Unfinished Famous Five Book
This was a spoof article I posted on April Fool's Day, 2006. It didn't get as big a reaction as I hoped, but still a bunch of people fell for it, which made it worthwhile. :-)
An unfinished and unpublished Famous Five manuscript has been found gathering dust in the attic of one of Enid Blyton's old friends. Apparently the author stayed at the house in Cumbria when she "wanted to get away from it all" in 1954.
Five On a Treasure Hunt (page 1)
The late author's old friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, says Enid came to stay for a while to get away from the pressure of editors and a demanding public. But after a week the prolific author felt an urge to pick up the typewriter again, and started writing the new Famous Five novel, which at the time would have been number thirteen in the series, taking place after 1953's Five Go Down to the Sea and before the book we all know as number thirteen, Five Go to Mystery Moor.
Five On a Hunt for Treasure was only about two-thirds completed (at just 94 pages) when Enid felt obliged to return home to her family. She left the manuscript behind, telling her friend it "wasn't very good anyway."
Reluctant to throw away what seemed like a lot of work, Enid's friend stored the manuscript in a drawer, and later put it into a box, which in turn wound up in the attic. Now, more than fifty years later, the little house in Cumbria is being cleared for sale—and the forgotten manuscript has turned up!
EnidBlyton.net was VERY excited and proud to be contacted by the anonymous friend yesterday. "My son found your website," she said, "and he thought you could perhaps do something with the manuscript. I haven't read it, but even though it's only two-thirds finished I'm sure it will be of interest to fans."
However, as much as I would LOVE to have the manuscript in my grubby little hands, there is the matter of ownership to consider—so the manuscript will have to be passed on to the appropriate people. Boo, hiss!
Imagine! A twenty-second Famous Five novel, if only Enid Blyton had not rejected it. It makes me wonder how many other novels she wrote that "didn't measure up" and were tossed aside. Any more Five Find-Outer novels, perhaps?
More news when I have it...