I have written over 700! One of my personal favourites from another author, is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Heroes
Web Links The website of the Enid Blyton Society. Has a complete Book Listing, Chronology page, book reviews, 1st edition cover scans, a jolly good collection of images of reprints of book, and a very active forum. The Society was formed in 1995, and members have the pride and pleasure of receiving the quarterly Journal, and accessing restricted parts of the website. EnidBlyton.net is simply jam-packed with stuff. Lots of book reviews, cover art scans, "Talk About Blyton" section, and information on buying books (both old and new). The site owner has contributed the most towards it, though a lot of work is supplied by other contributors as well. Very Nice!Heather's Blyton Pages has a lot of fun stuff! Fans can send in "pomes" and short stories, or bits of memorabilia. There is an incredibly detailed section on the many illustrators that Blyton used, and a photo album. And this site contains more links than any other website - 291 at the moment! Phew! People must take a look - you are sure to find a most interesting link! A new website on The Faraway Tree. Lots of information on the folks, lands and goodies of the Tree, as well its own forum. There are lots of bookcover scans - a must-visit for anyone interested in the Faraway Tree.
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Note: This page was created by some fans. Enid's actual date of birth is August 11, 1897. Enid Blyton died in 1968. As 1897 is an invalid birth year at MySpace, 1922 was used for the year, as this was the year that the first book, Child Whispers was first published. The date and month of birth is given correctly, only the year is given as 1922, to signify 84 years of writing.School Rules
The aim of this page is to reunite people of any age with Enid's books that they will have read in their childhood. You will find illustrations of book covers, pictures of Blyton related events and comments from like-minded friends. What you won't find here are personal vendettas, insults, coarse language and other negative attributes that are all too common today. Your co-operation is appreciated. Please note that we are not responsible for content on external MySpace pagesClick on the picture to read a review by Nigel Rowe of The Hollow Tree House
About Me:
I have written over 700 books, as well as contributing articles, stories and poems to numerous publications. I also edited and wrote two magazines - Sunny Stories and Enid Blyton's Magazine. I started writing ever since I was very young and published my first book, Child Whispers in 1922. I was born on August 11, 1897 in East Dulwich after my parents, Thomas and Theresa Blyton had just moved to from Sheffield. When I was a few months old, we shifted to a slightly bigger house in Beckenham, Kent. My father, Thomas Carey Blyton, used to work as a cutlery salesman with a manufacturer. After its closure, he joined his two elder brothers in the family business of mantle warehousing of Fisher and Nephews. He was thirsty for knowledge - it made him learn astronomy, French, German and play piano and banjo. He also painted in watercolours, sang sweetly, read a lot, wrote poetry and was a good photographer. When I was only a few months old, I was seriously ill with whooping cough. The doctors doubted whether I would live, but my father cradled me all night, and held me to himself. I managed to survive. I had two brothers, Hanly and Carey, who supported me a lot later on in my life. I didn't like looking after them or doing the housework with my mother. Instead, I spent all the time I could with my father. We worked in the garden together, went for long walks, watched birds, read, and enjoyed ourselves together. My father had a collection of books - I read them all, even the encyclopedias. Once, he was quite annoyed when he found me reading some of his books which he considered "too advanced" for me. When I was around thirteen, problems began to arise between my parents. There were many rows at home, which I, along with Hanly and Carey, would listen to each night, crouching by the stairs. One day my father finally left home for good. My mother couldn't bear to tell this to anyone. We had to pretend that he was away on a visit, and I kept up this act very well. Not even my closest friends at school ever guessed that my father lived away from home. I missed him very much. Now the only happy times were at school (St. Christopher's), where I often got into trouble for playing tricks in class. My friends and I had a lot of fun sending letters to one another in code, in order to "mystify the postman". Three of us, Mirabel Davis, Mary Attenborough and I, ran a small magazine called Dab, named after the surnames of its three contributors. I played lacrosse at school. I was very good at games and English, but I hated Maths. I found the simplest of sums difficult, yet I was jolly good in other subjects. I loved writing. I wrote little plays and songs for our school concerts. When I was fourteen I won a poetry competition run by Arthur Mee. I wrote stories and sent them to various magazines, but no one wanted to print them. My work was always returned. Mother was cross because she thought I was simply wasting my time, but she did give me a book of poems for my seventeenth birthday. In 1916, I decided to become a teacher after helping my friend Ida Hunt at Woodbridge Congregational Sunday School. I went to Ipswich High School to train as a Kindergarten teacher and my contact with my family virtually ceased. In 1919, I began teaching at Bickley Park School, Bickley. The next year, I moved to Southernhay, Hook Road, Surbiton to work as a nursery governess to four children (David, Brian, Peter and John) of an architect, Horace Thompson and his wife Gertrude. I met an old school friend, Phyllis Chase, who was having some success as an illustrator. We decided to submit our work together. In the same year, my father suddenly died of a heart attack. I couldn't believe the news, and didn't attend the funeral at Beckenham. I used to meet him in his office ever since he left - never at our house, or at his new home. The joys of the early times were there, but it was a distant relationship. With him gone forever, I really felt lonely. In the following years, a lot of my writing was being accepted by The Londoner, The Bystander and Home Weekly. I contributed my first story, "Peronel and His Pot of Glue", to Teacher's World in the February of 1922. The same year, in June, Child Whispers was published. There were 28 poems written by me, and illustrations by Phyllis Chase. In 1924, I married Major Hugh Alexander Pollock, an editor of George Newnes. We moved to Elfin Cottage in 1926, where I purchased Bobs, a black and white fox terrier. Bobs appeared in Teacher's World soon. That year, Sunny Stories for Little Folks was published. Although "Edited by Enid Blyton" was written on the covers, I had actually written every single story there. 3 volumes of Teacher's Treasury was also published. Hugh and I moved to Old Thatch in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire in 1929, where I asked children to collect silver paper and foil to raise money for Great Ormond Street. Bobs wrote his first letter to children in Teacher's World as well. In the July of 1931, my first daughter, Gillian, was born. And in the October of 1935, my second daughter, Imogen, was born. A nurse, Dorothy Richards, came to help me with Imogen. Dorothy became a great friend of mine. Sunny Stories appeared in a new format in 1937, with long serial stories. We moved to Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1938, and I asked my readers to suggest a name for the house. Green Hedges was by far the most popular one, and so the house was called Green Hedges. I wrote The Secret Island and Mr Galliano's Circus in September that year, and Mr Meddle appeared in Sunny Stories in December. The next year I wrote The Enchanted Wood and Boy's and Girl's Circus Book. In 1940, I had 12 books published, including The Naughtiest Girl in the School - my first school story, and The Children of Cherry Tree Farm - a book about British wildlife. My first two books written under the pseudonym of Mary Pollock was also published. The Adventurous Four and St Clare's series started in 1941, and in 1942, The Famous Five series started. This series is one of my best known, and is enjoyed by thousands of readers. I had intended to write only 6 books, ending with Five On Kirrin Island Again, but popular demand made me write 21 novels. The central characters for these books are George Kirrin and her cousins Julian, Dick and Anne, and her beloved dog, Timmy. George's real name is Georgina - but she refuses to answer to that name as she always wanted to be a boy. George is a great "fisher-boy". She is extremely honest and straightforward, and scorns Anne's liking of dolls. George was based on myself. That year I divorced Hugh, and married Kenneth Darrell Waters, a surgeon, the year after. I wrote The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, the first of the Mystery (Find Outers) books. The Five Find-Outers and Dog are Frederick Trotteville, Laurence and Margaret Daykin, Philip and Elizabeth Hilton, and Frederick's Scottie Buster. They are better known as Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets respectively. The five children are always solving mysteries, much to the annoyance of Mr Goon, the local policeman. The children don't like Goon (they call him Clear-Orf, as that is what always Goon is telling them to do), and prefer the "high-up policeman" Inspector Jenks. Inspector Jenks was based on a real inspector - Stephen Jenkins. Jenkins was first an inspector, then Chief Inspector, and later Superintendent. As he was promoted, Inspector Jenks was promoted too - much to Mr Goon's annoyance. He always makes a mess of the cases, and so never is promoted. 1944 ended with The Island of Adventure being published. This series of eight books has four children, a parrot, and a friend to travel all over the world for adventure. Philip and Dinah Mannering, Jack and Lucy-Ann Trent, and their parrot Kiki, befriend Bill "Smugs". Philip and Dinah only have a mother, while the other's don't have any parents at all. They all stay with Mrs Mannering. Bill's real name is unknown throughout the first book - later it is disclosed. Bill Smugs is bald with plenty of hair on the sides, a ruddy face and twinkling eyes. He was based on a real person I once met in a hotel in Swanage. He had said that he would be very pleased if I used him in a book - exactly as he was - bald with plenty of hair on the sides. He also told me to use the name of "Bill Smugs" as that was what he had called himself when he was young. I depicted Kiki the parrot as scarlet and grey with a yellow crest. Later editions has changed this to "a white parrot with a yellow crest".
Who I'd like to meet: All the children who have loved and been inspired by my stories.
The 1970s Famous Five series was a great success; filmed in the New Forest, it has achieved a cult following.Click on the Play symbol below to view.
Album now available Hello. Just to let you know that my album Living In An Enid Blyton World is now on sale and available from my page. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Kevin x
One of my bookcases is three feet across and has five shelves. It is packed solid with Enid Blyton books- includinfg first editions with original dustcovers of all but two of the Famous five series.
I indulge several hours a week in reading them. I am transported back to ad idylic time that never quite existed- however it is beautiful to consider it might have...
Hello, my Grandfather is David Thompson. Brian, John and Peter the twins are my great uncles. Sadly they have all died but my Aunt has pictures. Sarah x
Enid Blyton books meant the world to me when i was younger. The Magic Faraway Tree/Wishing Chair series were my favourites. I still have a lot of the books i owned many moons ago. Great site! Thanks for letting us relive our childhood.
Thanks for this lovely tribute site. Enid made my childhood magical. Now my daughter who is only three delights in her spellcraft as well. Enid is the Queen of imagination and creative power! I still love her books in my advanced age and suspect I will read her until the day I die. My favourites are the boarding school stories of St Clares and Mallory Towers and then the Famous Five and my daughter loves Noddy.
Thank you so much for finding me! i have just bought three more books today from charity shops. It makes me sad that people do not want them anymore. x
Your site is just lovely! I adore Enid Blyton, I still read her books over and over even though I'm in my 40's. Thank you so much for setting up this page for her :)
Thanks for being friends. LIVING IN AN ENID BLYTON WORLD is the title of the album out in November. If only such a world were possible ... maybe it is?
Hi! Thanks for the add, I love your site dedicated to the amazing Enid Blyton. I am a big fan of all her wonderful stories - especially the famous five! Thanks again
Hi there! I haven't been by in a while, so I just thought I'd drop over and see how you're going. I hope you're well, and consuming many, many chunks of chocolate cake and slabs of very plummy fruitcake! I have been busy, and I will be for a while yet...no rest for the wicked! Better go again, it's late and I have a long day tomorrow. Take care ♥ Erica x
Welcome to my page, you lovely old thing! Me and my imagination are indebted to you forever! Long live Fairyland! Storybookfulls of love to you and your memory, from Aelfreeda da Wolf X
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