I'm in a playful mood I might prefer to read about Loony, but when I'm feeling more serious I might plump for Timmy. As for myself, I'm not sure that I'd like to have been one of Enid's hero-dogs. Their lives sound rather dangerous at times and I think I prefer to curl up with a book and a bone and participate in their adventures from the comfort of my blanket!

Barney says: They're both great books, but personally I've got a soft spot for "Shadow the Sheep-Dog" and "The Adventures of Scamp". Shadow and Scamp are two of Enid Blyton's most intelligent characters!

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't give valuations but you can find out more about the Holiday Books here.

Barney says: Good luck with your article, Lauren. It is often said that Enid Blyton books continue to play a very important part in getting children to enjoy reading independently, which is no doubt true. Other readers have spoken of the things they've learnt from her books - good morals, fairness, courage, owning up to wrongdoing and making amends, an appreciation of nature, etc. During her lifetime, Enid was in contact with her readers through magazines like "Sunny Stories" and "Enid Blyton's Magazine". Through those magazines she encouraged boys and girls to get involved with charities, e.g. readers of "Enid Blyton's Magazine" were invited to join clubs which regularly raised money for a children's home, blind children, children with cerebral palsy and sick animals. Enid Blyton has been a positive influence on readers for generations and continues to inspire, educate and entertain children today, more than forty years after her death.

Barney says: I always try to help if I can! There has been a great deal of discussion about the DVDs of the 70s Famous Five TV series in our forums in the following thread. If you look at the post by Timmy254 on August 2nd that will tell you more, but briefly these DVDs are being released in Germany in October. At present there is no sign of a UK release.

Barney says: I am duly rebuked, but I was trying to match the tone of Ana's message, some of which didn't quite make the Message Board!

Barney says: I've put all five of your messages together, Ana. A dog doesn't like to be pestered like this - I can't be on the Message Board constantly - and no, I'm not a character from a Blyton book! "Adventures of the Wishing-Chair" is still in print, as are the vast majority of Enid Blyton's other main books, and the copyright doesn't run out until the end of 2038. So if you find any of the major novels anywhere online, they've been uploaded illegally.

Barney says: As I said in my original reply, Christina, Birn Bros published a huger number of books and I can really only help with those written by Enid Blyton, and even then I really need to see the book.

Barney says: You are so kind, I just luv juicy bones!! I am not sure what you mean about the Wishing-Chair books, if you want to buy them you can find them all over the place, have a look at our Lashings of Links page. If you just want to read them on the internet you are going to be out of luck as you will not ne able to find them.

Barney says: I don't like anonymous posts, it reminds me of what cats do in the garden!

Barney says: A pleasure, Poppy, good luck with finding a copy.

Barney says: We would need a few more details that that, Christina, as Birn Bros published hundreds of books over a long period. What makes you think that the book is by Enid Blyton?

Barney says: You'll be glad to know that both films are to be released on 13th September - check out this link.

Barney says: This is up to you really, Anne. If it is a large collection selling them separately might be rather tedious. You could always try putting them in the For Sale section on our forums, which wouldn't cost you anything (you would have to register first), or else you could try putting them on an internet website like ebay.

Barney says: Good for you, Karen!

Barney says: My birthday, now there's a question! I like to think of every day as my birthday, but a fellow never reveals his age. I can tell you that I am the same age as my tail!

Barney says: Yes, you're right that the copyright on Blyton books expires at the end of 2038. I don't know of any published Find-Outers continuation books, but continuation books have been produced for other series (traditionally published, not self-published) with the approval of Chorion. Some, like Pamela Cox's Malory Towers and St. Clare's books or Trevor Bolton's "The Secret Valley", have been written very much in the spirit of the originals. Others, however, have strayed far from Enid Blyton's original creations - I'm thinking of books like the anonymous "Faraway Fairies" series and the new Wishing-Chair stories.

Barney says: Enid Blyton's "The Story of My Life" has been out of print for years, Poppy, but second-hand copies sometimes come up for sale on eBay or Abebooks. Alternatively, you could try contacting the booksellers listed under "Lashings of Links".

Barney says: I have just been through 'The Second Holiday Book' page by page and the stories listed in our Cave of Books are correct and nothing is missing. I would love to know what extra stories you have as there is only one version of this book. It did get reprinted as an abridged version in 1959, and this version only had 22 of the original 29 stories, with 156 pages instead of 192. Do let us know how your book is different.

Barney says: Thanks very much for the bone and biscuit! Let's hope the dogs in the modern editions of the books are still allowed to enjoy titbits!

Barney says: It certainly does exist, it has a blue plaque on it and I have taken a photo of it (I'm a smart dog!). There is a letter from that address in Journal 41 and you will see that it goes on as 31 Shortlands Road, Bromley.