Thursday 1 May 2014

More newly catalogued vintage books

Lots of lovely vintage books have come in over the last few weeks. Many are now for sale on my website, and others will be added over the coming weeks. Please take a look and be sure to let me know if you need more information or pictures.


Six pretty little die-cut shape books tied with a ribbon!  The picture on the right is as I found them, but of course, I had to untie them (and tie them up again) to take the pictures.

All six books are from the Sleep-Time Tales series produced in England by Royle Publications for Mothercare. The stallholder I bought them from thought they were published in the 1960s or 70s, but I have no way of verifying it as they are all undated.  

The titles are Peter's Band, Red Feather, Susan's garden, Sleepyhead, Bobby the little clown and Tommy's farm. Each measures 4" wide by 8" tall and each has about 8 pages. Each beautifully illustrated by Rosa Vela. These six little books are now sold, thank you for your interest.

One of the pieces of fabric mentioned last week (here) came in handy for this post!


The following three illustrations are from Hullo Boys! An annual written by 'The Uncles' of the BBC published in 1925.

This unusual book is described as; A budget of good things written by The 'Uncles' on the Wireless. Lots of stories, including how Cole joined the Southern Army by Uncle Rob with illustrations by Peter Fraser, the giants pepper-box by Uncle Leslie with illustrations by Douglas Constable, the cave in the cliffs by Uncle Jeff illustrated by Savile Lumley and life in the tropics by Uncle Jim illustrated by Hume Henderson. Numerous colour plates and sepia drawings by various artists, including Jessie M King. Now sold, thank you for your interest.


Because of the Sand Witches there "I am the one and only Sand Witch," said the creature, introducing itself. It was Mil's fault. She was the one who brought up the silly joke about how you can't be hungry on the seashore because the Sand Witch is there. Or maybe it was the fault of her brother Hamish because he asked what a Sand Witch was...    Especially Jennings!  By Anthony Buckeridge, 1st edition in dust jacket published in 1965. Shock for the Secret Seven by Enid Blyton, reprint published in 1966. Now sold, thank you for your interest.

One of my favourite pastimes when I was young was cutting out and playing with paper-dolls. I've loved paper-dolls ever since and if this one is not snapped up quickly it’s going into my collection  :-)

Baby Doll Cut Out Book; Young World Productions Ltd, London 1968. Four pages of colourful outfits with a press out and stand up doll on the back cover. There are also several painting pages, all clean and unused. Baby Doll Cut Out Book now sold, thank you for your interest.

 Now for two Vintage Thomas the Tank Engine Books;


The Little Old Engine (on the left) is a 1st edition published by Edmund Ward in 1959, Henry the Green Engine is a reprint from 1961. Both are in good condition and both have the original dust jackets. Now sold, thank you for your interest.


Do you remember the BBC television programme called Meet the Penguins? No? Neither do I! According to Whirligig, a site dedicated to 1950’s British Television it aired in 1952, and each episode ended with this song;

"Don't you forget to wash behind your ears,
Don't you forget to wash behind your ears,
for if you forget to wash behind your ears,
you won't go to Snowland along 'a me"

This hardback book is a spin-off from the series, undated but probably c1956 produced by Publicity Products, London. The story is written by J. M. Smith Wright with illustrations by Sheila Findlay.

The Penguins live in the Antarctic in an igloo with a lovely big garden. Father Penguin enjoys rolling the snow-lawn and sweeping the paths. Mother Penguin is a very good cook and also enjoys making sandwiches of chopped shells and spiced seaweed. They have three chicks - Bessie, the eldest, a boy who loves fishing but tends to talk far too much, Boffles, the eldest daughter, and Bobo, the baby of the family. Meet the Penguins is now sold, thank you for your interest.

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at some of our recently listed books.


Thanks for your visit…

Update July 2016: March House books closed on my retirement in 2015, but I do still blog here at March of Time Books and always appreciate your visit. 

39 comments:

  1. Oh Barbara! What a treasure trove!

    I especially like the baby doll cut-out book. My sister and I used to love playing with those in the late 70s and early 80s. I still see them for sale today...so many lovely memories.

    Thank you...enjoy your weekend xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Yvonne. I was so tempted to keep it, probably just as well, it sold almost as soon as I listed it. I hate the business of deciding what to keep and what to sell, if I had my way, I would keep everything but Terry has a way of reminding me I’m ‘supposed’ to be running a business. I know we have to eat, but it doesn’t make it any easier to let go. :o)

      Delete
  2. Hello Barbara! Oh, I know I always say the same thing, but it's what I feel when I visit your blog: your job must be a pleasure!! Spending so many hours surrounded by all these beauties....and I know that, besides the job, is the passion and the love you have for them. I enjoyed a lot with all that covers, those little books from the first photos...the paper doll...there are all lovely. Oh, and the one by Enid Blyton under the others in the last photo, just the kind of illustration I love most.
    Besos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Silvina, my job isn't really a job at all it’s more like a hobby that helps to pay the bills! Thank you very much for calling in, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the selection. Barbara

      Delete
  3. Hello there, gentle friend!

    The little baby doll cut out book is sweet as can be. I remember these sorts of books and I so enjoyed them; I have had a love for paper from day one. Your collection is fabulous. Never ending beauty and memories of a sweeter day. HAPPY FRIDAY! Anita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Dear Anita, it is such a pleasure to share these things with you. I know how much you enjoy them, and that makes me very happy.
      I hope the sun is shining on you xx

      Delete
  4. Those are amazing! When I see books like that, I wonder if someday, 50 years from now, my book will be vintage. Maybe any paper version of a book will be a novelty by then. I love the ones in the first picture. Those are so charming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Stephanie, how lovely to meet you! I will be over to read about your book as soon as I’ve left this reply.
      I really hope paper books won’t become a novelty. I’m sure while there are book lovers, books will go on being appreciated and (hopefully) published. It must be amazing to have a book in print. I am in awe of anyone who writes for a living. Just adding a word or two to my blog brings me out in hives! Barbara

      Delete
  5. Hi Barbara,

    What an absolutely stunning and beautiful collection. My human, Gary, has just looked at the photos. I had to read the pawst to him. He now has the urge to go find all his Enid Blyton books.

    Lovely stuff, indeed.

    Pawsitive wishes,

    Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Penny (Jack Russell dog and modest Internet superstar!) I’m so glad you and Gary enjoyed the ‘photos. Tell Gary to go find those Enid Blyton books – they could be valuable!
      I enjoyed your visit, have a lovely day.

      Delete
  6. Goodness, those die-cut books are so adorable! I'm happy that they have found owners. And Barbara, those fabric sure come in handy now, don't they? The illustrations of 'The Uncles' look wonderful. As for the Baby Doll book, when I was a child, I could never bring myself to cut the clothes out in fear of ruining the book. Great selection of new vintage books! (What is it about washing behind the ears? This has been emphasized in several stories I read in childhood, too. If you missed a spot behind the ears, you'd be deemed a sloppy child. But sometimes children are busy ...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Claudine, your comment about sloppy children made me smile! Mum used to check behind my ears (and my neck) every morning before I left for school. She also checked to make sure the socks I put on were white – no shades of grubby grey or cream would do! I have to admit I did the same when my own son went to school. It was ingrained in me by then.
      I thought the fabric was perfect for this post – see I was not wasting money just buying something for my work :o)
      I’m afraid I did cut out the clothes. I wouldn’t do it now of course, but back then it just felt the natural thing to do. Have you still got the books from your childhood? I so wish I had mine.

      Delete
    2. Barbara, I still have the tattered copy of my first book (a palm-sized 'Snow White') and almost all of my Enid Blyton books. We didn't get those 'Baby Doll' books, but we saw them on the shelves of a community club where we'd gone for art classes every Sunday evening. I like how your mother (and you) checked the neck, behind the ears, and for the colour of the socks!

      And no, you weren't wasting money. Things enjoyed are never wasted anyway!

      Delete
    3. Dear Claudine, your copy of Snow White sounds lovely, and how amazing to have all your original Enid Blyton books. I don’t think many people could say that.

      Delete
  7. Another wonderful batch of treasures. I think I'd have great difficulty in parting with many of them. I'd have to keep the Baby Doll one because I spent hours dressing similar paper dolls as a girl.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know Tracy. I'm already kicking myself for letting that one go!
      Thanks for your visit, have a lovely weekend.

      Delete
    2. I know Tracy. I'm already kicking myself for letting that one go!
      Thanks for your visit, have a lovely weekend.

      Delete
  8. Sweet Barbara! HELLO! I finally made it over to my computer and I wanted to thank you so much for coming to "dance with me." The air here is still cool, the buds barely starting to shyly appear, but our hearts are aching to dance to the song of the birds. Your kind words always lift me up dear friend, and yes, OPEN your window widely, and let love in. Anita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Anita your words mean a great deal.

      Delete
  9. LOVE those adorable die-cut books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Leanne, me too! Thanks for your visit.

      Delete
  10. What treasures! The die-cut books are adorable. I can see why they were snatched up so fast! I love the colors and the fun style. The Uncles book look great! Thanks for sharing these with us. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Stephanie, they were snatched up almost before I listed them! I was going to snaffle the baby doll one into my own collection, but I was too late.
      Thanks for calling in, Barbara.

      Delete
  11. I used to love the cutout and dress dolls when I was a kid. You just don't see them about these days!

    P.S. I have received the cheque (many thanks!), I've just not yet made it to the bank.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nikki-ann, me too! I had hours of fun with cut out dolls.
      I’m glad the cheque arrived OK. Thanks again for the books, Barbara.

      Delete
  12. The die cut out books are adorable. The paper doll brings memories of my childhood again. Mum used to have some old collection of women and home and women's weekly magazines given to her by some friends. They used to have some pages dedicated for the children and often there used to be poems and Beatrice Potter's stories and paper dolls and other activities for kids. I used to love the paper dolls. Mum would make me trace the dolls and draw it on thick card stock and colour them and cut the card stock. She never allowed me to cut from the magazines . Also I remember her reading to me the children's stories from that many a rainy evenings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Shashi, my gran used to save magazines for me for exactly the same reason. I can’t remember what the magazines were called although Woman and home always seems to ring a bell. What a great idea to trace the dolls, I wish I had thought of that, but I was always too anxious to get them cut out and start dressing them up! Do you still have any of the dolls or were they all thrown away?

      Delete
    2. Unfortunately I don't know what happened to them Barbara. Even the magazines probably were thrown away :(

      Delete
  13. Love these books. I have a stack of them for my grand daughter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How lovely, your granddaughter is very lucky. My two little granddaughters love books, so I have lots of fun finding things for them.

      Delete
  14. You have a great treasure of lovely books Barbara , the covers of those books are just amazing :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. wonderful treasures! If I wasn't getting ready for a move, I'd be tempted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m glad you like them. Good luck with the move, I hope it goes well. Barbara

      Delete
  16. That's such an unusual paper doll book - I haven't seen it anywhere before. Its adorable. I also liked seeing the early Thomas the Tank Engine books. The later versions were a great favourites of my son's when he was a young child - and of course the tv series was fabulous!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Sharon, I’m glad you called in. It might mean there is a new post for me to enjoy on your blog. Goody, I will be over shortly.

      I don’t think I ever saw Thomas on TV. Steve must have left home by then, and I don’t think my grandsons watched it. I love the books though, especially the early ones, like these.

      Delete
  17. You find the most interesting books. I love die cut books. They were favorites of mine growing up. The 'sand witches' is an interesting word, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Donna, I’m not sure I would call it interesting – maybe a little odd. I’m with you re die cut books. I have a few in my collection but would love more. Thanks for your visit. Barbara.

      Delete

I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx