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

British birds - 1937 British wild flowers – 1937 British butterflies – 1938 Trees and shrubs of the British Isles – 1938 British wild animals – 1938 Freshwater fishes of the British Isles – 1941 British grasses sedges and rushes – 1942 Airplanes – 1942 Dogs – 1945 Horses and ponies – 1949 British geology – 1949 Aircraft – 1949 British ferns – 1950 British architecture – 1951 The larger British moths – 1952 Ships – 1952 Music – 1953 Common British insects and spiders – 1953 British birds eggs – 1953 Common fungi – 1954 Mosses and liverworts – 1954 Automobiles – 1955 Weather – 1955 Railway locomotives of Britain – 1955 Pond life – 1956 Garden flowers – 1956 Painting and graphic art – 1958 Cacti – 1957 Sea fishes – 1958 Flags – 1959 Cats – 1959 Sea and seashore – 1962 Astronomy – 1962 Lichens – 1963 Modern art – 1964 Furniture – 1964 Old English churches – 1965 Sculpture – 1965 Basic aircraft, civil – 1967 Basic aircraft, military – 1967 Commercial vehicles – 1959 Heraldry – 1966 Postage stamps – 1967 Cathedrals – 1972 Flowering trees and shrubs for gardens – 1972 Zoo animals – 1972 House plants – 1972 Association football – 1972 Manned space flight - 1972 Cricket – 1972 London – 1973

Pottery and porcelain – 1973 Unmanned space flight – 1974 Motor sport – 1975 European costume – 1975 British awards and medals – 1974 Ancient and Roman Britain – 1976 Sewing – 1975 Golf – 1975 Coarse fishing – 1975 Show jumping and eventing – 1976 Motorcycles – 1976 Glass – 1976 Tourist atlas of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – 1976 Small craft – 1976 Tropical fish – 1976 Farm animals – 1976 Vegetables – 1977 Fly fishing – 1977 Coins – 1977 Seashells of the British Isles – 1977 Fossils – 1977 Pets – 1978 The Cotswolds and Shakespeare country – 1978 Lake district – 1978 Firearms – 1978 Jazz – 1978 Big bands – 1978 Castles – 1979 Caterpillars – 1979 Rocks and minerals – 1979 Tennis – 1981 Sea fishing – 1980 Devon and Cornwall – 1980 Roses – 1980 Herbs – 1980 Country houses – 1980 – NOT PUBLISHED Folk song – 1980 Silver – 1980 Tanks and other armoured vehicles – 1981 Victoriana – 1981 World atlas – 1981 Vintage cars and pre–war classics – 1982 Classic cars after 1945 – 1982 Paris – 1982 Canals – 1982 Gardens of Britain Ireland and Wales – 1982 Kitchen antiques – 1982 Opera – 1982 Observers books – 1999 Wayside and woodland - 2003

External links

• Pictures of all the variations and links to other sites
• History of the Observer's books
• Observers Books
• Observers Bookstore
• The Little Shoppe of Observer Books
• Observer Books dot com