Blogging about Blyton

The other day, the British TV quiz programme Pointless included a question about Enid Blyton. I wondered what happened to this best-selling author from the past, and a quick Google revealed a few interesting facts.

For instance, the first Famous Five book was published in 1942. That was the middle of World War Two! I wonder how many children's books were sold from 1939 to 1945?

And one publisher decided that the language in some of the books needed updating, so descriptions like "lashings of pop" (lots of soda) were changed in one version. I think I agree with others who maintain that it's a better idea to stick to the original versions, rather. After all, parents can always chat to their kids about how language evolves over the years. You can read more about this on The Guardian's website here.

Have a look at the boarding school series set at St Clare's for sale at Amazon. They've got wonderful new covers, reminiscent of Jacqueline Wilson's works.

Although not as wildly popular as before, Enid Blyton's books continue to sell well. There’s even talk of movies being made of some favourites.