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I suppose I was around 3 or 4 years of age when I first became aware of the Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories book in my bedroom. Well, I say 'my' bedroom, but I shared it with my brother. (It would be another 9 or 10 years before I finally got a room of my own.) I was always dimly aware of its presence in our first three houses, but it was allocated to the attic along with a pile of other stuff in our fourth house, and was there for years before I rediscovered it one day and moved it into my bedroom cupboard.
It was written by British-born Arthur S. Maxwell, a Seventh-day Adventist and published in the UK, and is one of a series that lasted for quite a few years. In fact, for all I know, they might still enjoy regular reprintings today. The stories, purporting to be true, are a bit twee, and looking at them now, they paint a picture of a vanished age - or at least the perception of an age which may never truly have existed except in the minds of a certain 'class'. I only just started reading the stories and am now around halfway through the book. They're reasonably well-written, though the children featured in them don't speak like any children I ever heard (far too keen to pray), not even when I was a nipper.
The book was hardly in pristine condition, with scuffs and scrapes to the boards, and part of the spine was missing in the middle, plus a little bit of the cover where the absent piece of the spine folded over. It may always have been like this, but it's hard to say with any certainty as I don't think either my brother or myself ever read it. If we ever picked it up out of boredom, we soon put it down again the moment we remembered it was a Sunday School-type book and therefore of no interest to us. We were both made to attend Sunday School (reluctantly), but I recall at least one occasion when me and a pal skived off and spent our 'collection' money on sweets. (Villains!) Where did the book come from? Jumble sale, church, a relative? Its source is lost to the mists of time, but it could've been 'secondhand' when we got it.
For many years, neither me nor my brother were allowed beyond the confines of our back garden on a Sunday (apart from visiting our grandparents along with mater and pater) as my mother was religiously-minded (Church of Scotland), though more from a superstitious perspective (it seemed to me) than an insightful or pious one. She believed people shouldn't exert themselves (as kids are prone to) on a Sunday as it was the 'day of rest', not realising that, to the Jews, the Sabbath was a Saturday and the admonition to 'rest' was only for them, not Gentiles. We were in our third house before she eventually relaxed a bit and we could get out to the field across the street to play for a while. I'm not sure exactly when - could've been when I was 7 or 8.
Anyway, digging through my cupboard the other day, I spied the book and decided to effect a repair job on it, to sort of make up for its many decades of neglect. I gave it a colour touch-up in places, just to make it look neater, and replaced the missing piece on the spine. I'm slightly colour-blind so can't swear to the efficacy of my work in that department, but the book is now more secure (a touch of glue in places along the spine sorted out any looseness), and is certainly much better in appearance than it was previously.
Look at the back cover below. One glance at that seal and I'm a child again, and the shape and dimensions of my room shift in my mind - first one room, then another, then back again, swirling through time and space like my own personal TARDIS. To be honest, in the natural course of events, had the book not been quarantined in the loft for decades, it would likely have been dispensed with long ago by my parents or brother for being surplus to requirements.
However, I'm glad it wasn't, as it goes all the way back to my earliest days, and to be without it would be like being without some old friend from childhood who I never quite realised meant so much to me 'til I set eyes on them again after a long period, and was reminded of how far back we went before I cruelly and selfishly forgot about them on my day-to-day sojourn through life. It's ironic to think that had Uncle Arthur still been alive, he'd probably have turned that into a quaint little morality tale for one of his books.
Any of you Crivvies own any books that you've had from infancy? Spill the Heinz 57 in our ever-lovin' comments section.
I remember my mum used to make sure she did any clothes washing on the Saturday so as not to hang it out to dry on a Sunday as that was a "no no" back in the day. My mum was religious in that she believed in God etc but thought it was a nonsese and as you say, it was mostly to avoid negative reactions from neighbours. My gran ( who was religious) wouldn't even cook or listen to radio or TV before she went to church or until about 5pm on the Sunday for some mad reason.I don't have any childhood books at all and I can't really recall many specific books ( other than general titles of Noddy, Ladybird books , a Noggin the nog book, Biggles etc) I had as a child (not counting comic annuals etc). I would however love to see an old book that triggered a memory
ReplyDeleteIt was a different age back then, eh, McS? I wonder how the youths of today would react to the 'traditions' of back then? As for a book that triggered a memory, what about your Wham! Annual?
ReplyDeleteYeah they certainly do that but I was thinking of books like the one shown here by yourself I don't have any of these and can't recall many at all. The earliest comic and books I have are from when I was about ten years old and I only have about 15/20 of these and I have nothing I have held onto since infancy. My Whams etc I repurchased mostly in my twenties. Sadly I got rid of the vast majority of my childhood comics replacing them with the comics and books of the (then) day.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for you, McS, seeing as how you're of a similar age to me. Do you remember Dick & Dora? It was a reading book that pupils in my first primary school were each given a copy of, presumably to help or encourage us to read in class. When I moved to another primary school less than two years later, Dick & Dora weren't part of the equation. Ring any bells with you?
ReplyDeleteThe names are familiar Kid . I looked them up and the art certainly looks like something we had in early primary. I can't recall any primary books at all from the first few year . I only have a memory of some exercise books (Essentials of English ) and the Black Beauty and Robinson Crusoe reader books when when we were about 10 years old. Prior to that my recollection of these things are pretty blank.
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me to Google the names, and if it had, I'd have been worried about what might pop up after typing in the word 'Dick' - so well done for doing what I'd have been too scared to do, McS. As for having a blank memory, serves you right for being a Buckie drinker from the age of 5. (To indulge in a completely unjustified Scottish stereotype.)
ReplyDeleteStill have many of my old books and passed them on to my son! Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss. Go Dog Go.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he'll pass them on to his, eh, PS?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you remembered the first comic you actually bought (as opposed to your mum or dad etc buying for you) and /or the book /comic that resulted in your love of comics. Its something I have always wondered about for myself. I have a memory of a compilation book of kids stories that had text and picture stories including a Ken Reid Fudge the elf strip in it, but I have no idea of the actual book. Comic wise I also not 100% but working on it for my own influences.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a good question. It would've been either TV Comic or TV21. I have memories of buying an issue of TV Comic from my local newsagent's when I was around 5 or 6, but something about it freaked me out (hard to explain - just something I took a dislike to), so I took it back to the shop and asked for my money back, then bought sweets. (A little toy train with sweets inside.) I'm not sure whether that happened before TV21 came out, but that's the impression I have. If I'm misremembering the sequence, it would've been TV21 #3.
ReplyDeleteAs for books, Dick & Dora is the earliest one I remember, but, of course, that was a school book, not one I bought. That's a tough one. I may well remember differently as my brain warms up through the day, but the first book I remember buying was as a teenager, and it was a paperback of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, with photos from the movie starring Fiona Fullerton. I'd read loads of books before then, mostly from the library, but that's the first I can recall actually buying for myself. Still got my original copy too.
Strange you should say a comic freaked you out. I remember feeling very “uncomfortable” seeing Ken Reid's “Frankie Stein” strip in Wham! the first time I saw it (and then his work on the “Nerves”). I also had a similar (but lesser) feeling about first seeing Ditko's early Spider-Man strip in POW! - soon after and till this very day though they have remained two of my all times favourite artist/creators. I think the first US comic I bought for myself was the Mighty Crusaders issue 4 (no idea really about the first UK comic as they were everywhere when we were kids and my mum and dad bought my brother and myself so many).
ReplyDeleteThere was no specific image I can recall about that issue of TV Comic, so perhaps I overstated the case. Maybe it was more just a sense of dissatisfaction with it - hard to say after all this time. I was never freaked out by Ken Reid's art, probably because I knew it was humorous and not to be taken seriously, and never had a problem with Steve Ditko's, though having said that, I was never a massive fan of Spidey back when he was in Pow!, much preferring the FF in Wham!.
ReplyDeleteI just realised you may have meant Annuals when you said books, and the first Annual that I remember buying for myself was the Thunder Annual for 1972. I had other earlier Annuals of course, but they'd have been bought for me by my parents.
I found Ken Reids art really freaky when I was about 5 or 6 years old in the Odhams books. Prior to that most kids art was cartoony and cute Kens were dark humour and weird (and very funny) - all his adults looked pretty mad and unkempt and always on the verge of a nervous breakdown - Brilliant stuff. I think the first Annual I bought myself was the 1967 Wham! annual when I was in my 20s - I never bought my own annuals (that I recall) as a kid as they were always presents. The first new annual I would have purchased would have been the first 2Best of Beano and Dandy" whenever that was.
ReplyDeleteI was in my mid-20s when I bought my first 'real' Action Man (which I've still got). Prior to that, it was either second-hand or imitation ones. Just thought I'd throw that in - but back to the books. The first Annual I remember being bought for me (which would make it the very first I ever had) was the TV Century 21 Annual for 1966. That Best of Beano/Dandy book was sometime back in the late '80s or early '90s I think. I've got it, but it's not at hand for me to check the date inside.
ReplyDeleteThe first comic annual I recall getting as a present was the 1966 Beezer annual (which of course came out in '65) I saw it recently on sale for £5 and scanned through it , it wasn't as "great" as I recall(and no I didn't purchase it). I was lucky enough to have several Action Man figures as a kid, although my first one was actually a GI Joe.
ReplyDeleteThat was because Palitoy couldn't meet the demand and imported G.I. Joes from Canada, then packaged them in Action Man boxes. Funnily enough, when Action Man was reintroduced around 1991 (I think), he was just a repackaged G.I. Joe, complete with G.I. Joe dog-tag. Funny how history repeats itself, eh?
ReplyDeleteI’m fairly certain the 90s Action Man wasn’t just GI Joe but I could be wrong. By this time GIJoe has ceased production of the large toys but restarted them as collectors pieces of military and ww2 figures at premium prices. I bought a few for my son to play with. I do recall seeing Action Man at the same time but! The only ones I saw were the James Bond ones and the faces were totally different. The GI Joe faces were standard soldier faces but James Bond was standard looking like Bond but not close enough to an actor to pay royalty faces.
ReplyDeleteSo I’m not sure they were the same figures. Could be with different heads. I don’t have an Action Man to compare it.
Hate to tell you, PS, but you ARE wrong. Hasbro acquired the rights to the name of Action Man and renamed a newly reintroduced U.S. version of G.I. Joe (bearing no resemblance to the original) for the U.K. around the early '90s. Duke was repackaged as Action Man, though he then evolved over a few years so that he was no longer Duke. Eventually, the Action Man brand was introduced in the U.S., though the original G.I. Joe (or something bearing a close resemblance) was also brought back for collectors. A company called Modellers Loft did the same thing with the original Action Man in Britain, though another company (Arts & Science) now has the license.
ReplyDeleteI've just remembered that I bought a paperback of The Wind In The Willows around '73, McS, which was before I got the Alice's Adventures In Wonderland book. Funny that I didn't remember that sooner. (Like two years ago.)
ReplyDelete