Editing Enid Blyton (section)

==Commercial success==
===New series: 1934–1948===
The first of twenty-eight books in Blyton's [[Old Thatch series]], ''The Talking Teapot and Other Tales'', was published in 1934, the same year as ''Brer Rabbit Retold'';{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3910|ps=none}} (Brer Rabbit originally featured in [[Uncle Remus]] stories by [[Joel Chandler Harris]]), her first serial story and first full-length book, ''[[The Wishing-Chair (series)|Adventures of the Wishing-Chair]]'', followed in 1937. ''[[The Enchanted Wood (novel)|The Enchanted Wood]]'', the first book in the [[Faraway Tree series]], published in 1939, is about a magic tree inspired by the [[Norse mythology]] that had fascinated Blyton as a child.{{R|ODNB}} According to Blyton's daughter Gillian, the inspiration for the magic tree came from "thinking up a story one day, and suddenly she was walking in the enchanted wood and found the tree. In her imagination, she climbed up through the branches and met Moon-Face, Silky, the Saucepan Man and the rest of the characters. She had all she needed."{{R|Herald06}} As in the Wishing-Chair series, these fantasy books typically involve children being transported into a magical world in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, pixies and other mythological creatures.

Blyton's first full-length adventure novel, ''The Secret Island'', was published in 1938, featuring the characters of Jack, Mike, Peggy and Nora.{{R|SecretIsland}} Described by ''[[The Glasgow Herald]]'' as a "[[Robinson Crusoe]]-style adventure on an island in an English lake", ''The Secret Island'' was a lifelong favourite of Gillian's and spawned the [[The Secret Series (Enid Blyton)|Secret series]].{{R|Herald06}} The following year Blyton released her first book in the [[Circus series]]{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4096|ps=none}} and her initial book in the [[Amelia Jane]] series, ''Naughty Amelia Jane!''{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4102|ps=none}} According to Gillian, the main character was based on a large handmade doll given to her by her mother on her third birthday.{{R|Herald06}}

During the 1940s, Blyton became a prolific author, her success enhanced by her "marketing, publicity and branding that was far ahead of its time".{{R|Telegraph09}} In 1940, Blyton published two books&nbsp;– ''Three Boys and a Circus'' and ''Children of Kidillin''&nbsp;– under the pseudonym of Mary Pollock (middle name plus first married name),{{Sfnp|Bluemel|2009|p=209|ps=none}} in addition to the eleven published under her name that year. So popular were Pollock's books that one reviewer was prompted to observe that "Enid Blyton had better look to her laurels".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 1937–1944|ps=none}} But Blyton's readers were not so easily deceived and many complained about the subterfuge to her and her publisher,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 1937–1944|ps=none}} with the result that all six books published under the name of Mary Pollock&nbsp;– two in 1940 and four in 1943&nbsp;– were reissued under Blyton's name.{{R|MaryPollock}} Later in 1940, Blyton published the first of her [[boarding school story]] books and the first novel in the [[Naughtiest Girl]] series, ''[[The Naughtiest Girl in the School]]'', which followed the exploits of the mischievous schoolgirl Elizabeth Allen at the fictional Whyteleafe School. The first of her six novels in the [[St. Clare's (series)|St. Clare's]] series, ''[[The Twins at St. Clare's]]'', appeared the following year, featuring the twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan.{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}}

In 1942, Blyton released the first book in the [[Mary Mouse]] series, ''Mary Mouse and the Dolls' House'', about a mouse exiled from her mousehole who becomes a maid at a dolls' house. Twenty-three books in the series were produced between 1942 and 1964; 10,000 copies were sold in 1942 alone.{{Sfnp|Edwards|2007|p=539|ps=none}} The same year, Blyton published the first novel in the [[Famous Five series]], ''[[Five on a Treasure Island]]'', with illustrations by [[Eileen Soper]]. Its popularity resulted in twenty-one books between then and 1963, and the characters of Julian, Dick, Anne, George (Georgina) and Timmy the dog became household names in Britain.{{R|Household}} Matthew Grenby, author of ''Children's Literature'', states that the five were involved with "unmasking hardened villains and solving serious crimes", although the novels were "hardly 'hard-boiled' thrillers".{{Sfnp|Grenby|2008|p=170|ps=none}} Blyton based the character of Georgina, a [[tomboy]] she described as "short-haired, freckled, sturdy, and snub-nosed" and "bold and daring, hot-tempered and loyal", on herself.{{R|EBSWriter}}

Blyton had an interest in biblical narratives and retold [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]] stories. ''[[The Land of Far-Beyond]]'' (1942) is a Christian parable along the lines of [[John Bunyan]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' (1698), with contemporary children as the main characters.{{Sfnp|Murray|2010|p=120|ps=none}} In 1943, she published ''The Children's Life of Christ'', a collection of fifty-nine short stories related to the [[life of Jesus]], with her slant on popular biblical stories, from the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]] and the [[Three Wise Men]] through to the [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus|trial]], the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and the [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].{{R|LifeOfChrist}} ''Tales from the Bible'' was published the following year,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4303 |ps=none}} followed by ''The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes'' in 1948.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4528|ps=none}}

The first book in Blyton's [[Five Find-Outers]] series, ''[[The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage]]'', was published in 1943, as was the second book in the Faraway series, ''[[The Magic Faraway Tree]]'', which in 2003 was voted 66th in the [[BBC]]'s [[Big Read]] poll to find the UK's favourite book.{{R|BigRead}} Several of Blyton's works during this period have seaside themes; ''John Jolly by the Sea'' (1943), a picture book intended for younger readers, was published in a booklet format by [[Evans Brothers]].{{R|JohnJolly}} Other books with a maritime theme include ''The Secret of Cliff Castle'' and ''Smuggler Ben'', both attributed to Mary Pollock in 1943;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4271|ps=none}} ''[[The Island of Adventure]]'', the first in the [[The Adventure Series|Adventure series]] of eight novels from 1944 onwards;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=4352|ps=none}} and various novels of the Famous Five series such as ''Five on a Treasure Island'' (1942),{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4226|ps=none}} ''[[Five on Kirrin Island Again]]'' (1947){{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4483|ps=none}} and ''[[Five Go Down to the Sea]]'' (1953).{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 5142|ps=none}}

Capitalising on her success, with a loyal and ever-growing readership,{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}} Blyton produced a new edition of many of her series such as the Famous Five, the Five Find-Outers and St. Clare's every year in addition to many other novels, short stories and books. In 1946, Blyton launched the first in the [[Malory Towers]] series of six books based around the schoolgirl Darrell Rivers, ''[[First Term at Malory Towers]]'', which became extremely popular, particularly with girls.{{R|MaloryTowers}}

===Peak output: 1949–1959===
The first book in Blyton's [[Barney Mysteries]] series, ''The Rockingdown Mystery'', was published in 1949,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4613|ps=none}} as was the first of her fifteen [[Secret Seven]] novels.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2403|ps=none}} The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Colin, George, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in a shed in the garden to discuss peculiar events in their local community. Blyton rewrote the stories so they could be adapted into cartoons, which appeared in ''Mickey Mouse Weekly'' in 1951 with illustrations by George Brook. The French author [[Evelyne Lallemand]] continued the series in the 1970s, producing an additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by [[Anthea Bell]] between 1983 and 1987.{{Sfnp|Blyton|2013b|p=66|ps=none}}

[[File:Beaconsfield Themed Fencing - geograph.org.uk - 1386378.jpg|thumb|right|Blyton's characters [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]] and [[Big Ears (character)|Big Ears]]]]
Blyton's [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]], about a little wooden boy from Toyland, first appeared in the ''Sunday Graphic'' on 5 June 1949, and in November that year ''[[Noddy Goes to Toyland]]'', the first of at least two dozen books in the series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting between Blyton and the Dutch illustrator [[Harmsen van der Beek]]. Despite having to communicate via an interpreter, he provided some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be represented. Four days after the meeting, Blyton sent the text of the first two Noddy books to her publisher, to be forwarded to van der Beek.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2444–2463|ps=none}} The Noddy books became one of her most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular in the 1950s.{{Sfnp|Palmer|2013|p=130|ps=none}} An extensive range of sub-series, spin-offs and strip books was produced throughout the decade, including ''Noddy's Library'', ''Noddy's Garage of Books'', ''Noddy's Castle of Books'', ''Noddy's Toy Station of Books'' and ''Noddy's Shop of Books''.{{R|Noddy books}}

In 1950, Blyton established the company Darrell Waters Ltd to manage her affairs. By the early 1950s, she had reached the peak of her output, often publishing more than fifty books a year, and she remained extremely prolific throughout much of the decade.{{R|FatalAddiction}} By 1955, Blyton had written her fourteenth Famous Five novel, ''[[Five Have Plenty of Fun]]'', her fifteenth Mary Mouse book, ''Mary Mouse in Nursery Rhyme Land'', her eighth book in the Adventure series, ''[[The Adventure Series#The River of Adventure|The River of Adventure]]'', and her seventh Secret Seven novel, ''[[The Secret Seven#Secret Seven Win Through (1955)|Secret Seven Win Through]]''. She completed the sixth and final book of the Malory Towers series, ''Last Term at Malory Towers'', in 1951.{{R|MaloryTowers}}

Blyton published several further books featuring the character of Scamp the terrier, following on from ''The Adventures of Scamp'', a novel she had released in 1943 under the nom de plume of Mary Pollock.{{R|Scamp}} ''Scamp Goes on Holiday'' (1952) and ''Scamp and Bimbo'', ''Scamp at School'', ''Scamp and Caroline'' and ''Scamp Goes to the Zoo'' (1954) were illustrated by Pierre Probst. She introduced the character of Bom, a stylish toy drummer dressed in a bright red coat and helmet, alongside Noddy in ''[[TV Comic]]'' in July 1956.{{Sfnp|Blyton|2013a|p=77|ps=none}} A book series began the same year with ''Bom the Little Toy Drummer'', featuring illustrations by R. Paul-Hoye,{{R|Bom}} and followed with ''Bom and His Magic Drumstick'' (1957), ''Bom Goes Adventuring'' and ''Bom Goes to Ho Ho Village'' (1958), ''Bom and the Clown'' and ''Bom and the Rainbow'' (1959) and ''Bom Goes to Magic Town'' (1960). In 1958, she produced two annuals featuring the character, the first of which included twenty short stories, poems and picture strips.{{R|BomAnnuals}}

===Final works===
Many of Blyton's series, including Noddy and The Famous Five, continued to be successful in the 1960s; by 1962, 26 million copies of Noddy had been sold.{{R|EBSChrono}}{{Efn|In 1960 alone, eleven Noddy books were published, including the strip books ''Noddy and the Runaway Wheel'', ''Noddy's Bag of Money'', and ''Noddy's Car Gets into Trouble''.{{R|EBSChrono}}}} Blyton concluded several of her long-running series in 1963, publishing the last books of The Famous Five (''[[Five Are Together Again]]'') and The Secret Seven (''Fun for the Secret Seven''); she also produced three more Brer Rabbit books with the illustrator Grace Lodge: ''Brer Rabbit Again'', ''Brer Rabbit Book'', and ''Brer Rabbit's a Rascal''. In 1962, many of her books were among the first to be published by [[Armada Books]] in paperback, making them more affordable to children.{{R|EBSChrono}}

After 1963, Blyton's output was generally confined to short stories and books intended for very young readers, such as ''Learn to Count with Noddy'' and ''Learn to Tell Time with Noddy'' in 1965, and ''Stories for Bedtime'' and the Sunshine Picture Story Book collection in 1966. Her declining health and a falling off in readership among older children have been put forward as the principal reasons for this change in trend.{{Sfnp|Briggs|Butts|Orville Grenby|2008|p=265|ps=none}} Blyton published her last book in the Noddy series, ''Noddy and the Aeroplane'', in February 1964. In May of the following year, she published ''Mixed Bag'', a songbook with music written by her nephew Carey, and in August she released her last full-length books, ''The Man Who Stopped to Help'' and ''The Boy Who Came Back''.{{R|EBSChrono}}