Ladybird Books

Did you know that the famous Ladybird Books for children started publication in August 1914?

The company originated in 1867 when Henry Wills began publishing assorted street directories and travel guidebooks in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The arrival of his publishing partner William Hepworth in 1904 gave the company a new name, Wills & Hepworth, and a new direction.

The pair began publishing illustrated books for children in August 1914 under their new imprint ‘Ladybird’. These books were originally designed as an activity to keep their presses running in between larger contracts. The first stories to appear in this new line were Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales by E. Talbot, and Tiny Tots Travels by M. Burridge.

The format and logo for Ladybird Books has changed dramatically since those opening publications. The original logo was of a flying ladybird before, in the 1950s it was adapted to the more common closed-winged ladybird. The pocket sized hardback format first emerged in the 1940s and has remained a key feature since then.

Since its origination the Ladybird Books collection has branched out into thousands of different stories and collections including fairy tales, nature, and history. Many of these editions are highly prized by collectors and fans. All of it tracing its roots back to a small publishers in Loughborough at the very start of the First World War.