Macmillan Children's to publish rediscovered books by Enid Blyton illustrator
Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB) will publish a rediscovered series of ‘lost’ books by Enid Blyton illustrator and collaborator Eileen Soper. Found in the publisher’s archive, the works are being republished for a modern audience, which the publisher said addresses the trend for the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic.
Chloë Pursey, publishing director, children’s, bought world rights to the picture books from the executors of the Soper estate, the Chris Beetles Gallery in London. MCB was the original publisher of the three upcoming picture books in the 1940s, but the rights have long since been reverted.
The publishing programme will begin in October 2026 with Eileen Soper: The Wonder of Nature Pull-Out Prints, a poster book with text by Joy Baker, the director of The Soper Collection. It includes 22 frameable, full-colour reproductions of the Nature Plates, artworks originally created as classroom supplementary material for the Nature Readers series written by Blyton and illustrated by Soper. MCB, the original publisher of Soper’s Nature Readers series with Blyton, holds the artwork for the Nature Plates in its archive.
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MCB will then republish three long out-of-print picture books – Happy Rabbit, Dormouse Awake and Sail Away Shrew – in spring 2027. These hardback gift editions will mirror the original 1940s format and design. Further publishing will follow, including the 2028 publication of Soper’s fourth ‘lost’ picture book Frolic Fawn, which has never been published. It was originally submitted to the publisher in 1950 but was rejected due to the prohibitive cost and difficulty of producing colour books at that time.
Pursey said: "From the moment I spotted Eileen Soper’s name on an old archive list, I knew we were on to something special. Eileen Soper is truly one of the most outstanding nature illustrators of the 20th century; the scope and quality of her work are breathtaking, and these books are long-forgotten classics. We are so proud to bring them back to readers, and have the strategy and ambition to build the publishing to something incredibly exciting – there is lots more to come."
Fiona Macmillan, publisher, MCB Colour said: "Discovering Eileen Soper’s original artwork and stories tucked away in our archives felt like finding a lost piece of history. It has been a joy to watch Chloë and the team bring these beautiful books back into print. We feel a deep sense of pride in being able to share Eileen’s incredible talent again, and we can’t wait for a new generation of children to fall in love with her work just as we have."
