The Paddington Books
The very first Paddington book was "A Bear Called Paddington" which was published in the UK by William Collins (now Harper Collins) in 1958. Illustrated with pen and ink drawings by Peggy Fortnum, this title is a novel in eight chapters and is still available today. There are eleven further titles in this series, the most recent of which was published in 2008, exactly fifty years after the very first book. These are the stories which tell most of Paddington's adventures.
With the first year of publication, they are as follows:
By clicking on the titles you can read a brief synopsis of each of the stories.
In 1972 the first picture books for younger readers were published. These were illustrated by Fred Banbery and there were six titles in the series.
In the 1980's another series of picture books were introduced. These books were a smaller format and were illustrated by David McKee.
The most recent Paddington picture books to be published are those which have been beautifully illustrated by the American artist, R.W. Alley and, in addition to recent brand new titles, he has also re-illustrated many of the earlier picture books.
With the inclusion of a large number of acitivity and board books for very young children, in total there have been over 150 different Paddington books published since 1958. However,from a collector's point of view, the most valuable are the first editions of the original novels.
With the first year of publication, they are as follows:
- A Bear Called Paddington
- More About Paddington 1959
- Paddington Helps Out 1960
- Paddington Abroad 1961
- Paddington at Large 1962
- Paddington Marches On 1964
- Paddington at Work 1966
- Paddington Goes to Town 1968
- Paddington Takes the Air 1970
- Paddington on Top 1974
- Paddington Takes the Test 1979
- Paddington: Here and Now 2008
By clicking on the titles you can read a brief synopsis of each of the stories.
In 1972 the first picture books for younger readers were published. These were illustrated by Fred Banbery and there were six titles in the series.
In the 1980's another series of picture books were introduced. These books were a smaller format and were illustrated by David McKee.
The most recent Paddington picture books to be published are those which have been beautifully illustrated by the American artist, R.W. Alley and, in addition to recent brand new titles, he has also re-illustrated many of the earlier picture books.
With the inclusion of a large number of acitivity and board books for very young children, in total there have been over 150 different Paddington books published since 1958. However,from a collector's point of view, the most valuable are the first editions of the original novels.