The Ladybird Story: Children's Books for Everyone

In 1914, the British commercial printers Wills & Hepworth embarked on a new publishing venture: the Ladybird Series, a series of cheap and cheerful full-color illustrated children’s books aimed at the growing popular market. The series continued through the early days of World War II, and, in 1940, they published the best seller Bunnykin’s Picnic Party, leading to several decades more of huge sales of Ladybird titles on a wide range of subjects.

On the centennial of the publication of the first books in the series, The Ladybird Story offers the first history of the venture, from its shaky beginnings through interwar success and beyond. The book features a comprehensive bibliography of books published under the Wills & Hepworth imprint, as well as plenty of illustrations from volumes across the series.