childrens books

Unknown Enid Blyton Story Found In Archives

Filed under: Books

Before there was J.K. Rowling there was Enid Blyton, a prolific English writer of children's stories that delighted generations of young readers. Writing across fantasy, mystery and adventure genres, she penned nearly 800 books which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

Back in September, the Seven Stories children's book center in Newcastle, England paid around £40,000 for a collection of manuscripts. The books included Malory Towers and Secret Seven books which have already been published as well as a manuscript for Mr Tumpy's Caravan, an 180-page fantasy story. There is in existence an Enid Blyton book called Mr. Tumpy and His Caravan but that is a picture book. This manuscript is a different story, telling the adventures of a magical caravan with feet and mind of its own.

Imogen Smallwood, Blyton's youngest daughter confirmed to BBC News that it is a whole book about a different Mr Tumpy and a different caravan.

Seven Stories has a mission to save and celebrate great British children's works and plans to hold an Enid Blyton exhibition in 2014. The charity cannot publish the newly-discovered work, because Blyton's publisher Chorion retains the rights to all of her works.

Tags: books, childrens books, chorion, enid blyton, manuscripts, seven stories childrens center

Charlotte's Web Art Sells Way Above Estimate

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Proving that sentiment sells, the original 1952 cover art for the best-selling children's book, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, brought an incredible sum at tonight's sale by Heritage Auctions in New York City. The cover art drawn by legendary children's illustrator Garth Williams sold for $155,350 more than five times the pre-sale estimate and a world's record for any of Williams' art.

"The buyer is an anonymous New York collector who did not say what his plans are for the art," said Barry Sandoval, director of operations for the comics and original comic art auctions at Heritage.

White's story of Wilbur the pig, Charlotte the Spider and Fern, the young girl who tries to save Wilbur from the slaughterhouse, has enchanted generations of children. Another famous drawing from the book, the page 95 illustration entitled, "There Was the Handsome Pig, and Over Him, Woven Neatly in Block Letters, Was the Word TERRIFIC," brought $95,600. The late artist's family consigned 42 of Williams' original illustrations for Charlotte's Web to the auction, and they brought a combined total of $780,245 (including the 19.5 percent buyer's premium paid by all winning bidders).

"The response to the Charlotte's Web art was tremendous, especially to the iconic cover art. We expected that the cover art would exceed our initial estimate of $30,000 or more, but for it to break $150,000 is breathtaking. It just shows how universally beloved this book and this art really are," said Sandoval.

Tags: art auction, charlottes web, childrens books, e.b. white, garth williams, heritage auctions, illustrations

Original Charlotte's Web Art Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Does the image above take you right back to your childhood? Near-complete art from Charlotte's Web, all-time best-selling children's paperback will be sold in Heritage Auctions' October 15 event. More than 40 original illustrations from the classic children's book including the cover art from the estate of legendary illustrator Garth Williams, will be part of Heritage Auctions Illustration Art Auction, taking place at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street, New York City.

The auction marks the first major event for Heritage in the city since the September opening of Heritage Auctions New York City at 445 Park Avenue, where the cover art is currently on public display for passersby in the "Heritage Window on Park Avenue."

Tags: charlottes web, childrens books, heritage auctions, illustration

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