Book collector finds 50-year-old novel that once belonged to wife in south Essex shop
A BOOK lover from Hockley says he is overjoyed to find an Enid Blyton novel containing 50-year-old hand-written notes from his wife in a charity shop.
Steve Mills, 67, is a collector of around 50 novels by the children's author and was going through some new additions when he found the writings from Karen, 60.
Steve said the book 'The Naughtiest Girl Again' had been given away by Karen's mum in the 1970s.
The book somehow ended up in a charity shop in Rayleigh - more than 160 miles away from where Karen grew up in Staffordshire and before she met Steve.
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The retired civil servant, who has loved Enid Blyton's books since he was a child, said: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences.
"I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf.
Overjoyed - Book collector Steve was thrilled to find his wife's old books (Image: Steve Mills) "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover.
"It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page.
"There was her name, address, phone number and drawings.
"Her parents are in their 80s and they were delighted when we told them."
The book has hand-written details from Karen, then known as Karen Larden, as a young girl living in Staffordshire.
They include her name, address at the time and phone number - alongside 'stick-figure' drawings of her family.
Steve said he then found more books in his collection also with his wife's annotations in them.
He added: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife."
The other books were Five on a Treasure Island and Adventures of Pip - all with Karen's musings scrawled inside.
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Steve has also found a note which reads "I have got 12 of Enid Blyton's books" and is determined to track the remaining nine down.
Handwritten - Steve found notes and drawings from his wife's childhood in the book (Image: Steve Mills) He also posted his find on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook and has received 1,300 likes.
Steve said: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood.
"It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
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New York Times
a day ago
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He Searched for His Past in Children's Books. He Found His Wife's.
In retirement, Steve Mills began collecting secondhand books that he had read as a child. It was an effort to reawaken lost memories. His search revealed more about his family's past than he'd thought possible. He was at home in Hockley, east of London, flipping through titles from a recent book haul from a charity shop. Inside the pages of an early hardcover edition of 'The Naughtiest Girl Again,' by the English author Enid Blyton, he found a girl's handwritten notes from more than 50 years earlier. It took a few moments for Mr. Mills to grasp who the writer was: his wife, Karen. At first, Mr. Mills, a 67-year-old former civil servant, simply recognized an address in the town where his wife had grown up, written in a child's handwriting. He brought the book to Ms. Mills, and said, 'Oh look, they used to live in the village you came from,' Mr. Mills recalled. The address had been her childhood home, though it was spelled wrong. Ms. Mills couldn't believe it. Surely, she thought, her husband must be playing a trick on her. 'I thought at first that it was him being a silly bugger,' she said. 'I actually said to him, 'Are you trying to misspell our first address?'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
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Husband finds novel in shop with Midland wife's 50-year-old notes on it
A smitten book enthusiast from Hockley, Essex was left astonished when he stumbled upon a 50 year old Enid Blyton novel penned with his wife's childhood notes in a charity shop haul. Steve Mills, at the ripe age of 67, avidly collects works by the celebrated children's author and during a rummage through recent acquisitions, unearthed poignant scribbles from his partner Karen, now 60. The book in question, 'The Naughtiest Girl Again', was originally jettisoned by Karen's mother in the swinging seventies. Read more: Birmingham rhyming slang Intriguingly, the tome surfaced over 160 miles from Karen's Staffordshire roots, in Rayleigh, long before her paths crossed with Steve. The eager bibliophile, whose adoration for Enid Blyton's magical tales dates back to his own youth, expressed his bewilderment: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences." Steve, who carved out a career in civil service, reflected on the momentous find: "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover." The discovery swiftly became a family affair as Steve recounted: "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page." Upon turning the leaf, nostalgia bloomed as Karen's juvenile scrawl, consisting of her namesake, erstwhile abode, contact number, and quaint 'stick-figure' doodles depicting her kin appeared. Karen's octogenarian parents were reportedly tickled pink by the serendipitous revelation shared by their son-in-law. Steve was over the moon when he stumbled upon more books in his collection that featured his wife's handwritten notes. He exclaimed: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The additional finds included 'Five on a Treasure Island' and 'Adventures of Pip', all adorned with Karen's personal annotations. In his quest, Steve also discovered a note declaring 'I have got 12 of Enid Blytons books' and has set his heart on finding the remaining nine. After sharing his nostalgic discovery on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook, Steve's post garnered a whopping 1,300 likes. Steve reflected: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood." He added, "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Book collector finds 50-year-old novel that once belonged to wife in south Essex shop
A BOOK lover from Hockley says he is overjoyed to find an Enid Blyton novel containing 50-year-old hand-written notes from his wife in a charity shop. Steve Mills, 67, is a collector of around 50 novels by the children's author and was going through some new additions when he found the writings from Karen, 60. Steve said the book 'The Naughtiest Girl Again' had been given away by Karen's mum in the 1970s. The book somehow ended up in a charity shop in Rayleigh - more than 160 miles away from where Karen grew up in Staffordshire and before she met Steve. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. The retired civil servant, who has loved Enid Blyton's books since he was a child, said: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences. "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. Overjoyed - Book collector Steve was thrilled to find his wife's old books (Image: Steve Mills) "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover. "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page. "There was her name, address, phone number and drawings. "Her parents are in their 80s and they were delighted when we told them." The book has hand-written details from Karen, then known as Karen Larden, as a young girl living in Staffordshire. They include her name, address at the time and phone number - alongside 'stick-figure' drawings of her family. Steve said he then found more books in his collection also with his wife's annotations in them. He added: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The other books were Five on a Treasure Island and Adventures of Pip - all with Karen's musings scrawled inside. Read more 'I spent 2 months walking through county - this south Essex island blew my mind' Passengers frustrated after Southend flights re-scheduled to different airports New Pilates studio 'with a twist' to transform lives of residents in south Essex Steve has also found a note which reads "I have got 12 of Enid Blyton's books" and is determined to track the remaining nine down. Handwritten - Steve found notes and drawings from his wife's childhood in the book (Image: Steve Mills) He also posted his find on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook and has received 1,300 likes. Steve said: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood. "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
