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.

Ladybird Tuesday: William Tell

Ladybird Tuesday again - as I've said, I like both the illustrations and the philosophy - cheap yet generally good quality books available to the masses. It's quite nice to see a recent surge in interest of these books, even if they're a wee bit flawed.

Mention the name William Tell and the two things you'll likely think of are the overture by Rossini or the image of a man being forced to shoot an arrow through an apple on his son's head. However, the story of William Tell is essentially the Swiss answer to Robin Hood, a folk legend of how the Swiss people, led by folk-hero and bowman Tell, rebelled against their Austrian occupiers and came to form what became Switzerland. Indeed, the apple incident occurred after Tell refused to bow to a despot Austria governor's demand to bow to the governor's hat atop a pole in a village square. As a do-or-die punishment, Tell has to shoot an apple off his own son's head, and as a good bowman manages to save his son's life as well as his own.

Ladybird Tuesday: Gulliver's Travels

I haven't done one of these Ladybird Tuesday things for some time, so I thought I'd have another go. On a recent trip to an antiquarian book shop, I came across some older Ladybird books from the 1970s. Given how cheap they were (under £3), I picked up a couple, including this one, an adaptation of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels dated from 1976. Flicking through the pages, I vaguely remember this book from when I was younger but it didn't have the same cover. On the back it is listed as being part of Series 770 (I wonder why a publish would label and market each of their series with a number, but anyway...). According to a quick bit of research is a series of retellings of classics, legends and fables. I like the cover of this book - a nice break from the now clichéd image of Gulliver being tied down by the Lilliputian army.

Ladybird Tuesday: Pinocchio

On this new blog, I also want to share some other things such as commentary and works that have influenced me, and maybe have the odd themed day or week. I can admit that there are some Ladybird Books that have influenced me with regards to my interest in folklore and which I also find interesting to look at from a design and illustration perspective. Looking around online, I stumbled across a blog called Being Mrs C, where the eponymous Mrs C posts about Ladybird books as part of a strand called Ladybird Tuesday. I can't see myself posting about Ladybird Books every Tuesday, but I thought it'd be interesting to examine some of my favourite Ladybird titles and share some pictures that otherwise are out-of-print and not on the internet.

I think that the original concept behind Ladybird Books, similar to the original concept behind Penguin Books, is a wonderful one - cheaply priced books aimed at educating and entertaining a wide readership without compromising on quality. In today's economic and cultural climate, I think we need it more than ever. Most of the Ladybird Books I ever had were their retellings of fairy tales, legends and classics. As I mentioned, I think that Ladybird Books definitely have influenced my interest in folklore and fantasy that continues to this day.