King Alfred the Great, 1956, Series 561 (Later style cover)

King Alfred was the first title in the 561 series, colourfully written by L du Garde Peach and illustrated by John Kenney.  Early editions (before 1965) were issued with a dustwrapper.

In this colourful telling of the life and times of Alfred, writer L du Garde Peach and artist John Kenney set the tone for the beautiful series of history books (the longest series that Ladybird ever produced) that was to follow.  It was a first-class collaboration between the two men, ended only by the ill-health of both in the 1970s.

If you ever get a chance to see the original artwork of this book, do.  It’s massive – much bigger than most Ladybird artwork –  and really packs a punch.

This copy:

This copy is the original version but the covers have been changed to match the styling of books published in the later 1970s.  There’s a small, brown mark towards the top of the cover and some white flecks towards the bottom (see photos) but otherwise the book is in very nice condition inside and out with little wear and nice, clean pages.  Inside the book is the same version as that first published in 1956 – it stayed in print for many years.  This copy dates to the 1970s and has the original price of 30p on the back.