Growing by a year

A year has passed, and Lauren has sent us an updated photo of her Enid Blyton growing collection. Thank you, Lauren, and a happy new year!

An updated bookshelf

Young reader Lauren Smith has sent me an updated photo of her growing Blyton collection. Here's what she wrote. Thanks, Lauren, and please send another one next year!

hello, here is a photo of my enid blyton collection again..it has grown a lot so i thought it be best that i send a new picture...i am now 14 ...i now have 89 books (i think) so that is 36 more than a little under a year ago...regards, lauren :)

A beautiful shelf from South Australia

Lauren Smith, 13, South Australia, sent me a photograph of her Enid Blyton collection. Thank you, Lauren! I counted 53 books, but as Lauren mentioned, "some may be left out". Many life-long readers remember the joy of reading Blyton, whether it's sitting on the front porch with a new Famous Five, or secretly turning on a small flashlight after pretending to go to sleep. I still remember the Noddy collection we had at our public library. I used to read while walking back from the library (thank goodness I didn't bounce my head into the lamp posts!), but by the time I reached home I usually had to go back and pick another book.

Blyton at Dorset

Last year I got the following wonderful account from Ms. Anne King, the librarian of an independent school in Dorset County, United Kingdom. I can only imagine the Blyton shelf, but I wish I could see it!

Greetings from Dorset in the South West of England

I am the librarian at an independent school near Sherborne. This school year (2008-9) we are celebrating 60 years of the school at it's current location, moving here just after the war in 1948. I thought you might like to know that in our school Enid Blyton is as popular now as she was in the 1940s. We have all of the St Clares and Mallory Towers books and a good number of Famous Fives and Secret Sevens and a couple of 'Naughtiest Girls' too. I have not enclosed a photo of our book shelf because I'm too embarrassed! The books have quite simply been read to destruction and will need to be replaced next year!. Perhaps it's because we are a boarding school that the books have held their appeal?

All good wishes

Anne King

Indeed, can you imagine reading Mallory Towers while being in a boarding school? Thank you, Ms. King!

A beautiful shelf from Melbourne

Tania of Myrtle and Eunice, Melbourne, was kind enough to share wonderful photos of her beautiful Blyton shelf (and a great zoom-in on the "Wishing Chair").

I just returned from Melbourne a couple of months ago. Having spent a
lot of time in libraries with my daughter, in particular the one in St.
Kilda, I am happy to report that Aussie kids are still hooked on
Blyton. New prints are also available at Borders etc. I also found many Blytons in Hebrew at the Jewish Makor library in Caulfield (or is it South Caulfield? Someone help me here, please).

Click on the shelf to zoom in.

Ms. Hussain's bookshelf

Natasha Hussain, the top Pakistani model/actress, has a whole Enid Blyton bookshelf in her father's home. So Natty, if you happen to read this, please send a photo. Of the bookshelf, that is. The address is LetBlytonIn@gmail.com. Thanks!

Childhood Memories from Bengal

Ramnath Subramanian, a science teacher based in El Paso, Texas, found two Blyton books at a US bookstore - indeed, a rarity - and writes beautifully about his bookish childhood. I am sure this piece will resonate with many. Who knows how many other "secret societies" of kids around the world were inspired by the Famous Five!