The Circus Comes to Town, 1957 (DJ, First Edition)

The Circus Comes To Town was the 10th book to be published in series 413 – the second series of Ladybird books ever produced.  The 413 series is quite a  random mixture of tales and rhymes – but all for pre-school children.  The best bit about the book are the wonderful John Kenney illustrations.  The book features two children who go to the circus.  That was a typical format for Ladybird at this stage – two children sharing a simple experience through pictures.  What’s notable about these two children is that they were called Peter and Jane.  Not THE Peter and Jane, who were later to star in their very own reading scheme – but  it would seem that the names lodged in the head of Douglas Keen.  Keen, in 1957, was the rising-star employee of Wills & Hepworth  – who would later go on to commission the Key Words reading scheme – the Peter and Jane books.

In common with all the books in series 401, the first edition of this book had 3 extra pages.  Later editions dropped these pages.

This copy has those 3 extra pages, a green line-drawing on the front, text that runs fron the bottom upwards and its original unclipped dustwrapper.  Therefore I believe it to be a first edition.

The DJ is in Good condition – worn at all edges and frayed head and foot of spine panel and corners with small nicks but no major problems.  The book externally is quite worn – unusual in a book that has been protected by a DJ.  The spine is worn and cracked but secure.  The cover is a little grubby; the pages clean but well-used.