Friday 30 May 2008

New Stuff

On my website I've added quite a few new bits recently, so here's a summary.

John Murray, son of the writer of The Impatient Horse sent me some background to the writing of the story - which has become perhaps the most sought-after Ladybird Book of all.

I've added a page of 'Videos' featuring Ladybird Books. Let me know if you think there's a Ladybird video out there that should be on the page.

I've also added a Quintura cloud search on the 'Fun Stuff' page. Helps to while away a moment or two.

There's probably some more stuff but I can't think what right now. I'm just off to do a 'sun dance' (see Ladybird Books: "Learnabout - Things to do during rainy Half-Term Holidays". I need good weather because I plan to take a few crate loads of Less-Loved-Tales to get rid of at the St Albans car-boot sale tomorrow.

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Well it works for me!



What a beautiful sight!

These are two pieces of original Ladybird artwork which I acquired recently.

I've picked up lots of different pieces over the years, but none has ever quite hit the Ladybird spot the way these two do. One is a Peter and Jane classic from the 1960s book 2a, We Have Fun and the other is the cover illustration for the 1970s version of 'Boys and Girls'.

Somehow - the colours and the detail and the memories - they cheer me up every time I turn round from my computer and look at them. Pure escapism. In a week of worldwide disaster and tragedy, of talk of recession and of 'toxic childhood' it's very comforting to escape briefly into the illusion that is Ladybird Land.

Thursday 8 May 2008

Car Boot Season

The fine weather cometh and what does that mean?

Car boot sale season is upon us again.

Last year was a bit of a wash out - too much rain, too many muddy fields, too few boot sales so I've got pent-up treasure-hunt energy and am particularly looking forward to this year.

It's a bit of a triumph of hope over experience; the fact is that you almost never find anything special at car boot sales these days. Gone are the (albeit rare) days when you would come across a box of pristine matt books - fresh from their time-warp. Gone are the days of turning over a dust-jacketed copy of 'The Party', 'In the Country' or 'A Little Silk Apron' in a box filled with bits of curtain pelmet and sewing patterns. I was spectacularly lucky when acquiring the 6 books in the original Tasseltip series - 474. I found all of them, one after the other, in car boot sales or neglected in bookshops and never paid more than £5.00.

Now people know that Ladybird Books are collectable. My local charity shop has 3 rather scruffy 'Words for Numbers' books in the window, priced at an optimistic £5.00 each. So the chances of coming across that Benny Smith haul are frankly not great. But hey ho!