Four years after Penguin Books had been
founded by Sir Allen Lane,
the idea for Puffin Books was hatched in 1939 when Noel Carrington, at the time an editor for Country
Life books, met him and proposed a series of children's non-fiction
picture books, inspired by the brightly coloured lithographed books
mass-produced at the time for Soviet children. Lane saw the potential, and the
first of the picture book series were published the following year. The name
"Puffin" was a natural companion to the existing "Penguin"
and "Pelican" books. Many continued to be reprinted right into the
1970s. A fiction list soon followed, when Puffin secured the paperback rights
to Barbara Euphan Todd’s 1936 story Worzel
Gummidge and brought it out as the first Puffin story book in 1941.
Many well-known illustrators and artists illustrated
covers for Puffins - Charles Tunniliffe, Ronald Searle, and Edward Ardizzone
amongst others.
This is part 1 of a 3 - part post on Puffin Books:
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| 1940 Puffin Picture Book No. 1 War on Land illustrated by James Holland |
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| 1940 Puffin Picture Book No. 2 War at Sea illustrated by James Holland |
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| 1940 Puffin Picture Book No. 3 War in the Air illustrated by James Gardner |
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| 1940 Puffin Picture Book No. 4 On the Farm illustrated by James Gardner |
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| 1941 Puffin Picture Book No. 6 Flowers of Field and Hedgerow and their Garden Cousins illustrated by Marion Rivers-Moore |
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| 1941 Puffin Picture Book A Book of Trains illustrated by F.E. Courtney |
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| 1941 Puffin Picture Book No. 8 Great Deeds of the War illustrated by Roland Davies |
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| 1941 Puffin Story Book Worzel Gummidge "The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook" illustrated by Elizabeth Alldridge |
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| 1942 Puffin Picture Book No. 16 Village and Town illustrated by S. R. Badman |
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| 1942 Puffin Picture Book No. 16 Village and Town illustrated by S. R. Badman |
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| 1942 Puffin Picture Book No.26 Orlando's Home Life illustrated by Kathleen Hale |
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| 1943 Puffin Picture Books No.30 Pantomime Stories illustrated by Hilary Stebbing |
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| 1944 ( published 1946 ) Palaces on Monday cover by Arthur H. Hall |
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| 1944 Gay-neck cover by Arthur H. Hall |
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| 1944 My Friend Mr. Leakey cover by John Harwood |
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| 1944 Puffin Picture Book No. 14 Orlando's Evening Out illustrated by Kathleen Hale |
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| 1944 Puffin Picture Book No. 37 A History of the Countryside by Margaret and Alexander Potter front cover |
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| 1944 Puffin Picture Book No. 37 A History of the Countryside by Margaret and Alexander Potter back cover |
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| 1945 Jehan of the Ready Fists cover by Arthur H. Hall |
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| 1945 Puffin Picture Books No.12 A Book of Rigmaroles or Jingle Rhymes illustrated by Enid Marx |
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| 1945 Puffin Picture Books No.40 Make Your Own Zoo, Part One illustrated by Trix front cover |
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| 1945 Puffin Picture Books No.40 Make Your Own Zoo, Part One illustrated by Trix back cover |
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| 1946 ( published 1947 ) The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawn illustrated by W. Heath Robinson front cover |
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| 1946 ( published 1947 ) The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawn illustrated by W. Heath Robinson back cover |
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| 1946 David Goes to Zululand cover by Gwen White |
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| 1946 Kidnapped cover by Lake |
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| 1946 North After Seals |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Book No.38 About a Motor Car illustrated by Phyllis Ladyman front cover |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Book No.38 About a Motor Car illustrated by Phyllis Ladyman back cover |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Book No.58 The Story of Plant Life illustrated by Isabel Alexander |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton front cover |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton back cover |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
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| 1946 Puffin Picture Books The Tale of Noah and the Flood illustrated by Clarke Hutton |
