Collecting Vintage Observer’s Books
Are you starting a collection of vintage Observer’s Books, or hoping to find out more about the Observer’s that you already own? Since their earliest publication in 1937 Observer’s Books have been very collectible, with some titles being much easier to find than others. The attraction of Observer’s Books has always been that they are full of information, cheap (even today), and they have beautiful illustrations on good quality paper. However, their biggest attraction when they were first published seems to have been that they were pocket-sized and focused on what people could see for themselves when out and about. Today, many people collect them for their colourful covers and the challenge of collecting the complete series.
A complete list of Observer’s Books titles
The earlier Observer’s Books titles in the series have coloured linen boards, while the later versions have coloured textured boards. The early editions had paper dust covers which had a wavy pattern on the edges until 1969, but as these were easy to tear or stain the covers were given glossy coatings from 1970. From the late 1970s the covers were laminated, so the coloured boards and spines of the earlier editions were lost.
The early titles in The Observer’s Pocket Series (1937 to 1966)
In order of publication, the following titles were issued (the full title of each book is The Observer’s Book of … which I have abbreviated to the subject):
- British Birds – 1937
- British Wild Flowers – 1937
- British Butterflies – 1938
- Trees and Shrubs of the British Isles – 1938
- British Wild Animals – 1938
- Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles – 1941
- British Grasses, Sedges and Rushes – 1942
- Airplanes – 1942
- Dogs – 1945
- Horses and Ponies – 1949
- British Geology – 1949
- Aircraft – 1949
- British Ferns – 1950
- British Architecture – 1951
- Larger British Moths – 1952
- Ships – 1952
- Music – 1953
- Common British Insects & Spiders – 1953
- British Birds’ Eggs – 1954
- Common Fungi – 1954
- Mosses & Liverworts – 1955
- Automobiles – 1955
- Weather – 1955
- Railway Locomotives of Britain – 1955
- Pond Life – 1956
- Garden Flowers – 1957
- Painting and Graphic Art – 1958
- Cacti and other Succulents – 1958
- Sea Fishes – 1958
- Flags – 1959
- Cats – 1959
- Sea and Seashore – 1962
- Astronomy – 1962
- Lichens – 1963
- Modern Art – 1964
- Furniture – 1964
- Old English Churches – 1965
- Sculpture – 1966
- Basic Aircraft – Civil – 1967
- Basic Aircraft – Military – 1967
- Commercial Vehicles – 1966
- Heraldry – 1966
The later titles in The Observer’s Pocket Series (1967 to 1979)
In order of publication, the following later titles were issued:
- Postage Stamps – 1967
- Cathedrals – 1972
- Flowering Trees & Shrubs for Gardens – 1972
- Zoo Animals – 1972
- House Plants – 1972
- Association Football – 1972
- Manned Spaceflight – 1972
- Cricket – 1973
- London – 1973
- Pottery and Porcelain – 1973
- Unmanned Spaceflight – 1974
- Motor Sport – 1975
- European Costume – 1975
- British Awards and Medals – 1974
- Ancient and Roman Britain – 1976
- Sewing -1975
- Golf – 1975
- Coarse Fishing – 1976
- Show Jumping and Eventing – 1976
- Motorcycles – 1976
- Glass – 1976
- Tourist Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland – 1976
- Small Craft – 1976
- Tropical Fishes – 1976
- Farm Animals – 1976
- Vegetables – 1977
- Fly Fishing – 1977
- Coins – 1977
- Seashells of the British Isles – 1977
- Fossils – 1977
- Pets – 1978
- The Cotswolds and Shakespeare Country – 1978
- The Lake District – 1978
- Firearms – 1978
- Jazz – 1978
- Big Bands – 1978
- Castles – 1979
- Caterpillars – 1979
The last titles in The Observer’s Pocket Series (1979 to 1982)
These last few titles were only published with laminated covers. They are:
- Rocks and Minerals – 1979
- Tennis – 1981
- Sea Fishing – 1980
- Devon and Cornwall – 1980
- Roses – 1980
- Herbs – 1980
- Folk Song in Britain – 1980
- Silver – 1980
- Tanks and other armoured vehicles – 1981
- Victoriana – 1981
- World Atlas – 1981
- Vintage Cars and pre-war classics – 1982
- Classic Cars after 1945 – 1982
- Paris – 1982
- Canals – 1982
- Gardens – 1982
- Kitchen Antiques – 1982
- Opera – 1982
Are any titles in the Observer’s Book series particularly valuable?
It is still possible to collect vintage Observer’s Books quite cheaply. Most titles were printed in large numbers, but early copies of Birds, Wild Flowers and Freshwater Fishes in good condition are hard to find. Early copies of Airplanes by Joseph Lawrence (1942, 1943 and 1945) are also hard to locate, along with the 1949 edition of Aircraft by the same author. Collectible copies of early editions of Automobiles are also hard to find. Titles first published from 1980 onwards (those only published with laminated covers) were printed in relatively small numbers, so have become scarce. Any titles or editions that are hard to find are generally worth more, but unless they are very early editions from the 1930s, they tend to be worth only up to £25 or £30.
