The Original Prices of Ladybird Books

As with tally numbers you can also date your book to an approx year by looking at the original price on the book.

In 1965 when matt editions first appeared the original price on the books was 2'6 Net - this price continued for the next 6 years when in February 1971 prices changed due to decimalisation. some books from February 1971 until May 1971 can therefore be found to have two prices, 2'6 and 121/2 pence.

The table below shows the prices for each year

Price	Date
2,6 Net	1965 - February 1971
2/6 Net 121/2p	February 1971 - May 1971
15p	1 June 1971 - 30 April
18p	1 May 1974 - 15 June 1975
24p	16 June 1975 - 10 January 1978
30p	11 January 1978 - 24 June 1979
40p	25 June 1979 - 31 December 1980
50p	1 January 1981 - 30 June 1982
60p	1 July 1982 - 31 December 1983
70p	1 January 1984 - 31 December 1985
75p	1 January 1985 - 31 December 1986
85p	1 January 1987 - 31 December 1987
90p	1 January 1988 - 31 December 1988
99p	From January 1 1989

Ladybird vintage website goes live

Ladybird have launched there new website for lovers of vintage Ladybird books. Please visit this fantastic site: http://www.vintageladybird.com/

Ladybird books FIRST EDITION Identifier

Through my website http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/ I receive hundreds of email enquiries every month, a lot of which are people asking how they can determine if their Ladybird books are first editions or not.

When The Wee Web was in it's infancy I used to have the time to personally answer these individual enquiries, but with the amount of emails I receive these days it is no longer possible for me to do so.

So recently I decided to create a page on my website, that not only is a guide on how to date your editions, but also has an input box that allows you to enter the title of your Ladybird book which then returns the first edition issue points for that particular title. A very handy service for Ladybird collectors, booksellers etc . . . and long overdue.

To find out if your Ladybird book is a first edition or not please visit:

http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/ladybird/spotting_firsts.php

PLEASE NOTE - The first edition identifier is only for Ladybird books published between 1940 and 1980.

The first edition identifier is reasonably new to my website so not all information is available for every title - about 60% of all titles have been entered and I am continually working towards finishing it.

Robert

Do you know anything about these Ladybird people?

I am looking for any information on the following Ladybird people:

Vera Southgate - author of the first 27 Well Loved Tales (series 606d)
Eric Winter - illustrator of some of the Well Loved Tales and other titles
Muriel Levy - author of the 'Wonk' titles and others
A J Macgregor - author & illustrator of the first 18 titles in series 401
William Hepworth - partner and original owner of Ladybird books
Henry Wills - founder, partner and original owner of Ladybird books

Any help would be very much appreciated,

Robert

New Penguin publication packed with Ladybird illustrations

WIN a COPY of BOYS and GIRLS
In late September Penguin are kindly giving The Wee Web
five copies of Boys and Girls to use as competition prizes - so if you want to win a copy of this lavishly illustrated, and eagerly-awaited title then visit http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/ in late September, 2007,

Artist creates 'pagan' birdlife based on Ladybird book illustrations

An artist has created several new species of unsual birds after holidaying in the area which inspired the occult thriller The Wicker Man.Edward Summerton collaborated with some of Scotland's leading writers and artists to produce the collection.

The images, based on traditional Ladybird illustrations, were created by the Dundee lecturer while on a break in the Summer Isles.The Summer Isles, off the coast of the North West Highlands, were the inspiration for Lord Summerisle's island in the original Wicker Man film, which starred Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward.

Mr Summerton, who teaches at Dundee University's Duncan of Jordanstone art college, teamed up with 17 famous writers and artists including Michael Marra, Laura Hird and Graham Fagen, to produce the work.

Each came up with a fictional name and short story surrounding the bird, resulting in creations including the "Panticle", "Blood Sucking Dunny Gull" and the "Sentry Owl".

To read more about this article please visit:

http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/news_ladybird.php?id=159

Ladybird Book - The Computer - M.O.D edition

Has anybody reading this blog ever worked for the M.O.D from 1970 - 1974? I am particularly intereted in employees that were trained in computing at the M.O.D.

I am desperately seeking a LADYBIRD book that was privately printed for the M.O.D - it was called 'The Computer'. This private edition was limited to 80 - 100 copies and was printed without the usual Ladybird copyright information, and was produced in plain boards. The plain printing style of these 80 editions was at the request of the M.O.D., as they did not want their trainee staff to know that they were learning from a Ladybird book.

The problem is that nobody has ever seen a copy and I have personally been looking for 9 years - this is the amount of time I have been researching the Ladybird company - please visit my Ladybird website to read more in depth about the M.O.D special edition :

http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/news_ladybird.php?id=157

If anyone can help me find a copy of this book then there is £200 reward - any info regarding it would be most appreciated - it's the last puzzle in my Ladybird jigsaw! Once I find it I can lay my Ladybird research to rest and move onto other areas within books.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Robert - www.theweeweb.co.uk