Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing imprint within the Penguin Group. Ladybird publishes mass-market children’s books and traces its origins to 1867, when Henry Wills opened a bookshop in Loughborough. Within ten years he had expanded into printing and publishing guidebooks and street directories. William Hepworth joined the business in 1904, after which the company became Wills & Hepworth.
In 1914, Wills & Hepworth published their first children’s books using the Ladybird logo. The classic Ladybird book measured 11.5 by 18 centimetres. Early titles used a standard 56-page format because a complete book could be printed on one large sheet of paper — a “quad crown” measuring 40 by 30 inches — which was then folded and cut to size with virtually no waste. This efficient production method helped keep costs low, allowing the books to be sold cheaply. For nearly thirty years, a Ladybird book retailed for two shillings and sixpence (12½ pence).
Comments
Post a Comment