Ladybird Tuesday: Kings and Queens (Book Two)

No, I haven't vanished; my lack of posts is due to the fact that things have just got in the way as usual. I'll begin again with another Ladybird Tuesday post as it is Tuesday after all (the originator of Ladybird Tuesday being another blogger named Mrs C). I find the concept behind Ladybird books (well produced books economically produced and priced) really interesting, and some of the illustrations also intrigue me, even if they are dated. Rather recently, I came upon a secondhand bookshop in Manchester which was giving away some overstock for free. Among the rubble, I managed to snag some old matt-cover Ladybird books. The endpapers and title papers of the books were admittedly covered in markings and scribbles, but the actual content inside was fine, and they didn't cost a penny after all.

As I've said, while as a child I read many of Ladybird's fairytale or classic story retellings (or at least admired their illustrations), I never grew up reading many of their non-fiction titles. I'm aware that the history books written by L. Du Garde Peach and published by Ladybird have proved to be quite popular, especially among children of the 60s and the 70s. Indeed, my parents can remember these books in their first editions.

Some of the original Ladybird history books have been republished, but I doubt this one will be. Most of the series gave narrative to various famous figures or to a certain era or civilisation. This book from 1968, however, devotes a page (or two in the case of Elizabeth I) to the kings and queens of England from Henry VII to Elizabeth II. In that way, it presents a whirlwind view of the history of England, but it's so full of bias and dated views that it's fascinating. L. Du Garde Peach was a popular writer and literary academic and not a historian, and the way he presents his opinions as absolute facts is a bit dubious. Even more dubious are his opinions - if I had to be honest, it comes across as though it was written by a Tory backbencher of the 1950s or 60s. The general consensus is that many of the female queens are classed as stupid or "not very clever", Protestantism (sans Puritanism) is good, Catholicism is bad and that the British Empire was a good idea.

Some of the illustrations also contain odd choices on the part of the illustrator. Some are logical portraits of the king or queen in question, while others go for really odd images loosely related to the reign of the given monarch. I think the one that fascinates me the most (and another reason this book will likely never be published again) is this extremely dubious and dated picture of African slaves used to portray William IV's reign...