Ladybird Histories: British History

Product Information

They created the iconic format that readers are familiar with today: a book of 56 pages in full colour, printed from a single sheet of 40″ X 30″ paper, known as a quad crown. Ships, submarines and aircraft fought a bitter war that saw the deaths of over 100,000 servicemen and civilians. This series of 36 small-format hardback books presented stereotyped models of British family life: the innocence of Peter and Jane at play, Mum the housewife, and Dad the breadwinner.

The popularity of the books, particularly in schools for history lessons, resulted in them being republished at a later date with matt pictorial boards. From the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour to the decisive triumph of the Allies at Guadalcanal, the entry of Japan and America to the fighting changed the course of World War II completely. Children were taught to read using a series of ‘key words’ which were introduced and then repeated throughout the books.From practising phonics to stunning and engaging picture books to reading aloud—Ladybird Books cover every stage of reading. The book drew a threat of legal action from Penguin Group for breach of copyright, and some changes were made to the names of characters and logos, so it could be published as a parody. Unclipped dustwrapper (2/6 net) is grubby with pencil markings to back cover, rubbing to edges, chips to corners and small tear to lower right corner of front panel. Written by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, Victory in Europe is an essential, accessible introduction to Britain's triumph over the Nazis. Some of the famous characters that this series examines are: William the Conqueror; Sir Walter Raleigh; Captain Cook; Charles II; Oliver Cromwell; Alexander the Great; Richard the Lion Heart; Joan of Arc and Sir Francis Drake.

The Ladybird offices and printing factory in Loughborough closed the same year, and much of the company's archive of historic artwork was transferred to public collections. Spin off Picture Dictionaries (Series 642) and Easy Readers followed in the 1960s and 70s and a range of supporting educational resources were also created for use in schools – workbooks, flash cards, puzzles, audio tapes. Others might remember best the factual Ladybird books, such as Transistor Radios, Exploring Space, The Ladybird Book of Motor Cars and so on, but for me it was the fairy tales and other fiction stories that captured my imagination.Unclipped dustwrapper is rubbed to folds and edges and chipped to corners with pen shading to one of the title letters. Small format buff matt boards with blue lettering and decs in pictorial dustwrapper; 52pp; colour ills; pictorial map endpapers. The 4 titles in the collection set include—Adding and Subtracting: Ladybird I'm Ready for Maths, Time, Shapes and Seasons: Ladybird I'm Ready for Maths, Times Tables: Ladybird I'm Ready for Maths, Multiplying and Dividing: Ladybird I'm Ready for Maths; each focused on a different maths function to ensure your child gets enough and more practice with each.