Tag Archives: Ladybird

Happy World Book Day!

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WBD2015_blue_leftup

Happy World Book Day! Now in its 18th year, World Book Day aims to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading. We hope you’re all celebrating by dressing up as your favourite book character and, most importantly, sitting down with a good book (print OR digital).

Here at Reading, we’ve been spending a great deal of time on our Ladybird collections, since Ladybird celebrates its centenary in 2015. Ladybird is a great example of a publisher aiming to introduce others to reading – from format to content, their books are designed to help young readers and inspire learning. Most of us here remember reading Ladybird books as children, and we still get nostalgic over the art and books.

From Shopping with Mother (copyright Ladybird Books)

From Shopping with Mother (copyright Ladybird Books)

Our Ladybird collection comprises 700 boxes of original artwork, proofs and some documentation from the 1940s to the 1990s, including examples of the work of notable artists such as C.F. Tunnicliffe, Rowland Hilder and Allen Seaby. The collection covers the wide range of subjects Ladybird published, ranging from What to Look for in Spring to Transformers: Laserbeak’s Fury.

Ladybird books were first produced during the First World War by Wills & Hepworth, a jobbing printer. Initially they were simply children’s story books but after the Second World War the firm started to produce educational books which increased sales enormously.  Remarkably, the price stayed the same at 2s 6d from 1945 to 1971, a feat achieved by strict production rules and increasingly large print runs.

To celebrate World Book Day, take a few minutes to pull out your favourite Ladybird book or explore some Ladybird art. Even better, book onto our ‘Ladybird by Design’ lecture on Tuesday 10 March and hear Lawrence Zeegan on 100 years of Ladybird.

Don’t forget to let us know what your favourite children’s book is! Leave a comment here or tell us on Twitter with the hashtag #WBD2015.

Art and nature: Allen Seaby lecture and exhibition

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Bullfinches, woodcut by Allen W. Seaby

Bullfinches, woodcut by Allen W. Seaby

In our last post we mentioned that we’re celebrating the centenary of Ladybird books, and we noted our BBC Breakfast appearance and upcoming lecture with Lawrence Zeegan.

Our Ladybird material will also make appearances at a number of exhibitions around the country – starting right here in Reading at Reading Museum’s current exhibition: Allen Seaby: Art and Nature, which runs until 22 March. Seaby (1867–1953) was an illustrator, teacher and novelist well known for his bird and animal paintings as well as his role in incorporating Japanese woodblock techniques; he was also a Professor of Fine Art at the University of Reading.

The exhibition features a number of books from our Children’s Collection illustrated by Seaby as well as a series of the artwork he did for Ladybird, including the Ladybird book British Birds and Their Nests. A beautifully illustrated book – Allen W. Seaby – Art and Nature by Martin Andrews and Robert Gillmor – has been published by Two Rivers Press to accompany the exhibition.

This Saturday (17 January), Reading Museum’s annual Friends Lecture will focus on Seaby. Martin Andrews, printing historian, artist and author (as well as a Special Collections regular), will discuss the life and work of Seaby.

The event will include a seated lecture, refreshments and a demonstration of printing from woodblocks in the Japanese style. It runs from 2–3pm and can be booked by emailing the Secretary of the Friends.

 

Celebrating 100 years of Ladybird

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Shopping with Mother (used with the kind permission of Ladybird)

Shopping with Mother (used with the kind permission of Ladybird)

In 1915, jobbing printer Wills & Hepworth published the very first Ladybird book in Loughborough. They soon registered an official logo and devoted themselves creating ‘pure and healthy’ literature for children. After the WWII, the publisher expanded its remit to include educational nonfiction, and Ladybird books have been a beloved part of many childhoods ever since. As a publisher, it’s range has changed to suit the needs of today. Alongside its famous classics, the current portfolio includes Peppa Pig, Hello Kitty and Lego, as well as digital publishing ventures.

Ladybird, now part of Penguin Books, celebrates its centenary this year. Here at Special Collections, we’ll be celebrating too, as we hold the records of Ladybird Books. The collection comprises 700 boxes of original artwork, proofs and some documentation from the 1940s to the 1990s, including examples of the work of notable artists such as C.F. Tunnicliffe, Rowland Hilder and Allen Seaby. The collection also covers the wide range of subjects Ladybird published, ranging from What to Look for in Spring to Transformers: Laserbeak’s Fury.

Most recently, we welcomed the BBC Breakfast team into our archives to discuss Ladybird with leading design illustrator Lawrence Zeegen, author of the upcoming book Ladybird by Design. The programme aired this morning and is available on the BBC website.

We’ll be contributing to and taking part in further events throughout the spring. If you’re interested in illustration, you can view quite a few of our Allen Seaby pieces at Reading Museum’s current exhibition, Allen Seaby: Art and Nature (through 22 March). On Tuesday 10 March, we’ll be hosting a lecture by Lawrence Zeegen, who will discuss Ladybird by Design, which investigates the design history and cultural impact of these ‘well-considered, well-written and well-designed, affordable little books’. Guests will have a chance to view a special pop-up exhibition of items from the Ladybird Archive before the lecture (for more info, please see our What’s On. To book, email merl@reading.ac.uk).

 

Behind the Scenes: Current research at SC

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To kick off our ‘Behind the Scenes’ series, we thought we’d take a quick look at the variety of research going on in and the types of readers visiting our Reading Room. Over future posts, we’ll look more closely at the work that our teams are doing, from special projects to day-to-day work.

Ladybird collection

BBC researchers

Merryn and Clare from BBC Four Timeshift look at Ladybird artwork

Our Ladybird collections are always popular with our visitors, particularly after the MERL exhibition (see photos and more info). Ladybird books were first produced during the First World War as simple children’s story books, but the series eventually grew to include the educational books many of us know today. The books were heavily illustrated, and the Ladybird collection here at Reading includes 700 boxes of original artwork and proofs.

Recently, researchers from the BBC Four programme Timeshift arrived to take a look at Ladybird drawings. Timeshift  explores Britain’s cultural and social history, and the research team uncovered some beautiful drawings of shopping in mid-century Britain. Keep an eye out for the episode!

Chromolithography

Chevreul's 'Cercle Chromatique'

Chevreul’s ‘Cercle Chromatique’

One of our particular strengths is our printing and publishing archives, and we often get researchers looking at the records of the various publishing firms we hold or our examples of fine printing. In June, we pulled out a beautiful and very rare copy of Chevreul’s De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs (usually translated as The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors). This groundbreaking work by a French chemist looked at colour contrasts and is still considered important to the history of chromolithography, or colour lithographic printing. Keeps an eye out for a new publication using this and other parts of our printing collections.