Didn't realise these children's books were still being published.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ladybird-books-100-series-inspired-5335319

Along with a nationalist primary school teacher who regaled us with stirring stories of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, Ladybird books played a pivotal part in promoting my own interest in history as a lad. Included in the numerous titles I owned as a boy were William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Marco Polo, Henry V, Edward I, William the Conqueror, Captain Cook and Horatio Nelson.

According to the article (see link), one of the titles, 'Understanding Maps,' published in 1967, was even used to train young soldiers before going into battle in the Falklands in 1982!  I also believe they had a series of scientific books including one that gave children instructions for disassembling a battery to use the components for some electrical experiment! Health & Safety eat your heart out!

Does anyone else remember these books?

Ladybirds and I-Spy books were staples of my childhood.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 15 March 2015, 11:21:29 PM
Ladybirds and I-Spy books were staples of my childhood.

The only one I could not understands was "I-Spy Dinosaurs".  as if you were going to see a Tricerotops or Trex en route to the familly holiday in Devon !

Quote from: Ithoriel on 15 March 2015, 11:21:29 PM
Ladybirds and I-Spy books were staples of my childhood.

Ditto.

Now....Someone go and find the spoof Ladybird books...Especially the one about police/policemen....I'm pretty sure there's already a link to that, somewhere on the forum.
It makes I larf !
Cheers - Phil

Classic books from my childhood. I still have my Ladybird Senior books on British birds .

I particularly remember the titles Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great, and Captain Cook. Very influential when I was still in single figures, but as I moved into my teenage years I found all sorts of mistakes, particularly in the illustrations. One would hope that if they are still going those mistakes have been rectified.

I remember the "Richard the Lion Heart" book; used to read it again and again.

I-spy books were great too but I think I cheated on most of them

Quote from: Just a few Orcs on 16 March 2015, 02:58:24 AM
The only one I could not understands was "I-Spy Dinosaurs".  as if you were going to see a Tricerotops or Trex en route to the familly holiday in Devon !

I dunno - Nik's in the area.

IanS

I certainly remember the series as a kid, but not with any clarity. The concept of actually owning a book hadn't registered quite then.

The Ladybird book of computing was actually a set text for the computing part of my librarianship course. To be fair it was 1978 and we were about to be introduced to the acoustic coupler and the punched tape reader so familiarity with computers was not what it is now!

Quote from: Ithoriel on 16 March 2015, 12:26:44 PM
The Ladybird book of computing was actually a set text for the computing part of my librarianship course. To be fair it was 1978 and we were about to be introduced to the acoustic coupler and the punched tape reader so familiarity with computers was not what it is now!

Why do I think I'm watching bad 70's Sci-Fi?

"Quick, detach the acoustic coupler..."

An acoustic coupler was a way of connecting to a remote computer. You attached it to your computer, dialled the number of the remote computer and placed the handset of the phone in the cradle of the coupler. Not exactly broadband but it allowed us to access a computer in Palo Alto, California from Aberystwyth, Wales which was pretty sci-fi at the time!

Quote from: Ithoriel on 15 March 2015, 11:21:29 PM
Ladybirds and I-Spy books were staples of my childhood.

Ditto... you can still get the I-spy books, We got them for my daughter for Christmas.
I still have the Battle of the little big horn from Ladybird

Quote from: Ithoriel on 16 March 2015, 12:26:44 PM
The Ladybird book of computing was actually a set text for the computing part of my librarianship course. To be fair it was 1978 and we were about to be introduced to the acoustic coupler and the punched tape reader so familiarity with computers was not what it is now!

Apparently bought en-masse for Civil servants.  Not as silly as it sounds, I think it was the late 70s so no one really knew much outside the rather arcane brothership.  I think that is perfectly reasonable - when I did RPGs I would often go to a kids book first because they gave you a quick skim of the subject, with lots of pictures.  Far better than some of masturbatory books that many wargamers read ("Oh look, a photo of a belt buckle from the author's collection, how zzzzz......)