Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without – Annuals

[callmemadam]

We start with this sort of thing when we're about seven.

Next our kindly relatives give us the must-have annual for our favourite comic:



We get older and start buying annuals published long before we were born. The pictures are wonderful! I really don't need any more annuals; I have dozens already. But when someone at the market is selling books like the next two at three for a pound, how can I resist? (My third choice was a copy of Penelope's Prefects by Judith Carr.)





Easily justified on the grounds that they're so cheap, they'll be fun to look at over Christmas and one has this on the title page:



You can see why I broke my resolution. Also on offer at three for a pound, from a different seller: this little lot, which I bought for the pretty dustwrappers. Has anyone ever read anything by Ethel Mannin? She must have been popular at one time.



I thought they were all Book Club copies until I got them home and found that the Helen MacInnes is a first edition, yay! I regret having re-read it so recently.

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I don't think I've read that one. Or the Nevil Shute (I'm slowly working my way through).

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Should take you five minutes over Christmas!

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

Beautiful books, and real Christmas bargains!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

The car boot section on Saturdays has expanded to fill part of the car park. Unfortunately the regular traders are finding times very hard.

Annuals

[(Anonymous)]

I loved School Friend annuals and have now managed to collect the ones I had when I was a child. I also liked Girl annuals (and Girl comic) but it isn't as fondly remembered as School Friend!
Speaking of lovely dust wraps to books, I love those around the books of Ann Bridge (you have to be careful asking in book shops for books by Ann Bridge - one bookshop thought I wanted books on Ambridge!)
Margaret P

Re: Annuals

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I've also acquired the School Friend and Girls' Crystal annuals of the right date! I liked both comics but didn't have them every week.

I have several novels by Ann Bridge but I think only two have dustwrappers. One of those is early and pretty dull.

Annuals and Shute

[(Anonymous)]

You always teach me something new I've never known about. Annuals? What wonderful things they are! I haven't read The Far Country but have read a lot of Nevil Shute and really adore his stories.

Re: Annuals and Shute

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Oh annuals are such a Christmas tradition! You'd expect at least one every year. The Rupert Annual has been going since 1936. I'm keen on The Girl's Own Annual, actually the years' issues bound together, which started in 1880 and lasted until the 1950s. This year's Hannah Montana and so on don't look such fun as the old ones but I would think that! I know they're not an American thing: overseas people buy up UK annuals for The Bobbsey Twins and Cherry Ames.

My husband loved Nevil Shute and I found him a lot of first editions, which I've kept. I've only read a couple; he's one of those authors I'm going to get round to.