A new Costa Book Awards survey has revealed that Enid Blyton is the top of the poll as far as 2000 surveyed adults are concerned. Now I don't know how this survey was conducted, but the influence of Enid Blyton on people my age and younger is undeniable.I was brought up on a diet of the Magic Faraway Tree, Secret Seven, and Famous Five. There was a monthly magazine that came from England and my mother had it on order for me at the newsagent. And then there were the annuals. I wonder if she was responsible for my interest in British police procedurals and cozies: whether it was a natural progression from Blyton to Christie?
Blyton, who wrote more than 700 stories over a 40-year career, and has sold over 600 million books in total around the world, came out top and continues to be a phenomenally popular author. Despite her death in 1968, around eight million books are still sold worldwide every year, including more than a million Famous Five tales.
Here's the top 10 out of the 50 listed in the survey1. Enid Blyton
2. Roald Dahl
3. J.K. Rowling
4. Jane Austen
5. William Shakespeare
6. Charles Dickens
7. J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Agatha Christie
9. Stephen King
10. Beatrix Potter
So were you an Enid Blyton child? I am sure I have seen at least one other crime fiction blogger who refers to her in their interests.
By the time my children came along there were so many other books to choose from, but in post-war Australia books were not plentiful and I remember waiting avidly for the next offering from the Blyton stable.
