new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Vintage kids books, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 8 of 8
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Vintage kids books in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
Have I ever told you how much I love my job? It does have the odd downside, like struggling to find new and interesting things to sell. Then again, that can be looked at as an upside as it means I get to spend many happy hours searching for those elusive treasures. However, the very best part of my job is the happiness it gives to others which in turn brings joy to me. Just last week I received this letter from a lovely lady called Judy.
Dear Barbara,
I just wanted to let you know that I received the wonderful book "Bobby Bear Annual'. Thank you so much for that.
I just thought I would let you know a little story about one of the contributors in it. One of the stories is called 'Scissors and Spells' written by Edmund C H Mardell. He was the older brother of a very good friend of mine here in Australia. I have done some research on him, and that’s how I found your book.
‘Kitty’ (Kathleen) came over here in the early 60's (I think....) and 'Eddie' died shortly after that. She has never returned to England, and only had one photo of Eddie. She knew he had written a few stories and poems before, but had no idea of this story. You should have seen her face when she realized what she was holding! She now can hold just a little bit more of her wonderful brother’s legacy.
So thank you so much for having this book, selling it to me, and sending it with such obvious care. You have made quite a few folks VERY happy. Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Judy
By the way, here is the photo of Edmund C H Mardell. Lovely, hey?
I was smiling from ear to ear when I read Judy’s message and replied with this;
Hello Judy,
Thank you so much for your email. I love hearing stories like this. Eddie was certainly very handsome and how young he looks in that photo.
Would you mind if I included your email on the feedback page of my website and maybe on my blog? Either way I'm very grateful to hear from you and thrilled I could play even a small part in the story.
Please pass on my best regards to your friend.
Best wishes, Barbara
This was Judy's response;
Hi Barbara,
You know, I think it would be wonderful to share the story and the photo. Kitty mentioned that Eddie had a daughter but they have lost touch over the years. It’s my opinion that people love to hear a wonderful story, and they would love to see your blog and feedback about the wonderful Eddie and his little sister Kitty. (She’s in her early 80’s now!) I will read her your letter, and when you get it all posted, I’ll print it out for her to have. She will love it.
Thank you for your kindness. Good luck to you!
Judy
There really are some wonderful people in the world, and I seem to be lucky enough to meet lots of them. Now I just hope someone remembers Eddie and Kitty and gets in touch. It would be amazing to reunite Kitty with her long-lost relatives.
The Royal Horticultural Society's annual flower show held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea is almost over for another year. We didn't go this time, but we enjoyed the coverage on TV. Yesterday one of the presenters remarked on the huge numbers of visitors despite the inclement weather. I had to smile because earlier in the day I was leafing through "This is London" by M. Sasek and come across this picture;
This is London
But don't worry, most of the time it looks like this;
The Tower of London
St. Paul's Cathedral
The Houses of Parliament
The book features many other famous buildings, but my favourite illustrations are of the people - like this one of The Guards.
or this group of school children
I also like the glimpses of 'old London'
like this famous shop ~
and these Elizabethan houses in High Holborn
The New York Times Book Review, October 18, 1959, perfectly sums up this quirky book.
There are not many words in Miroslav Sasek's This is London, but those few are most memorable...
The colour is magnificent and uninhibited, the draughtsmanship brilliant but unobtrusive (one gradually realizes that these bold, stylized drawings are minutely accurate as well as true in general impression). The humour is characteristic and pervasive but always subordinate. The jokes are all pointed. Miroslav Sasek has drawn the visitor's London from foggy arrival to rainy departure. His book is a series of impressions, unrelated, one would think, but they add up to a remarkably complete picture of the modern city. The words and pictures are closely integrated; each has it terse style and humour.
M. Sasek ~ Universe Publishing ~ Originally Published in 1959 ~ New Updated Version 2004
find it HERE
I hope you enjoy this quick preview. If you would like to ask a question or need further information about any of the featured books, please click on the 'email me' link in the right-hand column.
Noah's Ark published by Valentine & Sons undated but c1921. All kinds of well known and not so well known creatures are depicted including a Quadda, Caracal, Puma, Ounce, Phalanger, Ratel, Albatross, Secretary bird, Cavy, Cassowary, Margay, Ichneumon, Mangue, Sasyure and so on.
Strangely, none of the animals are in pairs.
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp published by Faber & Faber, London 1981. The story of Aladdin and his lamp brought to life with amazing full colour illustrations by the brilliant Errol le Cain.
The Church Mouse by Graham Oakley published by Macmillan Books in 1977. The story begins in the Anglican Church of Saint John, Worthlethorpe where Sampson the cat and Arthur the mouse live a quiet and happy life. Sampson has listened to so many sermons about the meek being blessed that he has grown quite docile and treats Arthur just like his brother. Although enjoying Sampson's company Arthur is a little lonely and with the approval of the parson invites the rest of the town's mice population to move to the church. It's agreed that in exchange for a little cheese, the mice will do a few odd jobs, like polishing the congregation's shoes and picking up the confetti after weddings...
The Amazing Adventures of Two Boots written by Ross Lyntonwith illustrations by Brenda Sheldon published by Collins in 1948. An imaginative tale of two boots who discover they can walk about by themselves. The boots are in great demand by all sorts of people, from message boys to policemen, but one person is too wily for them. This is the owner of a circus; a cruel man called Boiler Brown, who manages to catch the boots and force them to perform in his show.
Mr. Happy at the Seaside - A Mr. Men Word Book by Roger Hargreaves produced by Thurman Publishing in 1979. Our son grew up with the Mr. Men books so this holds lots of happy memories for us.
Three of the ever popular Little Grey Rabbit Books
Gobbliwinks of Nonsense Land written by Leslie M Oyler with illustrations by Savile Lumley published by The Shoe Lane Publishing Company undated but c1927. Pamela and Hugh are playing in the garden when they notice a sign pointing to Nonsense Land. Pamela finds it very funny because nurse is always telling her to stop talking nonsense! The children follow the sign and it’s not long before they find three more signs pointing the way to Absurd Nonsense, Stuff and Nonsense and Utter Nonsense...
We've been enjoying lots of lovely spring sunshine over the last few days. The blackbirds are busy feeding their new brood, and the butterflies are basking on the rockery. Spring has definitely arrived in this part of England. I hope you are all enjoying some nice weather whatever the season.
Packing book orders is all part of the day at March House Books. You might think it’s not a particularly rewarding thing to do, but I don’t agree. I'm not sending ‘just’ a book I'm sending a parcel of memories as these letters from customers clearly show;
Hi Barbara, I used to read this story when I was a little girl, at my Grandparents house in Shoreham-by-Sea. I've been searching for a copy for a couple of years, and now finally I can share one of my memories with my little boy!
Hello Barbara, talk about nostalgia! I chose this book as I was seven years old at Christmas 1957 when Annuals came out. I had the Jack and Jill comic until I progressed to Bunty and Judy. There are a couple of stories in the book I remember vividly so I must have read this before. That was the idea, but don't ask me what I ate yesterday!!
Hi Barbara, thank you for the delivery of my book it was packaged beautifully and arrived within days. It was a book that my 70 year old dad had as a boy and has been looking for ever since so we were very happy!
Just to let you know that the book arrived this morning. It is intended as a present for an elderly friend who has sought this treasured story from her past for a long time. I know she will be delighted with this lovely edition!
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to write, email or phone, the sharing of memories is such a joy.
Packing books also gives me plenty of thinking time and what could be nicer than thinking about where the books are going. Something I find surprising is how often a book title appears to suit its new home.
As in the case of The Old woman and her pig now residing at Home Farm
and this to Sunrise Cottage!
Where else would I send Merry England but to The Manor House?
Can you guess where I sent this?
Why to Longbrook Street, of course!
It's true, and it happens over and over again. Just in the last couple of weeks I've sent The Woodland Gospels to Church Lodge, The Wicked Tricks of Till Owlyglass to The Old Malt House and The Adventures of the Wishing Chair (Climb aboard for a marvellous adventure) to Mount Street.
It would be nice to think these two newly listed books might end up at Warren Halt and Windsor Castle!
I live at Old Station Gardens so this is perfect for me.
What title is perfect for you either because it has something in common with your name or where you live or just because you love it?
Newly listed books will be found at March House Books
Have you met Caroline the little girl with the blond bunches and red dungarees?
First published in France, Caroline is the creation of the cartoonist Pierre Probst.
Pierre Probst began his artistic career drawing posters, catalogue illustrations and calendars but is best remembered for his cartoon-like pictures and stories of a little girl named Caroline and her anthropomorphic animal friends Pip, Toffy, Snowy, Binkie, Shebo, Toga, Smokey and Broggie Bear.
Caroline sends her little dog Toffy down to the station to meet the guests.
In all the excitement, nobody sees the farmer's wife running for her life at the sight of a spotted cat and a lion with a sun helmet over one eye. The farmer's wife is sure that Caroline will be eaten alive!
A quick wash and brush up …
and it's time to get the party started.
The fun goes on late into the night ...
and ends with a bang.
Thanks for your visit I hope you enjoyed the party!
Goodnight Mister Tom has been at the top of my TBR pile for ages and having found a beautiful vintage copy it seemed only sensible to read and blog about it before offering it for sale.
A report in The Guardian newspaper on the 25th March 1982 described it thus:
For the first time since Watership Down, a first novel has won the Guardian Award for Children's Fiction. Goodnight Mister Tom, by Michelle Magorian, is everyone's idea of a smash- hit first novel: nostalgic but skirting sentimentality, full-blown characters to love and hate, moments of grief and joy, horror and serenity, compassionate, sensitive and a marvellous story that knows just how to grab the emotions. They were not wrong!
London during the Blitz.
In September 1939 as Britain stands on the brink of World War II, an eight-year-old boy beaten and starved into stunned apathy by his mother is billeted as an evacuee with Tom Oakley in the village of Little Weirwold. Tom is a sad, reclusive widower whose wife and baby died 40 years previously. William "Willy" Beech is thinly clad, underfed and covered with bruises. Tom takes him under his wing, and William soon begins to thrive.
Evacuee children grouped together to be taken away from the danger zones.
As I read about the growing bond between William and Tom, I just knew something would happen to spoil things and lo and behold six months into the relationship William's mother calls him back to London.
When he arrives, William is surprised to learn his mother has given birth to a baby girl. He is happy to help his mother, but she is angry when she hears about his time with Tom. In a fit of temper, she hits him around the head and renders him unconscious. When he regains consciousness, he has been stripped down to his underwear, his ankle is broken, and he is chained to a pipe in the understairs cupboard. The baby is on his lap.
Blitz on Westminster.
Back in Little Weirwold, Tom grows increasingly worried and after several sleepless nights, he becomes convinced William is in trouble. He travels to London and eventually locates the house where William and his mother are living, but it appears to be abandoned. A policeman is called and after some persuasion agrees to break down the door. Together they discover William, beaten, sick and clinging to his dead infant sister. His mother is nowhere to be seen.
This may sound like a depressing read, and indeed parts of it are upsetting but in spite of that I found it totally absorbing. I'm sure the story will live with me for a very long time, so I'm pleased to say it does have a happy ending.
Goodnight Mister Tom is a novel by the English author Michelle Magorian. The copy I have in stock was published by Kestrel in 1982 a few months after the first edition. Further details
here
Winner of the Guardian Award for Children's Fiction, 1982. Highly commended, the Carnegie Medal 1982. International Reading Association Award 1982. Runner-up for The Young Observer Prize 1982 and Western Australian Young Readers Book Award 1982. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 49 on the BBC's The Big Read. At the 2010 Hay festival Goodnight Mister Tom was voted Favourite Puffin Title Of All Time.
The novel has been twice adapted as a musical, once as a play and once as a film, Goodnight Mister Tom (1998). The most recent theatrical adaptation won the Laurence Oliver Award for Best Entertainment.
Have you read Goodnight Mr. Tom? Did you enjoy it?
Thanks for your visit...
Manville Fenn Wild animal stories a panorama picture book circa 1898
Pop up worlds in the form of mechanical books have been around since the 13th century but most were scholarly works intended for adults. Towards the end of the 18th century pop-up books for children began to appear. The very early pop-up books are now mostly beyond the reach of all but the deepest pockets, but you can still build a wonderful collection by concentrating on newer examples.
These are a few of my favourites;
First of this edition published in 1975. Five double page pop up pages that can be tied to make a star shape mobile to hang by a ribbon loop.
A Pocketful of Posies by Roy Gerrard A selection of traditional nursery rhymes with one pop-up posy at the very end. Award winning artists Roy Gerrard provided the nostalgic Edwardian style illustrations. Published by Victor Gollancz in 1991.
Janet and Anne Graham Johnstone illustrated this little treasure of a book. Published by Dean in 1976, it does have some wear and tear but full details and condition report can be found by clicking the link above.
The Rabbit Problem by Emily GravettFollow the lives of two rabbits and their fast expanding brood as they handle a different seasonal challenge each month. A cold February turns into a wet April followed by a warm July and so on until the family of two gradually grows to be a family of two hundred and eighty eight! This extraordinary picture book is packed with gorgeous details and novelty elements, including a baby record book, a carrot recipe book and a surprise pop-up at the end.
Charles Perrault first published his collection of classic French folk tales more than 300 years ago, included among them was the story of Puss In Boots. In this adaptation, the story has been retold by Christopher Logue with illustrations by Nicola Bayley. 1st edition pop-up book Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd in 1976.
In
Puss and Boots, a poor miller dies and leaves his youngest son nothing but a cat. The son is none too happy about it, either; Once I've eaten my cat and made a muff out of the fur, I'm sure to starve, he says. But what a legacy the bequeathed cat turns out to be! The cat in tall boots creates a new identity for the youngest son complete with fine clothes, fields of wheat, a castle stolen from an ogre, and in the end, the respect of the king and the hand of the king's daughter.
- 65 million years ago the last of the dinosaurs died out, and small mice like animals came creeping out of the forests. These were early mammals - and without the dinosaurs to fear, they soon began to grow and evolve into a great variety of creatures. This book shows some of the largest mammals of the past, all of them now extinct. Eight pop-ups, paper engineering by Keith Moseley.
Little Boy Blue published in 1982. This one is not so much a pop-up more a press-out concertina style.
Will you wake him? No, not I. For if I do he's sure to cry. Press out the figures, stand them up and watch the nursery rhyme come to life. 6 figures to press-out including little boy blue, the sheep in the meadow and the cow in the corn.
It’s interesting to think these inexpensive little books could well be the antiques of the future. Thanks for looking, have a great week.
Just before I go, I thought you would like to know the PBFA (Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association) is offering free tickets to their children’s, illustrated and modern 1st editions book fair to be held at the Hilton London Olympia Hotel. Further details here or Download your complimentary ticket here
I'm spoilt for choice! Much like the fairy in the following picture I spend my days flitting from book to book without alighting on any of them. But it has to stop! So without further ado – here are some newly listed books, please enjoy.
Standing at just seven inches tall these diminutive little books have the ability to transport us back to the cosy days of childhood. Wills and Hepworth who publish Ladybird books are celebrating their centenary this year. One hundred years ago, they were busy printing stationery, catalogues, maps and all manner of commercial ephemera. They also provided book-binding services and from that came the printing of the first Ladybird books.
Who stole the valuable cat? Mr. Goon the policeman has been on a refresher course and learnt many new things - including the art of disguising himself. Robberies come along, with plenty of clues, but the clues lead nowhere. Is the thief invisible?
Douglas and Jerry are fond of practical jokes and enjoy playing them on the masters at school. When things begin disappearing, a detective is engaged to find the culprit. After the mystery is solved, Douglas, Jerry and their friends form themselves into a society of Junior Detectives and unmask an illicit gang.
Kit Pugh is a dreamer. He has only to see a ship, or leaf through a travel folder, and he is lost in a dream of faraway places which he longs to visit. Perhaps that is why Joe fascinates him so much, for the mysterious Joe can tell stories of exotic lands which make Kit's heart beat with excitement. Another favourite pastime of Kit's is gazing through the dusty glass of Quoram's the antique shop in Langley. It is there he first sees the painting which is to stir up so much trouble...
Pop Larkin and his handsome family of seven step outside their rural paradise for an excursion into another world. Armed with plenty of tax-free cash, their Rolls-Royce and little French, they take their first holiday abroad...
This beautifully illustrated edition of
Snow Whitewas published by Gallery Five, London in 1977. A miniature Book measuring just 3.5 x 4.5" with 42 pages. Very pretty colour and black/white silhouettes by Jan Pienkowski.
The picture in the background is by Agnes Richardson. I have lots of old illustrations that I can't bring myself to throw away even when the books have long fallen apart. I've hung on to some of them for more than twenty years with no idea what I might do with them, how nice then to share some of them on my blog.
Just two more before I flutter away.
Bumble-ardy by Maurice Sendak. Bumble-ardy the mischievous pig decides to throw a birthday party. He invites along all his friends for a wild masquerade that quickly gets out of hand.
Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett with illustrations by Holly Johnson. Published by Evans Brothers of London in 1976. Cynthia much preferred Tidy Castle, and no longer wanted to play with the old doll's house, indeed she was quite ashamed of it. She thought the corner behind the door quite good enough for such a shabby old thing. This is the story of how Queen Crosspatch, and her band of fairies rescued the house and its occupants from a terrible unjust end.
Now where did I put the fairy dust?
