I've been fascinated lately by this long running annual.Does any one own one?
It seems to cover a long time range,at least about eighty years from what I can gather.
The latter editions seem to have been published by Deans.I don't know if there is any Enid Blyton connection to this long lasting volume?
Publishers: WELLS GARDNER / DARTON & CO / DEAN
Dates: 1886-1955
Chatterbox children's papers were issues in weekly or monthly parts between 1886 and 1955. There is some collector interest in the annuals and they show up on auction sites and catalogues from time to time.
These are nice annuals! On the seldom occasions they show up on eBay UK, it seems a shame that they fetch about a tenner or twenty quid in quite nice condition and that's it.
Thanks for your welcome.
I didn't inherit many books from my mother but three annuals (all from the 1920s) stand out. 'The Prize'. 'Everyday' and 'Chatterbox'. Each had a book-length illustrated serial running through it which I read and re-read avidly. 'The Prize' had a serial set in Australia, 'Everyday' had one about English children in Mexico 'The Ogre of Orizaba' (good title) and 'Chatterbox' had a serial called 'The Dim Red Dawn' prefaced by an explanation as to why these prehistorics all spoke intelligible English. So when I became a book dealer I kept a look-out for these old annuals and I acquired quite a shelf. It helped that no one else seemed interested as, if there had been a strong demand, I would have sold the lot. One rule I learnt quickly was not to let sentiment get in the way of a good sale. I couldn't afford to. (I even sold my complete set of 'Adventure' books in dust-jackets, too, on the grounds that I would replace them, and I did.)
In each annual was plenty of other reading. 'The Prize' featured a bevy of King Arthur's knights and 'Everyday' (called 'Sunday' originally and weighted with stories from the Good Book) and Chatterbox provided my first historical introduction to English literature in 'Stories of Famous Books' and 'My Diary' respectively, an interest which has never left me. All three were annuals which, as you pointed out, lasted for decades, yet today are virtually unknown. It would be interesting to hear from other readers about similar 'forgotten' children's books which are in fact remembered affectionately.
Just dug around and found a Chatterbox annual from 1915. Over 400 pages and lavishly illustrated.
Also found early Rupert and Teddy Tail stories which my ancestors had cut out of the newspaper each morning and glued into exercise books. I expect quite a few did that.