Ladybird Books
Encyclopedia
Ladybird Books is a London
-based publishing
company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group
of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.
, Leicestershire
. Within a decade he progressed to printing and publishing guidebook
s and street directories. He was joined by William Hepworth in 1904, and the company traded as Wills & Hepworth.
Around 1915, Wills & Hepworth published their first children's books, under the Ladybird imprint. From the start, the company was identified by a ladybird logo
, at first with open wings, but eventually changed to the more familiar closed-wing ladybird in the late 1950s. The ladybird logo has since undergone several redesigns, the latest of which was launched in 2006.
Wills & Hepworth began trading as Ladybird Books in 1971 as a direct result of the brand recognition that their imprint had achieved in Britain. In the 1960s and 1970s the company's Key Words Reading Scheme (launched in 1964) was heavily used by British primary schools, using a reduced vocabulary to help children learn to read. This series of 36 small-format hardback books presented stereotype
d models of British family life – the innocence of Peter and Jane
at play, Mum the housewife
, and Dad the breadwinner. Many of the illustrations in this series were by Harry Wingfield
and Martin Aitchison
.
In the 1960s, Ladybird produced the Learnabout series of non-fiction (informational) books, some of which were used by adults as well as children.
An independent company for much of its life, Ladybird Books became part of the Pearson Group in 1972. However, falling demand in the late 1990s led Pearson to fully merge Ladybird into its Penguin Books
subsidiary in 1998, joining other household names in British children's books such as Puffin Books
, Dorling Kindersley
, and Frederick Warne
. 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.
For further information regarding the history of the Ladybird company see The Wee Web's Guide to Ladybird Books
s and sixpence (12.5p).
Later series included nature books (series 536, some illustrated by, for example, Charles Tunnicliffe
and Allen W. Seaby) and a host of non-fiction books, including hobbies and interests, history (L du Garde Peach wrote very many of these) and travel.
Ladybird began publishing books in other formats from 1980. Most of the remaining titles in the classic format were withdrawn from print in 1999 with the closure of the factory in Loughborough which was specialised to this format.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.
History
The company traces its origins to 1867, when Henry Wills opened a bookshop in LoughboroughLoughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. Within a decade he progressed to printing and publishing guidebook
GUIdebook
GUIdebook is a website that contains screenshots of computer software.It shows a visual history of the software's user interface. It includes operating systems like Mac OS and Windows, desktop environments like GNOME and KDE, portable operating systems like Newton OS and Windows CE, and...
s and street directories. He was joined by William Hepworth in 1904, and the company traded as Wills & Hepworth.
Around 1915, Wills & Hepworth published their first children's books, under the Ladybird imprint. From the start, the company was identified by a ladybird logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, at first with open wings, but eventually changed to the more familiar closed-wing ladybird in the late 1950s. The ladybird logo has since undergone several redesigns, the latest of which was launched in 2006.
Wills & Hepworth began trading as Ladybird Books in 1971 as a direct result of the brand recognition that their imprint had achieved in Britain. In the 1960s and 1970s the company's Key Words Reading Scheme (launched in 1964) was heavily used by British primary schools, using a reduced vocabulary to help children learn to read. This series of 36 small-format hardback books presented stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
d models of British family life – the innocence of Peter and Jane
Peter and Jane
The Key Words Reading Scheme is a series of 36 English language early readers children's books, published by the British publishing company, Ladybird Books...
at play, Mum the housewife
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
, and Dad the breadwinner. Many of the illustrations in this series were by Harry Wingfield
Harry Wingfield
John Henry "Harry" Wingfield was an English illustrator, best known for his drawings that illustrated the Ladybird Books Key Words Reading Scheme in the 1960s through to the 1980s,...
and Martin Aitchison
Martin Aitchison
Martin Aitchison was an illustrator for the Eagle comic from 1952 to 1963, and then one of the main illustrators for Ladybird Books from 1963 to 1990....
.
In the 1960s, Ladybird produced the Learnabout series of non-fiction (informational) books, some of which were used by adults as well as children.
An independent company for much of its life, Ladybird Books became part of the Pearson Group in 1972. However, falling demand in the late 1990s led Pearson to fully merge Ladybird into its Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
subsidiary in 1998, joining other household names in British children's books such as Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
, Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley is an international publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 51 languages. It is currently part of the Penguin Group....
, and Frederick Warne
Frederick Warne & Co
Frederick Warne & Co was a British publishing firm famous for children's books, particularly those of Beatrix Potter. It was founded in 1865 by a bookseller, who gave his own name to the firm.- History :...
. 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.
For further information regarding the history of the Ladybird company see The Wee Web's Guide to Ladybird Books
The classic Ladybird book
The classic pocket-sized mini-hardback Ladybird book (four-and-a-half by seven inches/11.5 cm by 18 cm) was first produced in 1940 for a series of animal stories. The full-colour illustrations by A. J. Macgregor on each spread, to accompany the stories told in verse (by W. Perring) and the appeal of Bunnikin, Downy Duckling and other animal characters were an instant success. Early books had a standard 56-page format, chosen because a complete book could be printed on one large sheet of paper, which was then folded and cut to size without any waste. It was an economical way of producing books, enabling the books to be retailed at a low price which, for almost thirty years, remained at two shillingShilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and sixpence (12.5p).
Later series included nature books (series 536, some illustrated by, for example, Charles Tunnicliffe
Charles Tunnicliffe
Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his working life on the Isle of Anglesey.-Life:...
and Allen W. Seaby) and a host of non-fiction books, including hobbies and interests, history (L du Garde Peach wrote very many of these) and travel.
Ladybird began publishing books in other formats from 1980. Most of the remaining titles in the classic format were withdrawn from print in 1999 with the closure of the factory in Loughborough which was specialised to this format.
Collecting
With the demise of the traditional Ladybird publishing format has come an increased interest in collecting, often by adults who were children when Ladybird was in its heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s. A great many second-hand Ladybird books are available and it can be an inexpensive hobby. Predictably, most value is attached to clean first editions (including dust-covers for editions published until the early 1960s). However, the Ladybird imprints rarely make it clear whether or not a book is a first edition. A guide to identifying Ladybird books is at http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/ladybird/spotting_firsts.php and http://www.ladybirdflyawayhome.com/External links
- Ladybird Books official website
- Ladybird Fly Away Home Information and galleries for collectors and the nostalgic
- Nicole's website for collectors contains a list of standard size ladybird books including many foreign language ones and pictures of over 3,000 front covers of ladybird books
- Easy on the Eye Ladybird Books website
- The Wee Web A guide to Ladybird Books
- John Berry - Daily Telegraph obituary