Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton

(1897 – 1968)

Biographical Sketch

Enid Mary Blyton (London, England, August 11, 1897 – London, England, November 28, 1968) was an English children’s writer whose books have been among the world’s best-sellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Blyton’s books are still enormously popular, and have been translated into 90 languages. As of June 2018, Blyton is in the 4th place for the most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives and is best remembered today for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, and Malory Towers, and St. Clares series.

Her first book, Child Whispers, a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Following the commercial success of her early novels such as Adventures of the Wishing-Chair (1937) and The Enchanted Wood (1939), Blyton went on to build a literary empire, sometimes producing fifty books a year in addition to her prolific magazine and newspaper contributions. Her writing was unplanned and sprang largely from her unconscious mind: she typed her stories as events unfolded before her. The sheer volume of her work and the speed with which it was produced led to rumours that Blyton employed an army of ghost writers, a charge she vigorously denied.

Blyton’s work became increasingly controversial among literary critics, teachers and parents from the 1950s onwards, because of the alleged unchallenging nature of her writing and the themes of her books, particularly the Noddy series. Some libraries and schools banned her works, which the BBC had refused to broadcast from the 1930s until the 1950s, because they were perceived to lack literary merit. Her books have been criticised as being elitist, sexist, racist, xenophobic and at odds with the more progressive environment emerging in post-Second World War Britain, but they have continued to be best-sellers since her death in 1968.

She felt she had a responsibility to provide her readers with a strong moral framework, so she encouraged them to support worthy causes. In particular, through the clubs she set up or supported, she encouraged and organised them to raise funds for animal and paediatric charities. The story of Blyton’s life was dramatised in a BBC film entitled Enid, featuring Helena Bonham Carter in the title role and first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Four in 2009. There have also been several adaptations of her books for stage, screen and television.

Selected Bibliography

(Note: Major books only; in total, Enid Blyton published over 700 books during her lifetime alone. Also not included here are any of the numerous sequels to her books authored by other writers. For the complete list of books published by Enid Blyton during her lifetime, see Wikipedia and the Enid Blyton Society website.)

St. Clare’s

The Twins at St Clare’s (1941)
The O’Sullivan Twins (1941)
Summer Term at St Clare’s (1943)
Second Form at St Clare’s (1944)
Claudine at St Clare’s (1944)
Fifth Formers of St Clare’s (1945)

Malory Towers

First Term at Malory Towers (1946)
Second Form at Malory Towers (1947)
Third Year at Malory Towers (1948)
Upper Fourth at Malory Towers (1949)
In the Fifth at Malory Towers (1950)
Last Term at Malory Towers (1951)

The Famous Five

Five on a Treasure Island (1942)
Five Go Adventuring Again (1943)
Five Run Away Together (1944)
Five Go to Smuggler’s Top (1945)
Five Go Off in a Caravan (1946)
Five on Kirrin Island Again (1947)
Five Go Off to Camp (1948)
Five Get Into Trouble (1949)
Five Fall Into Adventure (1950)
Five on a Hike Together (1951)
Five Have a Wonderful Time (1952)
Five Go Down to the Sea (1953)
Five Go to Mystery Moor (1954)
Five Have Plenty of Fun (1955)
Five on a Secret Trail (1956)
Five Go to Billycock Hill (1957)
Five Get Into A Fix (1958)
Five on Finniston Farm (1959)
Five Go to Demon’s Rocks (1960)
Five Have a Mystery to Solve (1960)
Five Are Together Again (1963)

The Five Find-Outers

The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (1943)
The Mystery of the Strange Bundle (1943)
The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944)
The Mystery of the Secret Room (1945)
The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters (1946)
The Mystery of the Missing Necklace (1947)
The Mystery of the Hidden House (1948)
The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat (1949)
The Mystery of the Invisible Thief (1950)
The Mystery of the Vanished Prince (1951)
The Mystery of Holly Lane (1953
The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage (1954)
The Mystery of the Strange Messages (1956)
The Mystery of the Missing Man (1956)
The Mystery of Banshee Towers (1961)

The Secret Seven

The Secret Seven (1949)
Secret Seven Adventure (1950)
Well Done, Secret Seven (1951)
Secret Seven on the Trail (1952)
Go Ahead Secret Seven (1953)
Good Work, Secret Seven (1954)
Secret Seven Win Through (1955)
Three Cheers, Secret Seven (1956)
Secret Seven Mystery (1957)
Puzzle for the Secret Seven (1958)
Secret Seven Fireworks (1959)
Good Old Secret Seven (1960)
Shock for the Secret Seven (1961)
Look Out, Secret Seven (1962)
Fun for the Secret Seven (1963)

The Magic Faraway Tree

The Yellow Fairy Book (1936)
The Enchanted Wood (1939)
The Magic Faraway Tree (1943)
The Folk of the Faraway Tree (1946)
Up the Faraway Tree (1951)

The Secret Books

The Secret Island (1938)
The Secret of Spiggy Holes (1940)
The Secret Mountain (1941)
The Secret of Killimooin (1943)
The Secret of Moon Castle (1953)

Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit Funtime Adventures (1957)
Brer Rabbit Again (1963)
Brer Rabbit’s a Rascal (1965)

The Children of Cherry Tree Farm

The Children of Cherry Tree Farm (1940)
The Children of Willow Farm (1942)
More Adventures on Willow Farm (1942)

Noddy

Noddy Goes to Toyland (1949)
Hurrah for Little Noddy (1950)
Noddy and His Car (1951)
Here Comes Noddy Again (1951)
Noddy Goes To School (1952)
Well Done Noddy! (1952)
Noddy at the Seaside (1953)
Noddy and the Magic Rubber (1954)
Noddy Gets Into Trouble (1954)
You Funny Little Noddy (1955)
Noddy Meets Father Christmas (1955)
A/K/A Noddy Meets Santa
Noddy and Tessie Bear (1956)
Be Brave Little Noddy! (1956)
Do Look Out Noddy! (1957)
Noddy and the Bumpy Dog (1957)
Noddy and Bumpy Dog (1957)
You’re a Good Friend, Noddy! (1958)
Noddy Has an Adventure (1958)
Noddy & the Bunkey (1959)
Noddy Goes to Sea (1959)
Noddy and the Bunkey (1959)
Noddy Goes to The Fair (1960)
Cheer Up Little Noddy! (1960)
Mr. Plod and Little Noddy (1961)
Noddy and the Tootles (1962)
Noddy and the Aeroplane (1963)
Learn to tell the time with Noddy (1965)
Noddy and His Passengers (1967)

Adventure Books

The Island of Adventure (1944)
The Castle of Adventure (1946)
The Valley of Adventure (1947)
The Sea of Adventure (1948)
The Mountain of Adventure (1949)
The Ship of Adventure (1950)
The Circus of Adventure (1952)
The River of Adventure (1955)

The Adventurous Four

The Adventurous Four (1941)
The Adventurous Four Again (1947)

Amelia Jane

Naughty Amelia Jane! (1939)
Amelia Jane Again! (1946)
More About Amelia Jane! (1954)
Amelia Jane Gets Into Trouble! (1954)

Barney Mysteries

The Rockingdown Mystery (1949)
The Rilloby Fair Mystery (1950)
The Ring O’ Bells Mystery (1951)
The Rubadub Mystery (1952)
The Rat-A-Tat Mystery (1956)
The Ragamuffin Mystery (1959)

The Fabulous Four

The Birthday Kitten (1958)
The Four Cousins (1961)

Family Books

The Caravan Family (1945)
The Saucy Jane Family (1947)
The Seaside Family (1950)
The Pole Star Family (1950)
The Buttercup Farm Family (1951)
The Queen Elizabeth Family (1951)

Happy House Books

The Children At Happy House (1946)
The Happy House Children (1946)
Happy House Children Again (1947)
Benjy and the others (1955)

Josie, Click and Bun

Josie, Click And Bun and The Little Tree House (1939)
The Further Adventures Of Josie, Click And Bun (1941)
Josie, Click And Bun Again (1946)
More About Josie, Click And Bun (1948)
Welcome Josie, Click and Bun (1952)

Mary Mouse Books

Mary Mouse and the Doll’s House (1942)
More Adventures of Mary Mouse (1943)
Little Mary Mouse Again (1944)
Hello, Little Mary Mouse (1945)
Mary Mouse and Her Family (1946)
How Do You Do, Mary Mouse? (1948)
Hurrah for Mary Mouse (1949)
Welcome Mary Mouse! (1950)
A Prize For Mary Mouse (1951)
We Do Love Mary Mouse (1951)
Mary Mouse and Her Bicycle (1952)
Mary Mouse and the Noah’s Ark (1953)
Mary Mouse to the Rescue (1954)
Mary Mouse in the Nursery Rhyme Land (1955)
A Day With Mary Mouse (1956)
Mary Mouse and the Garden Party (1957)
Mary Mouse Goes to Sea (1960)
Mary Mouse Goes Out for the Day (1961)

Mister Meddle

Merry Mister Meddle (1954)
Mister Meddle’s Muddles (1959)

Mr. Galliano’s Circus

Mr Galliano’s Circus (1938)
Hurrah for the Circus! (1939)
Circus Days Again (1942)

Mr Pink-Whistle

The Adventures of Mr Pink-Whistle (1941)
Mr. Pink-Whistle Interferes (1950)

Mr Twiddle

Hello Mr Twiddle (1942)
Don’t be Silly Mr.Twiddle! (1949)

The Naughtiest Girl

The Naughtiest Girl in the School (1930)
The Naughtiest Girl Is a Monitor (1940)
Here’s the Naughtiest Girl! (1940)
The Naughtiest Girl Again (1942)

The O’Clock Tales Collection

Five O’Clock Tales (1941)
Six O’Clock Tales (1942)
Seven O’clock Tales (1943)

Popular Rewards Books

The Magic Brush And Other Stories (1942)
The Secret Door and Other Stories. (1946)
Mr Icy Cold And Other Stories (1948)
The Little Brown Bear And Other Stories (1952)

Six Cousins

Six Cousins At Mistletoe Farm (1948)
Six Cousins Again (1950)

The Twins

Tales of the Twins (1948)
Hello Twins (1951)
Come Along Twins (1952)
Here come the Twins (1953)
Trouble for the Twins (1955)

The Wishing Chair

The Adventures Of The Wishing-Chair (1937)
The Wishing-Chair Again (1950)

Standalone Novels

The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies (1924)
The Disappointed Sprites (1926)
The Book of Brownies (1926)
Tales of Betsy-May (1940)
The Children of Cherry Tree Farm: A Tale of the Countryside (1940)
The Secret of Cliff Castle (1940)
Shadow The Sheepdog (1942)
The Land of Far Beyond (1942)
Mischief at St Rollo’s (1943)
Smuggler Ben (1943)
The Children’s Life of Christ (1943)
Bimbo and Topsy (1943)
The Christmas Book (1944)
Tales of Toyland (1944)
The Family at Red-Roofs (1945)
Hollow Tree House (1945)
House at the Corner (1947)
The Green Story Book (1947)
The Put-Em-Rights (1947)
Those Dreadful Children (1949)
The Lucky Green Pea (1951)
Animal Lover’s Book (1952)
The Young Adventurers At Holiday House (1955)
The Boy with the Loaves and the Fishes (1955)
Holiday House (1955)
The Adventure of the Strange Ruby (1960)
The Treasure Hunters (1960)
The Mystery That Never Was (1961)
The Boy Who Wanted a Dog (1963)
Tales of Brave Adventure (1963)
The Three Gollies (1964)
The Boy Who Came Back (1965)
The Man Who Stopped to Help (1965)
The Enid Blyton Book Of Brownies (1967)
The Adventures of Binkle and Flip (1967)
Hurrah for the Circus (1968)

Story Collections

The Book of Fairies (1924)
The Book of Bunnies (1925)
Short Story Collection (1926)
Ten Minute Tales (1934)
The Red Pixie Book (1934)
A Second Book of Naughty Children (1947)
The Adventures of Pip (1948)
The Three Naughty Children (1950)
The Magic Knitting Needles and Other Stories (1950)
Bedtime Stories (1953)
Muddlesome’s Mistake And Other Stories (1959)
Adventure Stories (1961)
Round the Clock Stories (1963)
Happy Hours Story Book (1964)
Storytime Book (1964)
Tales of Long Ago (1965)
The Red Story Book (1966)
Stories for Bedtime (1966)
Stories for You (1966)
The Yellow Story Book (1968)

Poetry

Child Whispers (1922)
Real Fairies: Poems (1923)
Songs of Gladness (1924)
The Flower-Woman (1934)
The Ladybird’s Spots (1934)
The Little Tiny House (1934)
The Patchwork Quilt (1934)
Who Can It Be? (1934)
You Never Know (1934)

Plays

A Book of Little Plays (1927)
The Play’s the Thing (1927)
– Illustrator Alfred Bestall, music Alex Rowley; republished in 1940 as Plays for Older Children and Plays for Younger Children.

Online editions of Enid Blyton’s works:

A Selection of Quotes

Summer Term at St Clare’s

“You are honest enough by nature to be able to see and judge your own self clearly – and that is a great thing. Never lose that honesty, Bobby – always be honest with yourself, know your own motives for what they are, good or bad, make your own decisions firmly and justly – and you will be a fine, strong character, of some real use in this muddled world of ours!”

Second Form at Malory Towers

“You think if someone does a brave deed quite suddenly, then he or she could never do a mean one? You are wrong. We all have good and bad in us, and we have to strive all the time to make the good cancel out the bad. We can never be perfect – we all of us do mean or wrong things at times – but we can at least make amends by trying to cancel out the wrong by doing something worthy later on.”

Mr Galliano’s Circus

“The best way to treat obstacles is to use them as stepping-stones. Laugh at them, tread on them, and let them lead you to something better.”

Six Cousins At Mistletoe Farm

“You’re trying to escape from your difficulties, and there never is any escape from difficulties, never. They have to be faced and fought.”

Six Cousins Again

“Hatred is so much easier to win than love – and so much harder to get rid of.”

The Naughtiest Girl in the School

“I wonder where you got that idea from? I mean, the idea that it’s feeble to change your mind once it’s made up. That’s a wrong idea, you know. Make up your mind about things, by all means – but if something happens to show that you are wrong, then it is feeble not to change your mind, Elizabeth. Only the strongest people have the pluck to change their minds, and say so, if they see they have been wrong in their ideas.”

The Castle of Adventure

“‘I don’t feel at all brave,’ thought Jack, ‘but I suppose a person is really bravest when he does something although he is frightened. So here goes!'”

Find more quotes by Enid Blyton on Goodreads.