New Blyton Work Discovered

Image by Tony in Devon

The late, renowned children’s author, Enid Blyton has made headlines this week thanks to the discovery of a previously unknown work. ‘Mr Tumpy’s Caravan’ was found in a collection of manuscripts that were auctioned last September and has caused great excitement amongst fans and experts alike.

Discovered by archivist Hannah Green of the Seven Stories gallery and archive of children’s books, based in Newcastle, the 180 page manuscript was originally believed to be an early version of Blyton’s picture book, ‘Mr Tumpy and His Caravan’, published in 1949. After consulting with Tony Summerfield, the head of the Enid Blyton Society, the content of the manuscript was found to be completely different to that of the published book.

Described as a humorous, fantasy adventure which features a magical, walking caravan, ‘Mr Tumpy’s Caravan’ is another addition to the prolific author’s catalogue of over 800 novels.

There has been no officially news of a publication date for the book at present but more than forty years since her death, Blyton’s popularity still endures. Her works have come into criticism in recent years and there have even been accusations of racism and sexism in her treatment of some characters due to the use of non politically correct language. Despite these issues, 8 million copies of Blyton’s works are sold annually in over 40 different languages. The discovery of ‘My Tumpy’s Caravan’ then is sure to make a lot of boys and girls, big and small, very happy indeed. Pass the ginger beer please Timmy.