The Island of Adventure is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...

. It is the first book in the Adventure Series. The first edition of the book was illustrated by Stuart Tresilian.

Plot summary

Something very sinister is happening on the mysterious Isle of Gloom, and Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack are determined to uncover the truth. But they are not prepared for the dangerous adventure waiting for them in the abandoned copper mines and tunnels under the sea.

Changes in new editions

Changes have been made to The Island of Adventure in newer editions of the books. These include:

• The title of the US edition of the book was changed to Mystery Island.
• The change of the colour of the copper deposits in the copper mines from red to green, so as to be scientifically correct.
• The villain, Joe, was a black man named Jo-Jo in the original novel. References to his ethnicity have been removed. In the original novel, he is described as follows: "Jack and Lucy-Ann saw a coloured man coming towards them. His skin was black, his teeth were very white, and he rolled his eyes in a peculiar way." This has been changed in later editions to: "Jack and Lucy-Ann saw a strange man coming towards them. His skin was lined, his teeth were very white, and his eyes darted from side to side as he looked at them." All references to Jo-Jo's "white teeth" have been changed by removing the word white.
• Other single word changes have occurred; most prominently the word "queer" has been changed to "strange" or "weird".
• The impossible geology of the story - essentially dry tunnels beneath the waterline - has been criticised in the New Scientist
  New Scientist
  New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
  
  , but has remained uncorrected, as to do so would mangle the plot.

External links

• The Island of Adventure at the EBS website