Thursday, 30 January 2014

Daily Mail Annuals from the 1940s and 50s

I’m having great fun delving into the books featured in last week's post. My idea was to catalogue these as quickly as possible and get them listed on my website. It felt like a good idea, but the problem is I keep coming across stories I remember from my childhood. I had forgotten just how good the Daily Mail Annuals from the 1940s and 50s were. I've found stories by Enid Blyton, W. E. Johns and Noel Streatfield, so of course, I have to read them!  It occurred to me that if I've forgotten the stories, it could be the same for you. 

  So while I have these newly catalogued annuals to hand I'm going to list the stories in each one. I hope this will be useful for anyone searching for a long-lost favourite. For everyone else, please enjoy the pictures.


Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1945
Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1945 (sold, thank you for your interest)

Enid Blyton contributed no less than seven stories to the 1945 annual they are - 
You mustn't do that
The beautiful big bone
Ho-Ho plays a trick
The dancing doll 
The foolish frog
Fiddle-de-Dee’s spell
Games in Goblin Land   
Kathryn Lister - On with the show, How Lina won and Pandora's swimsuit
Percy A Clarke Three on a spree 
Evelyn Findlow Shipwrecked kitten

Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1946
Daily mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1946 (sold, thank you for your interest)

Six Enid Blyton stories in this one;
Cosy’s good turn
The magic watering can 
The toys and the goblins 
Chinky and the brownies
The vanishing potatoes 
The big plush monkey   
Kathryn Lister All’s well that ends well and The gypsy’s plate   
Ross Inglis Moonbeam End 
Percy A Clarke The three gold-diggers   
Mollie Chappell Jennifer at the Pixie school, The gentle giant and The princess who had only one dress
   W. J. Childs The true story of Mr. Bunting, Quite true and Two ways   
Lady Dunn The boy who prayed for music

Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1947
Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1947 (sold, thank you for your interest)

Enid Blyton  Peter’s good luck and The coward-boy  
Mollie Chappell  The elf who didn’t know his colours, The half term adventure and The green suit case 
 Percy A Clarke The fourth chum  
Reginald E Horner Why cooks wear crowns  
Nancie Lyle  Romanda and the scarlet clad one   
Betty Rosamond The goldfish who wanted to go straight   
Elsie Scott Timmy to the rescue  
Froom Tyler The truth about Robinson Crusoe


Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1948
Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1948 (sold, thank you for your interest)

Froom Tyler The plunder of Peru   
Leonard Yeomans The princess’s swimming pool   
Mollie Chappell The rose coloured spectacles, The pig who flew and The bad tempered clock   
Marjorie P Whitaker The election at Totteridge Towers   
Percy A. Clarke A bike for tubby   
Nancie Lyle The moon is wise


Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1949
The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1949 (sold, thank you for your interest)

Enid Blyton The dog that helped a fairy   
Betty Rosamond Telling the bees   
Mollie Clark Cherry Simplicity Jones   
Percy A Clarke Tubby gets the goat and Teddy Tail in Dreamy Dale   
Mollie Chappell The lizard that lost his tail and Rhona’s rescue   
K. D. Beecroft Alan’s birthday present   
Dorothy Phillips The three wishes and mixed magic   
Froom Tyler Treasure lagoon

The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1950 (sold, thank you for your interest)

 Noel Streatfeild The audition   
Mollie Chappell Kesembi and the silver bird and the Duiker that ran with his shadow, The marvellous history of the Toby Jug   
Heather Moorland Father Christmas tore his trousers   
Janet Barber Miss Bumble and the caged animals  
 Leslie Barnard Lollop the sheepdog and the King takes a ride
   Percy A. Clarke Tubby on the Trail   
Enid Blyton He belonged to the family   
Froom Tyler the vanished frigates   
Muriel Holland The magpie’s lesson  
 Dorothy Phillips The princess who ran away   
Evelyn Davey-Collins The mermaid who wanted the sun

The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1951 (sold, thank you for your interest) 

Noel Streatfeild The pantomime goose  
 Ivy Russell Snap, Crinkle and Jo-jon   
Francis Durbridgel Light fingers   
Janet Barber Mr. Crust and the French language  
Molly Breckons Miracle at Sunningford Farm  Bob Raymond  Lost, stolen or stayed   
Enid Blyton The little girl who cried   
Percy. A. Clarke Texas Tubby   
Leonard Yeomans Peppo and the fiddlestick   
Froom Tyler Blow, my bully boys, blow   
Mollie Chappell The disobedient wind   
Leslie Barnard Carva the fox cub   
Elizabeth Skottowe The Circus Christmas present

The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1952 (sold, thank you for your interest)

 Noel Streatfeild Skating to the stars  
Froom Tyler Doubloon island   
Percy A. Clarke That chump Tubby   
Bob Raymond Rufus and Flook at St. Moritz   
Francis Durbridge A present from Paul Temple   
Mollie Chappell The island that wanted to live  
Cicely Drury The strange visitor   
Enid Blyton It happened so quickly   
Pamela Richardson Birds of a feather  
 Leslie Barnard Pilotta the forest pony

The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1953 (sold thank you for your interest)
Mollie Chappell Striped blind and window box, home for Christmas,and Bush-baby
 Hump Plumstone’s soap symphonies   
Robert Andrews Adventure from a tree top and the special division   
B. L. Kearley Rufus rebels   
Leslie Barnard A day for Kiraska   
Francis Durbridge The ventriloquist’s doll   
Alex Wills Rufus and Flook at Cocklesea   
Enid Blyton A noise in the night   
W E Johns Night Flight a Biggles story

Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1954

The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1954 (sold, thank you for your interest)

 Mollie Chappell The missing masterpiece   
Enid Blyton It happened one afternoon   
Mary Ribbons The last picnic   
Jill Lyttelton The temperamental cuckoo clock   
Andrew Roberts Kidnap Castle and The Greenhorn   
Muriel Holland Dinner for a donkey   
Eric Keown Mystery in the marshes   
Michael Dawson Christmas homecoming   
Percy A. Clarke Tubby wins a prize   
Frederic Evan The ring   
Agnes Booth The whistle   
Bissett Lovelock The home zoo   
Alex Wills Rufus and Flook in the county of Umbrage   
Arthur Renton By way of return


Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1955
Daily mail Annual for Boys and Girls 1955 (sold, thank you for your interest)

 Eric Keown Poor Young Haverford
Michael Dawson Sailing dinghy
Tom Pocock Giles and the Laughing Cavalier
Andrew Roberts Four heads together
Enid Blyton The dirty little boy
Leon Garfield The imaginary daughter
R. H. Lowe The treasure hunt
Millicent Harrison Fancy dress for two
Cecil Barr The man from Venus
Sybil Burr Keepers of the kingdom
Dilys Beeston The secret of the old fort
Dorothy Clewes The little dog laughed
Mollie Chappell Fossett’s luck
Joanna Loftus A year in the life of a grey squirrel
 Alex Wills  Rufus and Flook on the Christmas Islands

Vintage children's books

Daily Mail Annuals for Boys and Girls, the Daily Mail Boys Annual and The Daily Mail Annual for girls all catalogued and looking pretty on the shelf. This is a selection of the many annuals in stock. I picked the tiny sprig of catkin on the way back from the Post Office just to prove spring is around the corner even though it's pouring with rain.

It’s hard to believe that 17,000 acres of land on the Somerset levels are underwater. It's been difficult enough for us trying to get around in the floods, but nothing compared to what is going on just up the road. This photograph by Matt Cardy/Getty Images of a submerged car on the main road leading to Muchelney shows how bad things are.


Report and more images here

I hope you are all warm and dry in your respective corners of the world. Unless you live in Australia in which case, I hope your air conditioning is working! xx


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. 


at 11:36

26 comments:

  1. Castles Crowns and Cottages30 January 2014 at 12:00

    I so wish I had these books at my disposal as a child....we had NO books in the house other than a dictionary and a math book that was my father's. My mum could not read.

    But I did what I could to get my hands on what I could from the school library, but that was not enough! Now, I feel like a child again, in a GREAT WAY, to discover more treasures from your archives dear friend. Your job of unloading and organizing must be difficult, for you must stop OFTEN to look, read and go down memory lane. LOVELY!

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    1. Barbara30 January 2014 at 17:23

      Thinking of you without books makes me sad, but it also gives me an extra reason to keep sharing them here. I was a very spoilt child where books were concerned. My Godmother sent books each birthday and Christmas. Many of them were beyond my reading abilities, but I still loved the look and feel of them. There was always a book or two from mum & dad and those were more suitable for my reading age. Living in the country we also had the joy of the mobile library, I can still remember racing down the road to see what delights were onboard. I loved that library! Have a happy rest of the week Anita, thank you for your visit. xx

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  2. Melancholy and Menace30 January 2014 at 12:05

    What a wonderful collection of annuals!
    I'm quite envious, thank you for shoeing them x

    I've hated hearing about all the floods, hopefully it will eventually stop raining soon.

    I hope you're safe, warm and dry :)

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    1. Barbara30 January 2014 at 17:29

      Hi Yvonne, I would be envious if they were anywhere else but here! It feels like all my birthdays and Christmases came at once!
      We are dry and warm thank you, but the same can’t be said for a lot of other folks and more rain forecasts for the next few days. The army arrived in Somerset today so hopefully something will get done now.
      My copy of Bellman and Black arrived today, thanks for telling me about it, I can't wait to get started.

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  3. Yanting Gueh30 January 2014 at 15:01

    The artwork on all those Daily Mail Annuals portrayed such fantastical delight. I can understand why you had to stop and read in the middle of cataloguing these books, Barbara. Early Spring brings lots of rain. Stay safe and dry, my dear friend!

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    1. Barbara30 January 2014 at 17:33

      They are just beautiful aren't they? I feel lucky to have them if only for a short time. March winds and April showers seem to have arrived in January; maybe we will have a warm dry spring that would be nice. The snowdrops are pushing through the earth again so spring can’t be far away. xx

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  4. Unknown30 January 2014 at 23:00

    Oh my, that flooding looks terrible. I feel for everyone going through that.
    As for the books, what a collection. Their covers are so lovely.

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    1. Barbara31 January 2014 at 10:54

      Hello Donna, yes it is awful, those poor folks and the farmers. More rain is forecast for today and over the weekend, so I fear it is only going to get worse.
      Glad you like the books. They are certainly very pretty.

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  5. A Homemaker's Utopia31 January 2014 at 10:00

    First time here and I loved your blog..:-) Keep posting..Your new follower..:-)

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    1. Barbara31 January 2014 at 11:04

      Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to follow and leave a comment I appreciate it very much. Barbara.

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  6. Aunt Mary31 January 2014 at 14:14

    Very nice collection , I liked all the covers :)

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    1. Barbara31 January 2014 at 16:33

      That’s nice to know Aunt Mary. Thanks for your visit.

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    2. Barbara31 January 2014 at 16:35

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. CraveCute31 January 2014 at 21:19

    Hello Barbara, I am back and again you have surprised me with something new! I love these items you are educating me on! So wish some of that rain had gone around the other way and made it over to our state of California where they are in a terrible dangerous drought. The world is crazy! Take care ~ Diane

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    1. Barbara31 January 2014 at 21:32

      Hello Diane, it's lovely to see you. It’s such a shame we can’t share some of the water. California and Australia could do with it. I don’t suppose it will be very long before we have a hose pipe ban, it seems to be all of one thing and not enough of the other for all of us at the moment.
      I hope things are feeling a little brighter today, hugs Barbara.

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  8. Stephanie@Fairday's Blog1 February 2014 at 01:03

    I am dry, but not warm! Can't believe all the rain. I hope the sun comes out soon and you don't need to worry about flooding anymore.

    What lovely annuals! The covers are so fascinating. I love the dragon and mermaid scenes. :) Glad you are finding some treasures as you go through the books you got recently!

    Sending some good weather your way!

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    1. Barbara1 February 2014 at 11:01

      The sun is actually shining this morning, and I just enjoyed a lovely walk to the post office. Thank you for sending the good weather – I’m sending some warmth your way right now!
      I’m thrilled with all my purchases, and it’s nice to have others to share them with. Thanks for calling in, Barbara.

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  9. Nikki - Notes of Life2 February 2014 at 15:50

    I'm totally fed up of the wind and rain now and would welcome some snow or just some lovely dry weather for a change! We're OK here, but put it this way... If my street floods then the rest of the village is in trouble as I live on the side of a hill!

    Actually, I thought of you the other day. I spotted some old kids books in a friend's shop in Melton Mowbray :)

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    1. Barbara3 February 2014 at 12:28

      Hi Nikki-ann – you and me both! Will it ever stop? Never mind, we are warm and dry (glad you are too) so will just have to plod on. You can get pretty wellies now so that is some consolation!

      I’m intrigued – I wonder what the books were. I might have to take a trip to Melton Mowbray, but will wait until it stops raining! for your visit.

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    2. Nikki - Notes of Life9 February 2014 at 16:23

      I should be going back in a couple of weeks, so if they're still there I'll take some photos for you.

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    3. Barbara10 February 2014 at 19:04

      Thanks Nikki-ann, I will look forward to seeing them. Barbara

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  10. sharonssunlitmemories2 February 2014 at 20:59

    Thanks for being the first to welcome me back Barbara! I love these annuals - nothing gives me more of a thrill of remembered childhood than the covers of these books. They had a particular style that always makes me want to delve inside. I like the angle of your photographs - very eye catching!
    Hope you are coping ok with all the rain - your area seems to have it worse than most -saw it on the news last night.

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    1. Barbara3 February 2014 at 12:39

      It was my pleasure. It’s lovely to have you back! I can’t tell you how much fun I’m having with these annuals, they may not be fashionable now, but they are perfectly gorgeous!
      We are managing to stay dry, but I feel so sorry for all the folks who aren't. More rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, so I guess it's only going to get worse. We are in one of the areas where they haven’t (yet) built on the flood plains, so although there is lots of water it is mainly behaving itself!

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  11. Kokila gupta4 February 2014 at 08:58

    Hi Barbara, I am dry but a bit too warm and am asking for some showers.Hope it stops raining there and it comes here to Bangalore. As for Annuals.. they are Lovely.and to read the titles....is like Neighbor's Envy, Owner's Pride :) Love, Kokila

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    1. Barbara5 February 2014 at 16:05

      Hello Kokila, it seems we are all having odd weather – it is raining again in the UK. I wish I could send some way. I’m so glad you are enjoying the books & annuals on my blog. They are really pretty and full of happy memories. Maybe it will be a little cooler in Bangalore when you read this. Barbara xx

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    2. Kokila gupta11 February 2014 at 03:40

      Sorry for a late reply...I am constantly reading in papers and watching on news channels about the weather conditions in UK. just now we come to know about Thames breaching its banks and all the flooded area....hopes it soon gets under control without serious damages !! sending luck to all stuck there.... Luck n Love, Kokila

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx

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