Enid Blyton is known throughout the world for her imaginative children's books and her enduring characters such as Noddy and the Famous Five. She is one of the most borrowed authors from British libraries and still holds a fascination for readers old and young alike. Yet until 1974, when Barbara Stoney first published her official biography, little was known about this most private author, even by members of her own family.The woman who emerged from Barbara Stoney's remarkable research was hardworking, complex, often difficult and, in many ways, childlike. Now this widely praised classic biography has been fully updated for the twenty-first century and, with the addition of new colour illustrations and a comprehensive list of Enid Blyton's writings, documents the growing appeal of this extraordinary woman throughout the world. The fascinating story of one of the world's most famous authors will intrigue and delight all those with an interest in her timeless books.

She is the most prolific childrens author in history, but Enid Blyton is also the most controversial. A remarkable woman who wrote hundreds of books in a career spanning forty years, even her razor sharp mind could never have predicted her enormous global audience. Now, fifty years after her death, Enid remains a phenomenon, with sales outstripping every rival.Parents and teachers lobbied against Enids books, complaining they were simplistic, repetitive and littered with sexist and snobbish undertones. Blatant racist slurs were particularly shockingly; foreign and working class characters were treated with a distain that horrifies modern readers. But regardless of the criticism, Enid worked until she could not physically write another word, famously producing thousands of words a day hunched over her manual typewriter.She imaged a more innocent world, where children roamed unsupervised, and problems were solved with midnight feasts or glorious picnics with lashings of ginger beer. Smugglers, thieves, spies and kidnappers were thwarted by fearless gangs who easily outwitted the police, while popular schoolgirls scored winning goals in nail-biting lacrosse matches.Enid carefully crafted her public image to ensure her fans only knew of this sunny persona, but behind the scenes, she weaved elaborate stories to conceal infidelities, betrayals and unconventional friendships, lied about her childhood and never fully recovered from her parents marriage collapsing. She grew up convinced that her beloved father abandoned her for someone he loved more, and few could ever measure up to her impossible standards.A complex and immature woman, Enid was plagued by insecurities and haunted by a dark past. She was prone to bursts of furious temper, yet was a shrewd businesswoman years ahead of her time. She may not have been particularly likeable, and her stories infuriatingly unimaginative, but she left a vast literary legacy to generations of children.

This book is a study of the best-selling writer for children Enid Blyton (1897-1968) and provides a new account of her career. It draws on Blyton’s business correspondence to give a fresh account of a misunderstood figure who for forty years was one of Britain’s most successful and powerful authors. It examines Blyton’s rise to fame in the 1920s and considers the ways in which she managed her career as a storyteller, journalist and magazine editor. There is discussion of her most famous series including the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, Malory Towers and Noddy, but attention is also given to lesser-known works including the family stories she published to acclaim in the 1940s and early 1950s, as well as her attempts to become a dramatist. The book also discusses Blyton’s fluctuating critical reputation, how she and her works were received and how Blyton the person has fared at the hands of biographers and the media.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Adventures of the Wishing Chair" by Enid Blyton. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Enid Blyton is known throughout the world for her imaginative childrens books and her enduring characters such as Noddy and the Famous Five. She is one of the most borrowed authors from British libraries and she holds a fascination for readers old and young alike. Yet until 1974, when Barbara Stoney first published her official biography, little was known about this most private author, even members of her own family. The woman who emerged from Barbara Stoney's remarkable research was hardworking, complex, often difficult and, in many ways. childlike. Now this widely praised classic biography has been fully updated for the twenty-first century and, with the addition of new colour illustration and an extended bibliography of Enid Blyton's books, it documents the growing appeal of this extraordinary woman and her writing. The fascinating story of one of the world's most famous authors will once again intrigue and delight all those with an interest in her timeless books.

ABOUT THE BOOK Enid Blyton (1897-1968) stands as one of the most popular childrens book writers of the 20th century. Her legacy continues through a devoted fan base of those who grew up with her stories of inquisitive children getting into misadventures in the English countryside. Blyton also appealed to younger readers with her Noddy series, about a little boy made out of wood who lives in Toytown; the series produced a total of 24 books and a string of popular TV series. The appeal of Blytons books for older readers, from ages eight to 12, was primarily the lack of parental supervision or interference; in the Famous Five books, the indulgent aunt and uncle generally let the kids go off, unaccompanied in caravans or on camping trips across the moors at the ripe old ages of 14 though 16. MEET THE AUTHOR Paula Whiteside is currently a freelance writer for several web content providers, as well as the copy editor for Wine Business Monthly, an international industry magazine located in the Sonoma Valley Wine Country. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Although her academic career was promising, her parents marriage was not as stable. Enid later recalled nights when she would comfort her brothers at the top of the stairs as their parents loudly argued below. Her father left her mother for his secretary at the wholesale clothing business he managed when Enid was 13. To keep up appearances, the children, when asked, would tell neighbors that he was away on a visit. Enid later used this ruse as the premise for her book The Six Bad Boys, which Blyton biographer, Barbara Stoney, called an unusual attempt for Enid at social realism." With her greatest ally gone from the home, young Enid began writing as a way to escape her mother. This most likely contributed to her prolific writing output as an adult, writing up to 10,000 words a day. The young Blyton also entertained her brothers by telling them stories, made up rhymes, wrote in her diary and read prodigiously. Her work and determination eventually paid off; and after a series of submissions and rejections, she won a childrens poetry competition at the age of 14. At the age of 17, upon graduation from St. Christophers, Enid left home to live with her friend Mary Attenboroughs family. She continued to visit her father on occasion but was resentful of his new wife, who she considered the cause of her parents divorce, and their three children. Although she showed a gift for music, encouraged by her mother to become a pianist, Enid decided not to enter the Guildhall School of Music and instead followed her passion as a writer... Buy a copy to keep reading! TABLE OF CONTENTS - Introduction - Background and Upbringing - Major accomplishments and awards - Personal Life/Scandals - Recap of recent News - Public statements and attributed quotes - Trivia/Facts - Conclusion - Sources and Further Reading

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Boy Next Door" by Enid Blyton. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.