Unexpected Archive Delights : 1920s Children’s Book Adverts

I am constantly surprised by archives. I know that’s an incredibly strange thing to say and one that sounds even stranger when you are supposed to know what you are looking at, but it’s true. I am surprised by archives; the way they give me something that I request that comes with a thousand other delightful things. Much of this is the nature of research itself, that need to pursue one thread of thought whilst ignoring the others that tug at your senses – but sometimes, it’s nice to look at those other things. And so I did and I do, because they tell you everything. They tell you about the texture of that thing you’re looking at. They tell you about the readers, about the writers – everything, really. It’s all clues towards understanding the thing that you’re interested in.

And sometimes, they tell you about the books you have on your shelves, even now.

Here’s some rather lovely adverts for then-new publications from WR Chambers, a firm of publishers based in Scotland. They are a publisher that may be well familiar to a lot of you. These adverts and book reviews come from the Life Of Faith – a weekly religious newspaper that covered ‘spiritual life’. It cost twopence and covered everything somebody involved in religion may wish to know – whether that’s the details of the nearest service, or what books to buy the younger members of their family. There were many other adverts from Chambers but I picked out the ones with the most notable titles and authors.

First up is this lovely advert from November, 1927. I particularly enjoyed the strapline underneath THE SEVEN SCAMPS (did the copywriter give up at this point, we wonder?). I’m also very fond of the title to Josephine Elder’s latest…

Now it’s time for November, 1930, and a slightly longer write up of the new titles (two pictures). The Life of Faith featured books regularly but children’s books only seemed to creep into these end of year round ups. It’s interesting that they did! It tells you a lot about who the reader of the Life Of Faith was – that they had enough disposable income to buy books as (presumably) Christmas gifts, and that they cared about “good, healthy stories”. I think my favourite here is again the rather “I’ve given up and gone home for tea” description of the Chalet School books…

And now, an advert from 1927. It’s the prices that are the most interesting here I think – look at that distinction between “new books” and “cheap editions”. There’s also a story here in how Eustacia Goes To The Chalet School is listed under the ‘New Books For Boys And Girls’ section.

I was also very much delighted to find connections to another popular girlsown author. Here’s an advert from the Life Of Faith in 1916 and in the top right hand corner is a poem. Have a look at the author. Do you recognise that surname? (It’s Elsie Oxenham’s dad…).

And now for something completely different. Let’s end with a look at a Bovril advert in 1927, and a marketing department that’s decided “go big or go home”.

(Amazing, right?).