BLACKIE ANNUAL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

No date, but a wartime production.

This is a lovely book of it’s kind. There are sketches and drawings throughout the book of a wonderful quality, of the type that were fairly commonplace during this era. Some of them were drawn by the authors of the various stories.

The boards are rubbed at the edges and the spine is lightly but extensively foxed, there is a tiny split (1cm) at the base of the spine. There is a little light pencilling at the bottom right of the front cover but this is hardly noticeable. There is a mark at the bottom of one of the title pages as if someone has tried to get a pen to write; fortunately it hasn’t and no print is involved.

Some of the articles and features are based on wartime activities, though not all of them. The binding is still good, there are odd patches of light and limited foxing, most of the foxing that there is, is on the endpapers or thereabouts. One page towards the end of the book has a vertical margin tear about one and a half inches.

This is a very nice example, but for one thing; five of the eight colour plates that belong to the book are missing, and another has become detached, but is present.

In my opinion, the book stands up without them, but it would be much better if they were there! The one that has become detached however, has some significance. It is from an original portrait by Eileen E. Soper, and is entitled " Swing It Boys", and depicts five cats sitting on a rooftop by the light of a full moon. One of them is on the roof tiles and he is the orchestra leader, conducting the others who are perched upon the ridge tiles, singing in the moon and starlight.

Also interesting for collectors of Eileen Soper is a page of her drawings entitled " A.R.P. for Animals, where she has sketched several various situations for " our pets under war conditions ", including a dog in a gas-proof kennel.

 As I say, the book is still in sound condition, and, whilst not 100%, is still well made enough to stand up to these deprivations! I particularly like the article on how to make an electric searchlight, complete with bakelite cap!