The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage
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by:
ISBN:
0-7414-5495-5
©2009
Price:
$17.95
Book Size:
8.5" x 11"
, 231 pages
Category/Subject:
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary
The first analysis of Enid Blyton from an international perspective through her renown series, The Famous Five
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Abstract:
For the past century, Enid Blyton has been described as the greatest publishing phenomenon of our time, the “Muhammad Ali of Children’s Literature” while The Famous Five have often been described as “The Beatles of Children’s Literature” whereas The Secret Seven are deemed to have been “the cradle of James Bond.” Nonetheless, this is the first book that looks at Enid Blyton’s works from a comparative international panorama, rather than a European, especially British perspective. It examines Enid Blyton’s changing viewpoints during her literary career toward familial issues, science, health, religion, and the environment through the lenses of one of her most well renown series, The Famous Five.
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Customer Reviews
   
Just Buy It
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05/28/2010
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Reviewer:
Roger Poos & Bingo Wilson
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This book came out of nowhere to both me and my lover Bingo,(yes I do love you Bingo,from the heart,with all my soul and complete life force,X)
The book addresses very deep & complex social issues.Dont read it if you are easily offended, or are unopen to new, none mainstream ideas on influence and latent cosmic energy..(love to the earth mother Audrey..)
Reading it made me realise that I, Roger, love you Bingo,you are a special man...nothing or no-one should stand in the way of the love we have....Dr Stephens review of the forces inspiring Enids work has shown me that love is all that matters...
In Bingo and I's quest for the lost paradigm once in a while a book comes along and transcends all that,with no bullshit or ulterior motive...this Bingo and I believe,is one of the few so so rare books.
ps We would love to have this book signed by the great Doctor himself,and also to ask him to review our as yet unpublished thesis,'Total Harmonic Convergence'..An Appreciation of the Eath Mother Audrey...
Love to to you all wherever you may be....
Roger&Bingo
xx
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Extract
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06/18/2010
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Reviewer:
Fractal Reasoning
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Abstract:
For the past 6 months, Enid Blyton has been described as the most detested publishing phenomenon of our time, the “John craven of Children’s Literature” while The Famous Five have often been described as “The Sex Pistols of Children’s Literature” whereas The Secret Seven are deemed to have been “Children Dot Cotton never had.” Nonetheless, this is the first book that looks at Enid Blyton’s works from a homespun kiddie type view, rather than a Suburban, especially Celtic perspective. It examines Enid Blyton’s changing viewpoints during her kick boxing career toward self defense; issuessuch as love , sex, sex, and the even more sex through the backside of one of her most ill mannered group, The Punk Rock Killers Jagged Ju,Dicks Dik,Georges Dike,and Anne the man
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What is it?
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06/19/2010
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Reviewer:
Chris P Bacon
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A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other various material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an electronic book (e-book).
Books may also refer to works of literature, or a main division of such a work. In library and information science, a book is called a monograph, to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines, journals or newspapers. The body of all written works including books is literature. In novels and sometimes other types of books (e.g biographies), a book may be divided into several large sections, also called books (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc). A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile, a bibliophilist, or a philobiblist, or, more informally, a bookworm.
A store where books are bought and sold is a bookstore or bookshop. Books can also be borrowed from libraries.
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It kept me sane
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06/22/2010
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Reviewer:
Nicolas Anelka
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As most of you will now know,I had to leave the World Cup and return home.
My sojourn was long,lonely and extremely emotional.
At times I thought I was going to lose my mind.You see I have trained and trained and prepared for this moment for so long.
But now my World Cup is over.
Leaving for the plane journey home,I took a little time to wander around some of the more humble parts of the city.
What I saw brought it all home to me.Why should I,an extremely well paid man be in such despair when all around me were real people,men women and young children whose whole lives held nothing but poverty and despair.
One Father inparticular held my gaze.His son had obvious trouble with his eyes and yet he was such a beautiful,playfull cheerful little fellow in spite of it all.
His Father didnt beg,just held my gaze,but his gaze said a thousand thing to me.
This man still had his dignity.
Silently I pressed all I had into his hands,he just nodded again not speaking,but we had made contact on a totally different level,as equal human beings.
As I made my way back to the plane,his young son ran after me,shouting something I could not understand.
He had a rather large book,and thrust it upon me,jabbering and pointing back to his Father and then the large book.
I hugged the little boy,kissed him tenderly on the forehead and made my way to the airport.
And the book,? A very battered and dirty copy of the Famous Five A Personal Anecdotage,covered in filth and dirt and dust.
But the gesture,the thought that had gone into it from the family I had just met.
It was obviously their most treasured possesion.God only knows how they had got hold of it.Maybe from another international traveller.Why he gave it to them I will never know.
I read that book on the plane home.Not something I would ever read,and yet it has rekindled my faith back in God,humanity and what really matters in this life.Not money or fame or possesions or stardom and adulation,but people and genuine human kindness,true altruistic love that desires nothing in return,but gets its reward from the simple pleasure of giving.
Yes.I have learned a lot from this World Cup,although I barely played and returned home under a cloud of emotion and media hype.
Yours Nicolas.
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C,td
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06/27/2010
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Reviewer:
Dave Lentcombe
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Just back from a trip abroad.Really sorry my review was cut off.
I will try again!
Took a lot of effort and persistence to get hold of this book,(my cousin Bryan who lives in Hong Kong tracked it down for me!) Was it worth it....well yes and no....I didnt really know what to expect,but without giving too much away,if you are a true fan of Enid Blyton I really think you need to read this mans work......Without spoiling anything for you the whole idea of his worldwide promotion and publication of this mans anecdotage is simply as audacious and stunning as the 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'! In the second chapter I feel impelled to warn you that it is very technical in its approach in analyzing Enid Blyton,and will in my humble opinion be very unlike any other book ever written about her that you have ever read.(or indeed will ever read)
Whether you will simply find it a bit too hard going like me,or decide to soldier on only you yourself can say.
What I do feel is of note as I initially refered to is the way the book has been promoted and plugged worldwide by the none other than the author himself.
It will be of interest when I get back to my UK office proper this week to see what the very experienced people of the enid blyton society,and my personal favourites the folk at enid blyton.net make of it.
Is it worth the money?
If you love Enid and you simply must have everything written about her,ask for it as a birthday or xmas gift.
Or,better still buy it between a few friends say and share it around to make sure its really your cup of tea.
Ps Its a lot bigger in the flesh than the pictures floating about would suggest.
Best Wishes and sorry my post was cut of.
Mr.Dave Lentcombe
pps I found some of the above comments most infantile and also very disrespectful to a man who has obviously worked very hard at producing this book.Its easy to snipe and joke and then hide under an anonymous name,not so easy when you are prepared to review someones work under your real name!
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Dr Stephen a Personal Anecdotage
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06/30/2010
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Reviewer:
Teddy 'T Bone' Muir (jnr)
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I could tell you that he’s a brilliant writer. You would already know that if you read his blog or, better yet, devoured his debut novel. That’s not the real reason so many bloggers and writers, people who’ve never met the man face-to-face, came out in the blog-o-sphere with every intention of making him feel spiffy. Hell, there are some damn fine writers out there and I’ll certainly buy their books... but there are only a few people who would get this big of a following of true friends who’ve never met them.
I could think of more than of few examples that make Stephen a cut above the rest in the friendship department. Like the time one of our blog friends had a fire that completely destroyed his home, and it took Stephen all of a day to get up a blog to help him rebuild. That’s an extreme example. I think I’m safe in saying it’s not the only one... he’s a better friend to most of us than some of our real world friends could be.
For the writers in our little circle, his insight and wit has been priceless. He lets us piddle away our time on his blog rather than the real work of writing, and then kicks our asses for slacking off. Let me tell you, it takes a special brand of brilliance to kick your ass and make you like it.
For me, personally, Stephen’s been the best cheerleader (are ya picturing him in the short skirt with pom poms? Ya know you are). Somehow we missed each other back in the Miss Snark days, but I finally met him when I hosted a book club blog for a fellow snarkling’s debut. He was so dead on, insightful, and funny, I just had to follow him back to his own blog. And a cyber-friendship was born. From blog exchanges to emails, to pestering the hell out of him on his facebook wall, Stephen’s one of my true favorites. He’ll give you the real deal, with a bit of humor. And in the solitary world of writing, he’s been one of the bastions of community and understanding that keeps a lot of us trudging through it.
He’s always good for a word of praise or silliness, and sometimes he’ll just pop me an email to check if I’m writing, if I’m holding my own with the whole life sucks and when is it my turn dammit thing, to pass on a word of praise or heads up for someone else in our little cyber world. I’ve got to say, it’s more than once that Stephen’s emailed out of the blue with a back-pat at just the right time. Because really, if someone as brilliant as Stephen thinks I can write, maybe he’s onto something.
So, Stephen, my friend, enjoy your week of festivities. Bask in your much-deserved success. It’s been an honor to take this leg of the journey with you, and I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go. Yer gonna be famous.
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