THE FARAWAY TREE BOOKS by Enid Blyton !!!

demakinz

my favorites books grown up.has anyone else read them? the characters in the storys were fantastic..does any one know where i can find them?
i would love to know what people thought of these fantastic books!!


http://www.upthefarawaytree.50megs.com/Scans.htm

Lizzykins

I loved those books too! I'd love to get them for my little one but I haven't seen them in an age. Out of print maybe?

ianwalsh2

I used to absolutely love these books along with practically everything written by Enid Blyton! Brings back the memories.

You can buy em here at amazon: linky

demakinz

yeah must be..be surly somebody might have them and pass them on!!!:)
i asked my mother today if she still had mine.i had all the rolh dalh and enid blyton books but she gave them all away.which is a shame

Rowley Birkin QC

That bring back memories...

Was Saucepan-head one of the main characters? I have this impression that they also used to always have really nice biscuits.

Can anyone confirm this?

/off to bore girlfriend silly with tales of saucepan men and magic ladders and people called Fanny.

demakinz

The Magic Faraway Tree, Jo, Bessie and Fanny's cousin Dick!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Faraway_Tree_series

what i found on wikipedia

---

>

In modern reprints, the names of the children have been changed:
Jo is changed to Joe, because the character is a boy;
Bessie is changed to Beth, because the former is seldom used nowadays as a nickname for Elizabeth;
Fanny is changed to Frannie, because the former is slang for vulva in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand (see Wiktionary entry). A similar reason explains why Cousin Dick, who appears in "The Magic Faraway Tree", has been changed to "Rick".
In modern reprints, the character of Dame Slap has been re-named to Dame Snap and she no longer practises corporal punishment but instead reprimands her students by yelling at them very loudly.
Similarly, the character of Uncle Ped has had his name changed to Uncle Zed.




its got the PC treatment shame....

hostchecker

They are some great books

EamonnKeane

demakinz wrote: »

The Magic Faraway Tree, Jo, Bessie and Fanny's cousin Dick!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Faraway_Tree_series

what i found on wikipedia

---

>

In modern reprints, the names of the children have been changed:
Jo is changed to Joe, because the character is a boy;
Bessie is changed to Beth, because the former is seldom used nowadays as a nickname for Elizabeth;
Fanny is changed to Frannie, because the former is slang for vulva in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand (see Wiktionary entry). A similar reason explains why Cousin Dick, who appears in "The Magic Faraway Tree", has been changed to "Rick".
In modern reprints, the character of Dame Slap has been re-named to Dame Snap and she no longer practises corporal punishment but instead reprimands her students by yelling at them very loudly.
Similarly, the character of Uncle Ped has had his name changed to Uncle Zed.




its got the PC treatment shame....

Worse than that, i heard there was a 14 y.o. boy who didn't attend school, just worked on a fishing boat with his father. They cut that out too

lemon_sherbert

I loved these books as a child! Read them, I don't know how many times. Why did they change the names?! It's all part of the charm of the books... I had all four books in one edition. Dame Slap was mighty scary though.

Monkey61

They changed the names because Enid's family sold all her rights to Chorion for a mighty mighty sum and Chorion have spent the last decade or so butchering her back catalogue in every way imaginable in the name of political correctness!!

The Mad Hatter

Don't think I ever read these - one of them was referenced in V for Vendetta (the book, not the awful film), though. Something about The Land of Do-As-You-Please.

I'd heard that swathes of Blyton had since been cut out of her books due to their extreme racism. Things like cheerful chapters about beating up the gollywog at school and the like.

Cully

I loved those books... and I didn't even think any of the names were bad back then

"Uncle Ped" sounds a bit bad thinking about it.. haha

Best way to get this would be go to eBay! I've seen at least one of them on there a couple of weeks ago. Someone surely will sell them.

Get the old ones! Not any crap censored new ones.

happyoutscan

Wow I used to love these books, always wanted to go down the 'Slippery chute' (was it???), the slide that ran through the core of the tree from the top to the bottom????? There used be a ladder at the top that would allow people to access the different lands that would 'swing' by the top of the tree, some good and some bad!!! Brilliant memories, if anyone is going to buy them get the originals and **** the new P.C. edited versions.

Lizzykins

I think it was the Slippery Slip!? I didn't know the names were changed. That's taking PC-ness to the ultimate.

The Mad Hatter

Lizzykins wrote: »

I think it was the Slippery Slip!? I didn't know the names were changed. That's taking PC-ness to the ultimate.

I don't think so. I imagine they were changed partly for commercial purposes (why would I want to read a book whose main character has a cow's name?) and partly because all words change over time (and when's the last time you saw anyone spell 'connection' with an 'x' anyhow?).

If the dreary cliché 'political correctness gone mad' is uttered in this thread, I'll be very upset. Just, y'know, for the record.

:|

Ah moonface! loved these books

Monkey61

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

I don't think so. I imagine they were changed partly for commercial purposes (why would I want to read a book whose main character has a cow's name?) and partly because all words change over time (and when's the last time you saw anyone spell 'connection' with an 'x' anyhow?).

If the dreary cliché 'political correctness gone mad' is uttered in this thread, I'll be very upset. Just, y'know, for the record.

Errr...because that's what the author chose to name the character perhaps.

And it is "political correctness gone mad" for the most part. It's an insult to the intelligence of the modern reader for a publisher to presume that one is incapable of appreciating the differences between modern society and that in which a book was set. It's akin to rewriting Shakespeare to include more mobile phones...

gogo

You can get nearly all of Enid Blyton books at thebookpeople.ie fairly cheaply. Including Mallory Towers, St Clares, etc. i absolutley loved these books, for many irish kids they were our first introduction to 'proper' books, ie books without pictures. Easons are also stocking them again, but the bookpeople have some good deals the the moment for full Blyton collections.
Recently bought ny niece the Amelia Jane books and they seem like they are targeted for a slightly younger audience now, I'm sure i was older than her
(6) reading them. Either way she loves them and am following up with:


http://www.thebookpeople.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_138519_100_500020__category_

Also, just looking there on the bookpeople, and Amelia Jane collecion paperback is only €9.99 for the five books, bargain.

The Mad Hatter

Monkey61 wrote: »

Errr...because that's what the author chose to name the character perhaps.

And it is "political correctness gone mad" for the most part. It's an insult to the intelligence of the modern reader for a publisher to presume that one is incapable of appreciating the differences between modern society and that in which a book was set. It's akin to rewriting Shakespeare to include more mobile phones...

Well, not really, when the target audience is eleven.

And it's more akin to rewriting Shakespeare with modern spellings. Which editors do. I haven't seen an edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream in ages that listed the characters Thefeus and Hippolita. Or for that matter, the title A Midsommer Night's Dreame.

dudara

I think that every Enid Blyton book every written is in the attic of my parents' house. I loved "The Faraway Tree" series - what a nostalgia trip!

Six of One

bigkev49 wrote: »

Was Saucepan-head one of the main characters? I have this impression that they also used to always have really nice biscuits.

Can anyone confirm this?

Yes! It's all coming back. Was it Sylvia who made those delicious biscuits? And I think Saucepan head and Moonface were their mates alright. And then there was a lady who poured water from her washing down the tree and soaked them from time to time.

happyoutscan wrote: »

Wow I used to love these books, always wanted to go down the 'Slippery chute' (was it???), the slide that ran through the core of the tree from the top to the bottom????? There used be a ladder at the top that would allow people to access the different lands that would 'swing' by the top of the tree, some good and some bad!!! Brilliant memories, if anyone is going to buy them get the originals and **** the new P.C. edited versions.

I always wanted to go down the slide too! Sometimes it was a bit scary, you know, when they got trapped in strange faraway lands.

Luckily they always made it back.

I can understand the changing of the names though. Surely if you gave kids the old versions with Fannys and Dicks they'd be too busy laughing to appreciate the stories!

Ann22

I thought there was only one Faraway Tree book. I read it years ago. It was about this group of children and they all carried 'burdens' on their backs which I think were their sins. There was a Prince of Peace too who I think was Jesus.
I was an avid Blyton reader, St Clare's, Mallory Towers, Amelia Jane, The Secret Seven, The Five Find Outers, The Famous Five, Mr Twiddle, Mr Meddle and all of the short stories. One of whom was called 'The Chocolate C**k'-very funny to read aloud for all who have dirty minds.:o

Hester

Ann22 wrote: »

I thought there was only one Faraway Tree book. I read it years ago. It was about this group of children and they all carried 'burdens' on their backs which I think were their sins. There was a Prince of Peace too who I think was Jesus.

Nope, that was The Land of Far Beyond and was based on The Pilgrim's Progress.

Ann22

Ah yeah, you're right, I can't believe I mixed that up. Haven't read the Faraway Tree books.

Maggie.23

Loved the Faraway Tree books! Used to be afraid the world at the top of the tree would change before they got back to the tree and they would be stuck - I think that happened once!

Oral Slang

My favourite books growing up definitely. Read pretty much all of Enid Blyton's books, but these were the best. Have them all down in my dads shed for when I have kids.

They are usually really cheap in Heatons - 3 in one hardback & stuff like that. I bought them for my friends little girl about 2 years ago, although, I presume they are the edited versions.

emeraldstar

demakinz wrote: »

The Magic Faraway Tree, Jo, Bessie and Fanny's cousin Dick!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Faraway_Tree_series

what i found on wikipedia

---

>

In modern reprints, the names of the children have been changed:
Jo is changed to Joe, because the character is a boy;
Bessie is changed to Beth, because the former is seldom used nowadays as a nickname for Elizabeth;
Fanny is changed to Frannie, because the former is slang for vulva in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand (see Wiktionary entry). A similar reason explains why Cousin Dick, who appears in "The Magic Faraway Tree", has been changed to "Rick".
In modern reprints, the character of Dame Slap has been re-named to Dame Snap and she no longer practises corporal punishment but instead reprimands her students by yelling at them very loudly.
Similarly, the character of Uncle Ped has had his name changed to Uncle Zed.




its got the PC treatment shame....

Uh gross, can't believe they've done that to them.

The Faraway Tree books were AMAZING, so exciting to read as a child.

Thank God I've still got my old editions of these and Blyton's other books, if the new ones have been messed about

Fox McCloud

Sardine flavoured icecream!

líreacán

ComposMentisCMS wrote: »

. And then there was a lady who poured water from her washing down the tree and soaked them from time to time.

Dame Washalot!!!

There was also Mr.Whatshisname!

Blush_01

Didn't they have exploding toffees?

I loved those books, I used to stay up all night reading them. Enid Blyton was a fantastic author, but apparently an awful parent, so it's not really surprising her family didn't have much regard for her books and keeping them intact.

EmoMatt15

MoonFace!!

And yer man with all the Pots and Pans!!!