Saturday, May 26, 2012

... on Thing #3: The Famous Five

I've just unpacked a box of old books, and come across a treasure: my Famous Five collection. When I was a kid, Enid Blyton made me want to be a tomboy; have a rowboat, a cellar and an attic; go on bicycling holidays; sleep on a pile of bracken in a cave; find an overgrown steam-train on a moor; go to boarding school; and say things like "What ho!" (said Dick. "WHAT HO!")
Five get into trouble 1970 Hodder and Stoughton London
The illustrations by Eileen Soper in the Hodder and Stoughton editions are just lovely.
Five go to Smuggler's Top 1954 Hodder and Stoughton London
Five go to Smuggler's Top 1954 Hodder and Stoughton London
Five to to Smuggler's Top 1954 Hodder and Stoughton London
Five fall into adventure 1954 Hodder and Stoughton London
Endpapers for Five on a Treasure Island 1969 Hodder and Stoughton London
Endpapers for Five fall into Adventure 1954 Hodder and Stoughton London
The rest of the collection is made up of extremely ratty-looking paperbacks from the late seventies which tied in with the TV series made at the time, when Timmy turned into a border collie. Is it awkward that I can still sing the jingle? Probably.
Heavens though... I've just realised that I'm missing five titles - could it be possible that there are Famous Five books that I haven't read? I can't WAIT until the next Lifeline Book Fair!

1 comment:

Hot Fudge said...

Hi Emily

Great to catch up with you in Sydney on Saturday. Guess what? I am reading the Famous Five to my grandchildren and they love it. We've just finished Five go to Smuggler's Top. Golly gosh.