http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03mp53s/Timeshift_Series_13_The_Ladybird_Books_Story_How_Britain_Got_the_Reading_Bug/
A link to a splendid BBC 4 programme on Ladybird books.If you are of a certain age you will remember them. I owe much of my love of history to these books and the splendid style they were written in. Watch the programme,recall the pictures ,be informed of the background and just enjoy!
I remember them well. My wife was lamenting only this morning that so many parents don't read to their children, to the detriment of the next generation's literacy. If my mother and grandmother hadn't read to me from the Ladybird books and many others, I wouldn't have the same enjoyment of reading I do today.
ReplyDeleteIn my 30 odd years with Smiths I sold many of these, though they went down in quality some years ago. When I worked in the Loughborough branch, which was small and only stocked a limited amount on a spinner, the publisher was based quite near. We had to explain to customers who wanted to order a title we didn't stock that their order would take some six weeks to arrive!! This was in the days of practically pre-computing, and the paper order went to head office, who collated it with many others, passed these on to the publisher, who sent the stock to our warehouse in Swindon, who sorted the delivery and sent the books out to the individual shops in their next weekly delivery. We weren't allowed to pop round the corner and buy one from the trade counter. The joys of working for a large organisation..
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