Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935]

The photographic cover – which I don’t own! – of Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935]

Here’s another BBC Children’s Annual looked at in some depth to preserve primarily the artwork but I’ve also added authors so they can be found by searchers. The first three annuals ( ©1935-1937) annuals might have had the titles The Children’s Hour Annual 1936, 1937, 1938 if they followed the British convention of labelling for the new year. So these were published in 1935-1937.

The history of this first title is interesting in itself. The Bookseller magazine, used by…booksellers for 1935 shows the pre-publicity for Hutchinson’s title which was to be published at 6/-. By the time of 4 September, I would have expected sales to have started in anticipation of Christmas, with the title being pre-sold into the bookshops months before.

Various pages from The Bookseller 4 September 1935 – note the error in price (5/- sic) quoted under the photograph of Stephen King-Hall and “Uncle Mac”, but the increase from 5/- to 6/- explained in the advert shown here! Confused? Me too.

And here’s where it gets interesting as there was an alternative cover to the one shown above and we get an explanation as to why, but not why, if you see what I mean.

The Bookseller 2 October 1935

We see the advert is still priced 6/- but notice the cover – here’s this image cropped;

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – unpublished cover at 6/-

Then we get the explanation – of sorts – the price will be reduced to 3/6.

That’s a substantial change in my opinion and having been a bookseller myself I suspect I will have bought a lot more at the latter price. If you look at the other titles on offer from Hutchinson, that 6/- stands out.

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] Front endpapers by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] Back endpapers by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh

So let’s get started on the book itself. Firstly we get a lovely image on the endpapers by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (B de R. S.) who I mentioned in the previous blog article. Here the pieces are signed very clearly and the artist and write appears elsewhere in the annual – see below. The endpapers run from front to back and suggest how good children should be – but confusingly, to my mind, they show the boy damaging the wireless set and the girl flinging her book in the air! The drawings are lovely though.

Art by Joyce Mercer

• Foreword by Compton Mackenzie
• The Naughty Traffic-Signal by Joyce Bissell Thomas; Drawings by “HMS”
• Behind The Children’s Hour by Derek Mcculloch
• Do You Want To Win A Book Prize? by Anon [Closing date: 31 Jan 1936]
• The Tale Of The Woeful Whatnot by Barbara De R. Sleigh; Drawings by the author
• Reminiscences Of A Midshipman by Commander Stephen King-Hall; Drawings by “F”
• My Closest Call by H. Mortimer Batten; Drawing by Frederick Cockerton
• Mr. Gianopoulos Keeps His Appointment by Major Sir George Dunbar; Drawing by Frederick Cockerton
• The Faithful Kipper by Hugh E. Wright; Drawings by “HMS”
• The Swan Of Avon by Dr. L. Du Garde Peach; Drawings by Barbara De R. Sleigh
• The Floating Lamps by Major J. T. Gorman; Drawings by ‘Unknown’
• Wild Life In Western Australia by David Seth-Smith; Drawings by L. R. Brightwell
• Napoleon, The Walking Oak by Denis Vincent; Drawings by Joyce Mercer
• In Quest Of A Monster by Lieutenant-Commander R. T. Gould; Figure by the author?
• Dub And The Pot by Mary Grant Bruce; Drawings by Ernest Noble
• The Great Air Race by Flight-Lieutenant Geoffrey Shaw; Drawings by Kenneth Brookes

Art by Joyce Mercer

• “Uncle Mac”—A Photogravure Portrait Frontispiece
• The River Avon – IN COLOUR
• “Ye Red Lyon” – IN COLOUR
• Costume Designs For “The Swan Of Avon” – IN COLOUR
• He Held His Bound Wrists Over The Tiny Flame – IN COLOUR
• Down Through The High Street He Slid – IN COLOUR
• For Once He Roamed As A King – IN COLOUR
• The Children’s Hour Studio – IN HALF TONE
• “The Family Party” Rehearse – IN HALF TONE
• Flight-Lieutenant Geoffrey Shaw With His “Eagle” – IN HALF TONE
• Lined Up For The Start Of The Great Air Race – IN HALF TONE
• San Feliu De Guixols – IN HALF TONE
• David Seth-Smith With A Friend – IN HALF TONE
• Commander Stephen King-Hall; David Seth-Smith; H. Mortimer Batten; L. Du Garde Peach; Compton Mackenzie; Flight-Lieutenant Geoffrey Shaw; Mary Grant Bruce – IN HALF TONE
• Hugh E. Wright; Major J. T. Gorman; Major Sir George Dunbar – IN HALF TONE
• Joyce Bissell Thomas; Denis Vincent; Lieut.-Commander R. T. Gould; Barbara De R. Sleigh – IN HALF TONE

DETAILS and Norman’s COMMENTS

I loved reading Compton Mackenzie’s introduction in which he bemoans “modern” youth’s lack of appreciation of reading! His reasoning is that in his day the youth read “Boy’s Own Paper” and other magazines and “it is significant that middle-aged people are now apt to complain that children do not know how to amuse themselves”! Yet he goes on to say he noticed the decline in the “Boy’s Own” during his own time! Lovely dated yet current words!

As I did with the 1936 annual I have scanned all the author information that appears added to the bottom of this article – plus photos! There may be some duplication but I felt you might want all the info provided! I have not shown all photos / drawings.

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by “HMS”

I’ve added this image because it’s clearly initialled “HMS” but beyond that I have no clue who this was. I browsed all “S” entries in Alan Horne’s Dictionary (and other places) but got nothing matching. Let me know if you know who this was. Below I’ve added two more images if this helps!

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Barbara De R. Sleigh

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by “F” – note the initial is encircled – but who was this?

The next example shows a signature clearly saying Cockerton. Looking around the Internet and some of my notes, I believe this is Frederick Cockerton who drew illustrations for the 1964 Girl Annual and The Third Enid Blyton Holiday Book (some of which are reprints from Sunny Stories nos. 45,170, and 179). His work also appears in Blackie’s Boys’ Annual, 1937. If searching on the Internet you’ll see a lot of horse and hunting oil paintings with the distinctive signature.

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Frederick Cockerton

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by the elusive “HMS” – please do let me know if you can identify this artist

As you’ll read below ‘The Swan Of Avon’ by Dr. L. Du Garde Peach was just one of many plays he wrote for Children’s Hour and the illustrator here is again, Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (B de R. S.) who drew the endpapers too.

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by L. R. Brightwell

I’ve featured Brightwell’s lovely cartoonish work before on this blog, and I first discovered him in Boy’s Own Paper.

I know Joyce Mercer has a following for her wild and whacky art so enjoy the next two images from the Annual and in case you’re wondering that’s an oak tree leaning towards the house!

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Joyce Mercer

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Joyce Mercer

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Ernest Noble (1881–1958) – see the initials “EN” and compare to the next full colour signed image. famous for illustrating humorous postcards in WWI as well as ‘Larry the Lamb’

Children’s Hour Annual [1936, ©1935] – Art by Ernest Noble

Before we move onto the author information provided in the annual, there are also photos which I thought might be of interest. I just wish artists were treated as well as I’d love to know more about “HMS” and “SBL” and all the other mysterious initials I trip over, let alone a photograph!

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Joyce Bissell Thomas

Barbara De R. Sleigh

Commander Stephen King-Hall

H. Mortimer Batten

Major Sir George Duff-Sutherland-Dunbar

Hugh E. Wright

Dr. L. Du Garde Peach

Major J. T. Gorman MBE

David Seth-Smith

Denis Vincent

Lieutenant-Commander R. T. Gould

Mary Grant Bruce

Flight-Lieutenant Geoffrey Shaw

That’s all for this annual. More to follow!

Odhams – The Children’s Golden Treasure Book series: Part 2 – 1937

Odhams – The Children’s Golden Treasure Book series: Part 2 – 1937

Last time I looked at “The Children’s Golden Treasure Book” published in 1935, and there’s no evidence I can find that a comparable volume was published in 1936 – but as of course a commenter mentioned the volume we are looking at was published in 1936 for Christmas 1936 market and labelled the next year as is traditional in the UK. Here the title becomes a dated publication: “The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937″ and has a credit that it was edited by John R. Crossland and J. M. Parrish for Odhams, so just to be clear published in 1936.

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – Cover by ?

I’ve again typed the Contents page so it’s searchable for anyone researching an author and I’ve added artists where I’m certain of them.

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – Endpapers by Joyce Mercer

The endpapers are again by Joyce Mercer (1896 – 1965) who was a prolific children’s illustrator with an interest in costume and design which can be seen here. I found the lines across the pages distracting but each to their own.

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – Title pages by Joyce Mercer

So here we have a picture design with various characters and the date 1937 and we turn over and get the Contents header

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – Contents – art by Vera Bowyer

It took a bit of research and peering to see the name for this artist – Vera Bowyer drew a delightful dreamy bard for this page. The Contents listing is typed below for further research by others who might – like me – want to know who appears in this book. .

• CHRISTMAS BOXES – S. M. Coolidge; [illustrated by E. H. Davie /’EHD’]
• THE TOYS – Coventry Patmore
• THE DUSTMAN – Hans Andersen; [illustrated by Anne Anderson]
• A WONDERFUL SQUARE
• WHEN YOU GIVE A PARTY – M. V. Jack; [illustrated by ?]
• SILVER MANE – Ned Booth; [illustrated by D. G. Eyles]
• FINGER DOLLS – Henry Bramford; [illustrated by the author?]
• A WANDERER’S SONG – John Masefield
• THE HOUSE WITH THE TWISTY STAIRS – Marjorie Taylor; [illustrated by ?]
• PECULIAR NUMBERS –
• MADE WITH RAFIA – Irene Urquhart; [illustrated by the author?]
• RIDDLES TO GUESS
• LIGHT THE LAMPS UP, LAMPLIGHTER – Eleanor Farjeon
• THE MONARCH OF TAMARACK BEND – George Frederick Clarke; [illustrated by ?]
• A FEW LAUGHS FOR YOU
• HOW JOHN TRUSTY SAILED THE SEAS – S. G. Hulme Beaman; [illustrated by S. G. Hulme Beaman]
• THE THREE D’S AND THE VICARAGE FETE – Primrose Cumming; [illustrated by ?]
• LORD MACAULAY’S FAMOUS RIDDLE
• JOHN TRUSTY’S ADVENTURES – S. G. Hulme Beaman; [illustrated by S. G. Hulme Beaman]
• LUNATIC LIMERICKS – P. E. Herrick
• HOW DON QUIXOTE WAS DUBBED A KNIGHT – Miguel de Cervantes; [illustrated by Joyce Mercer]
• [“Don Quixote becomes a knight” facing page 96 illustrated by Joyce Mercer]
• [“Dummling and his Golden Goose” facing page 97 illustrated by Anne Anderson]
• FABLES FROM AESOP; [illustrated by Harry Rountree]
  • THE OLD WOMAN AND HER HEN
  • THE COUNTRYMAN AND THE SNAKE
  • THE MAN AND HIS WOODEN GOD
  • THE OLD MAN’S DREAM
  • THE LANDLORD AND THE APPLE TREE
  • THE FIGHTING COCKS AND THE EAGLE
• THE GOLDEN GOOSE (A PLAY) – K. Laverty; [illustrated by Anne Anderson]
• A STEAM MILL – Norman Anton; [illustrated by the author?]
• WEE WILLIE WINKIE – W. Miller
• Hans the Hedgehog – The Brothers Grimm; [illustrated by Anne Anderson?]
• The Little Admiral – T. C. Bridges; [illustrated by D.G. Eyles]
• The Tortoise that Talked – An Indian Fairy; [illustrated by ‘A.’?]
• Shadow Pictures – Norman Anton; [illustrated by the author?]
• Animal Silhouettes – Norman Anton; [illustrated by author?]
• The New Duckling – Alfred Noyes
• The Beggar Maid – C. Bernard Rutley; [illustrated by D. G. Eyles]
• These Will Make You Laugh
• Crossword Rocking Horse; [illustrated by ?]
• Peeps at Past Coronations – M. V.Jack; [illustrated by ?]
• Kwami the Lion-killer – Sercombe Griffin; [illustrated by T. Heath Robinson]
• Question and Answer
• Matchbox Magic – Henry Bramford; [illustrated by the author?]
• What Scared Number Ten? – Camilla Carlisle; [illustrated by ?]
• [Photogravure section: The Wonder of the Coronation]
• Conundrums to Guess
• Night Work – J. S. Fletcher; [illustrated by D. G. Eyles]
• Jokes to Tell
• Oliver Asks for More – Charles Dickens; [illustrated by Anne Anderson]
• The Table and the Chair – Edward Lear
• Puzzles for a Rainy Day
• Solution to Crossword Rocking Horse on page 156
• The Girl Detective – Harold Keeble; [illustrated by ?]
• Young Night Thought – Robert Louis Stevenson
• How Sir Percival Sought Sir Lancelot – Stuart Campbell; [illustrated by ?]
• Shell Cottage – Irene Urquhart; [illustrated by the author?]
• Solutions to Puzzles on page 202
• The Runaway Stratoplane – C. Sprigg; [illustrated by ?]
• Jo Goes to a Party – Louisa M. Alcott; [illustrated by E. H. Davie]
• Have You Heard This One ?
• The Castle Crossword; [illustrated by ?]
• On the Trail of the Wolf – C. Bernard Rutley; [illustrated by ?]
• [Photogravure section: A visit to the BBC]
• Berries – Walter de la Mare; [illustrated by ?]
• The Constant Prince – Charlotte M. Yonge; [illustrated by D. G. Eyles]
• Puzzles to Solve
• A Model Theatre – Norman Anton;; [illustrated by the author?]
• Solutions to Puzzles on page 249
• Solution to the Castle Crossword on page 234
• The Strong Man of Soronia – Stephen Southwold; [illustrated by ?]
• More Merry Tales
• Lupracaun – William Allingham; [illustrated by Anne Anderson?]
• How Everyday Things Work by John R. Hind; [illustrated by the author?]
  • The Motor Engine
  • A Railway Station
  • Ports and Docks
  • The Electric Light
  • Bringing Water to the Home
  • The Gas Supply
  • The Miracle of Wireless
  • The Romance of the Aeroplane
• ODE TO THE WEST WIND – P. B. SHELLEY; [illustrated by Anne Anderson?]
• PETRONELLA AND A PAIR OF SHOES – ESTRITH MANSFIELD; [illustrated by ?]
• TRY THESE ON YOUR FRIENDS
• THE JOY OF KEEPING PETS: – C. BERNARD RUTLEY; [illustrated by ?]
  • YOUR DOG AND HOW TO TREAT HIM
  • KEEPING A CAT
  • RABBIT KEEPING AS A HOBBY
  • BIRDS IN YOUR GARDEN; [illustrated by Ernest Aris]
  • AN AQUARIUM AT HOME – T. H. GILLESPIE; [illustrated by Ernest Aris]
• THE ARAB’S LEGACY
• THE FLOOD – MRS. CRAIK; [illustrated by ?]
• THE RIDDLE CORNER
• COUSIN CHARLES (A PLAY) – VIOLET M. METHLEY; [illustrated by ?]
• THE CHRISTMAS TREE CROSSWORD
• HINTS ON PHOTOGRAPHY – C. BERNARD RUTLEY; [illustrated by Norman Anton]
• RUGBY FOOTBALL – C. BERNARD RUTLEY; [illustrated by ?]
• JOYS OF STAMP COLLECTING – JOHN R. CROSSLAND; [illustrated by ?]
• CAN YOU ANSWER THESE?
• FUN WITH CHARADES – MARY K. CRICHTON; [illustrated by ?]
• HOW TO PLAY HOCKEY – KENNETH HAYENS; [illustrated by ?]
• PAPER MODELLING – HENRY BRAMFORD; [illustrated by the author?]
• LAVENDER LADY – SARAH G. SERVICE; [illustrated by the author?]
• A BURIED RAINBOW
• THE MAKING OF A LAWN-TENNIS PLAYER – A. E. BEAMISH; [illustrated by ?]
• SOME GARDENING HINTS – CECILY M. RUTLEY
• SOLUTIONS TO PUZZLES ON PAGES 330 AND 358
• LEARN TO SWIM – SID. G. HEDGES; [illustrated by ?]
• DO YOU KNOW?; [illustrated by ?]

A FEW IMAGES AND QUERIES

I looked at the first image in the book (“Christmas Boxes” from “What Katy did at school”) and wondered who drew this excellent piece and later in the book I found the answer – E. H. Davie. If you look carefully you might see my oversight! The signature is there! Anyway I love the very complete and detailed images so here are all those drawn in this book. If you’re an Enid Blyton fan you’ll recognise the style and signature from many titles. There’s even been a guess that this might be Emile Henry Davie who was born in 1895 and married in 1936 to Violet Eva Harford in Sussex, but that’s not conclusive but a very reasonable deduction from the 1939 Register.

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.9 art by E. H. Davie

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.13 art by E. H. Davie

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.16 art by E. H. Davie – signed EHD

The second story illustrated by E. H. Davie is “Jo Goes to a Party” by Louisa M. Alcott, another classic

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.225 art by E. H. Davie

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.227 art by E. H. Davie

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.231 art by E. H. Davie

Here are two by E. Moorey who I’ll look into more detail in a later blog article [UPDATE: He was Eric Monckton Moorey (1902-1973)]

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.29 art by E. Moorey

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – p.31 art by E. Moorey

This deer struck me when I saw it, but I have no idea who it’s by so I’ve scanned both pictures in the hop someone might have a guess

Then we get the forerunner to Minecraft and those block figures by Sydney George Hulme Beaman (1887-1932) and illustration for the story “John Trusty’s Adventures”

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 p.89 Art by Sydney George Hulme Beaman

Then just because it’s all over the Internet and in a bad reproduction here’s a nice scan for you of the ever popular Anne Anderson (1878-1930). You can see lots of her work and biography at Chris Beetles.

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – facing p.97 art by Anne Anderson

Then I laughed out loud at the next image. Harry Rountree not only signed the drawing but also his drawing of a lion on the wall!

The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937 – facing p.105 art by Harry Rountree

NEXT: Odhams – The Children’s Golden Treasure Book series: Part 3 – 1938