Baby boomers - what books did you read when you were a nipper ?

[guest373]

Secret 7 xmas present each yr, Rupert Annual ditto, comics I remember Eagle, Beezer.

[javlinfaw7]

Any one remember the range of books aimed at kids that had all the classic titles such as those above,others i recall  were   robinson crusoe  and around the world in 80 days,they were hard backed and had a list of other available titles on the back cover?

Blackies  were a range that I remember but there were others.

[The Q]

Arthur Ransome of course, that's why I now live in Norfolk, and sail at Horning within sight of Horning Staithe mentioned in Coot Club and The Big Six.

That was followed mostly by Issac Asimov, , robert Heinlein etc.
Though most of the books  I read were factual, such as paleolithic history, . I used to read a dozen books a week from the school and village library.

Even today I read two or three books a week. Mostly history, railways, and related subjects. I've just finished a book on the first half dozen Caesars , I'm now re reading highland railway locomotives part 1, to be followed by a book by a survivor of the Burma Death railway.

[zopadooper]

Practically every word written by Enid Blyton including all the Famous 5, Secret 7,
Never into William or Biggles.


Other than that I read Black Beauty and Adventures of Robin hood so many times that I still know them off by heart.

I can remember going to see Robin Hood at the cinema and was devastated that it wasn't Richard Green playing the great man.

[Invicta Alec]

Rupert books for me as a very young nipper.

Just looked on eBay and a bloke is trying to sell his collection of Rupert books. He wants £3500 for them!!

Should have kept mine! 

Alec.

[themadhippy]

Blackies

That would make sense as they were a regular birthday/chrismas present from my grand parents,along with a broons or oor wullie album

[joe cassidy]

Rupert - with the magic painting pages

[Stuart Down Under]

Biggles and Just William, then on to Asimov and Heinlein, followed by Herbert's Dune Trilogy as they were released. The Eagle was the only worthwhile comic, and always a Broons and Oor Wullie album every Christmas! I have a great book of Eagles cutaways (published in 1988) to remind me of the joy of pouring over them every week. It includes Silver Link, Coronation Scot and Battle of Britain class "Fighter Pilot". And Flange Squealer is quite right about Railway Modeller of course, creating the inspiration that seems to linger today....

[Bealman]

....and not forgetting Railway Modeller mags dating back to April 1957!!!



I took these photos today.... I'm still reading 'em! 

[cycletrak9]

Most of the early stuff mentioned above plus "Tom Browns Schooldays", "The Fifth form at St Dominics", "Coral Island" "Treasure Island".

Like Joe Cassidy I was a great library fan. Enrolled in the Ashburton Park [Addiscombe] junior library aged around six and have been a library member ever since.

[trkilliman]

The only fiction I have ever read is the Famous Five as a kid.

My Dad would try to get me to read classics like Moby Dick, Call of the wild, even Dickens stuff.
He enrolled me to the local library when I was 5 years old, which I am eternally grateful for, but I made a bee line for... the railway books!

Fiction never really floated my boat then, as now. I much prefer to read factual stuff rather than the jottings of somebody else's imagination. It's just me, and I'm sure there are some fantastic reads out there, enjoyed by countless millions.

[Trainfish]

I'm with the hippy on this one in that this thread is very ageist. Therefore as I don't yet fit into the over 60's category I'm not going to tell you what I read. Apart from, like the hippy again, Mayfair 

[Bob Tidbury]

I learnt to read with the Janet and John books and we still have some original ones which we use for our grandchildren now.
I read all the Enid Blyton books ,Biggles ,Just William and of course Rupert .
My Mum actually helped me to learn and I could read even before I went to school ,we had a a male teacher whos name escapes me but I remember him saying `TIDBURY  GET THE JANET AND JOHN BOOKS OUT   Ime going out to smoke my pipe so I helped all my class of about 15 kids while he went  out to smoke his pipe and read the paper .
Bob Tidbury

[joe cassidy]

We started reading at school with Janet & John, then moved on to a series of books featuring a gang of pirates.  Can't remember the name ?

[woodbury22uk]

My uncle used to slip me a copy of "Reveille". :-)

I much preferred factual content to fiction, so the Dumpy book of Motors and Road Transport was right up my street.