I ordered this classic Ladybird book off eBay as I have very fond memories of it as a child. I was after a bit of immersion with an old memory, but to my surprise I found a rather accurate read. The author of the book also illustrated it and he must have had a real passion for the topic, I wouldn’t be surprised if he personally pushed it through the publishing with Ladybird. I was expecting a kids book but instead found a nice little book packed with atmosphere and quite a few details. First page ended my confusion over beige felt hats over black ones... boom!
I remember being at lower school copying out these pictures and colouring them. There were many classic Ladybird books but this was my favourite. Even before it arrived I could remember some of the illustrations.
Classic when I was young but I have to say, forty odd years later, I’m enjoying it even more second time round.
They were a great intro to history. I've still got all mine from my childhood and I this this must be about the only historical/military release I didn't get. I love all of their illustration. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with the above - I assume I probably owned a few but mostly, they were borrowed from our local library, a huge red sandstone edifice in Scots Baronial style that was funded by a multi millionaire ex pat Scot who made a fortune in the US named Andrew Carnegie. I can remember my dad reading stories of Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth the First, Mary Queen of Scots, Julius Caesar etc to me at bed time! They most likely sparked my lifelong interest in history and particularly military history!
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