Observer's Books

Observer's Books

The Observer's Books were a series of small, pocket-sized books, published by Frederick Warne & Co in the United Kingdom from 1937 to 2003. They covered a variety of topics including hobbies, art, history and wildlife. The aim of these books was to interest the observer and they have also been popular amongst children. Some of them have become collector's items. For the dedicated collector this could be a lifetime's work as there are over 800 variations, some of which are now very rare. The values of the books can vary from 50 pence to hundreds of pounds.

The books were produced with paper dust covers up until 1969. Each one had a unique pattern of squiggly lines at the top but these were not very practical because they were easy to rip and stain. From 1970, the covers were protected with a glossy coating. These types are often referred to as "Glossies". From the late 1970s, Warne decided to laminate the covers to the actual books to make them sturdier and more resistant to wear.

The first Observer's guide was published in 1937, and was on the subject of British birds. This is now very rare, and a mint copy with a dust cover is worth hundreds of pounds. The same year, Warne published a second Observer's book on British wild flowers. A mint copy of this book is worth around £220. When the popularity of these was recognized, several more titles were added 'uniform in the series', but during World War II production was limited due to paper and labour shortages. Even so, by 1941 Warne had published the first six Observer's books.

In 1942 a special edition book was bought out on airplanes. This book had no number in the series, as it was bought out to help people spot enemy warplanes. It was reprinted in 1943 and 1945.

The first few Observer's titles had focused on nature, but gradually subjects like geology, music and architecture were introduced. 'Spotter' titles like Aircraft, Automobiles and Railway Locomotives proved very popular. During the 1950s and 60s collecting sets of these books was very popular among children and adults alike.

When Warne was acquired by Penguin books in 1983, Warne bought out new editions of the Observer's books. These were slightly bigger than the original books, and were in paperback, not hardback. The same year Penguin, with permission of Warne, started printing their own, more up-to-date Observer's books. These again were slightly larger than the originals, but were hardbacks. Like the later original Observer's books, the dust covers were laminated to the actual book. There were two types of the Penguin Observer's books: Bloomsbury Observer's, and Claremont Observer's, (of which there were only 12 different editions).

After a hiatus of 17 years, Peregrine Books published the appropriately titled Observer's Book of Observer's Books in 1999, in a format that matched the original editions and was numbered 99 so as to follow on from the last 'official' title. As the title implies, it is a guide to the series with details of its history, authors, and print-runs. As a sign of the series' popularity, this potentially obscure book has been reprinted no fewer than six times. More recently the series has been rounded up to 100 with the publication of Wayside and Woodland in 2003.

List of Observer's Books

  1. British birds - 1937
  2. British wild flowers1937
  3. British butterflies1938
  4. Trees and shrubs of the British Isles1938
  5. British wild animals1938
  6. Freshwater fishes of the British Isles1941
  7. British grasses sedges and rushes1942
    Airplanes1942
  8. Dogs1945
  9. Horses and ponies1949
  10. British geology1949
  11. Aircraft1949
  12. British ferns1950
  13. British architecture1951
  14. The larger British moths1952
  15. Ships1952
  16. Music1953
  17. Common British insects and spiders1953
  18. British birds eggs1953
  19. Common fungi1954
  20. Mosses and liverworts1954
  21. Automobiles1955
  22. Weather1955
  23. Railway locomotives of Britain1955
  24. Pond life1956
  25. Garden flowers1956
  26. Painting and graphic art1958
  27. Cacti1957
  28. Sea fishes1958
  29. Flags1959
  30. Cats1959
  31. Sea and seashore1962
  32. Astronomy1962
  33. Lichens1963
  34. Modern art1964
  35. Furniture1964
  36. Old English churches1965
  37. Sculpture1965
  38. Basic aircraft, civil1967
  39. Basic aircraft, military1967
  40. Commercial vehicles1959
  41. Heraldry1966
  42. Postage stamps1967
  43. Cathedrals1972
  44. Flowering trees and shrubs for gardens1972
  45. Zoo animals1972
  46. House plants1972
  47. Association football1972
  48. Manned space flight - 1972
  49. Cricket1972
  50. London1973
  1. Pottery and porcelain1973
  2. Unmanned space flight1974
  3. Motor sport1975
  4. European costume1975
  5. British awards and medals1974
  6. Ancient and Roman Britain1976
  7. Sewing1975
  8. Golf1975
  9. Coarse fishing1975
  10. Show jumping and eventing1976
  11. Motorcycles1976
  12. Glass1976
  13. Tourist atlas of Great Britain and Northern Ireland1976
  14. Small craft1976
  15. Tropical fish1976
  16. Farm animals1976
  17. Vegetables1977
  18. Fly fishing1977
  19. Coins1977
  20. Seashells of the British Isles1977
  21. Fossils1977
  22. Pets1978
  23. The Cotswolds and Shakespeare country1978
  24. Lake district1978
  25. Firearms1978
  26. Jazz1978
  27. Big bands1978
  28. Castles1979
  29. Caterpillars1979
  30. Rocks and minerals1979
  31. Tennis1981
  32. Sea fishing1980
  33. Devon and Cornwall1980
  34. Roses1980
  35. Herbs1980
  36. Country houses1980NOT PUBLISHED
  37. Folk song1980
  38. Silver1980
  39. Tanks and other armoured vehicles1981
  40. Victoriana1981
  41. World atlas1981
  42. Vintage cars and prewar classics1982
  43. Classic cars after 19451982
  44. Paris1982
  45. Canals1982
  46. Gardens of Britain Ireland and Wales1982
  47. Kitchen antiques1982
  48. Opera1982
  49. Observers books1999
  50. Wayside and woodland - 2003

External links


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