Most Observer’s Books are worth a few pounds each. The exceptions are early editions from the late 1930s and 1940s in their dust jackets, the wartime Airplanes, and the small run of titles printed from 1980 to 1982, which can sell for £100 or more, while a 1937 Birds in its jacket can reach hundreds.
I know this because I’ve spent today on the sitting room floor surrounded by small, brightly coloured hardbacks, holding each one up to the window and squinting at the back of the title page like a jeweller with a loupe. Winston (the cat) supervised, which meant sitting on Sea Fishes, then on British Ferns, then on the exact page I needed to read.
I bought a job lot of them recently and did what any colour obsessed dealer would do. I took every dust jacket off on day one, put a few straight in the recycling, and started tying the books into bundles by colour. Only then did it occur to me to check whether any of them were worth more than a fiver. Cue a crash course in dust jackets, printer’s codes and wartime paper.
What are Observer’s Books?
Observer’s Books are pocket guides published by Frederick Warne, the firm behind Beatrix Potter, from 1937 into the early 1980s. There are around a hundred titles, each roughly 14.5 x 9.5cm, with its series number at the foot of the spine so collectors can keep track.
The first two were Birds and Wild Flowers in 1937, and by 1941 there were six. In 1942 Warne brought out an unnumbered guide called Airplanes, spelt the American way, so people could identify whatever was flying over their roofs. After the war came the spotter’s favourites, Aircraft, Automobiles and Railway Locomotives, updated almost every year and swapped in playgrounds all over the country.
Then the series wandered off. Wild flowers led, somehow, to Kitchen Antiques, Firearms, Jazz and Sewing, which is the British hobbyist in a nutshell. Opera, number 98, was the last numbered title Warne published, in 1982. Penguin bought the company the following year, and in 1999 the Observer’s Book of Observer’s Books arrived as number 99.
How can you tell if an Observer’s Book is a first edition?
Open it to the back of the title page. A first edition shows one date and nothing else, while later printings list their reprints and revisions underneath. You can narrow it down from the outside first, though:
- The jacket. Plain paper jackets with a band of wavy lines along the top were used until 1969. From 1970 they had a glossy coating, and by the late 1970s the cover was laminated straight onto the boards. Paper jacket, older book.
- The word British. Many early titles began as British Birds, British Wild Flowers or Larger British Moths, and Warne later dropped the word. If it’s on the spine, you’re holding an earlier printing. The exception is British Awards and Medals, which was always called that.
- The copyright page. My copy of Patrick Moore’s Astronomy lists 1962, then revised editions in 1965, 1967 and 1971. It has had almost as many careers as I have.
- The printer’s code. On the very last page there’s often a tiny number such as 578.649. The final digits give the month and year of printing, so that one reads June 1949. I found it in my British Wild Flowers and was thrilled for about four seconds, until I remembered the first edition came out in 1937.
- The list of titles. Most books print a list of the series so far. The newest title on that list tells you the earliest the book could have been printed.
My favourite find of the week was a Fly Fishing with nothing on its copyright page but 1977. No reprints, no revisions, just a first edition tucked into a bundle of four.
Which Observer’s Books are the most valuable?
The money sits in three places: very early editions, the wartime Airplanes, and the last few titles Warne published from 1980 to 1982. Everything else is lovely, but only worth a few pounds.
| Title | Date | Why collectors want it |
|---|---|---|
| Birds (British Birds) | 1937 | The first title; a first in its jacket can reach hundreds of pounds |
| Wild Flowers | 1937 | The other first title, not far behind Birds |
| Airplanes | 1942, 1943, 1945 | Made to be used in a hurry in wartime, so few survived |
| World Atlas (no. 91) and Paris | Early 1980s | Recalled and pulped; survivors sell for up to around £100 |
| Silver, Victoriana, Canals, Opera | 1980 to 1982 | Small print runs as the series lost popularity |
| Basic Aircraft Civil | 1967 | Never reprinted, so every copy is a first |
| Fly Fishing, Manned Spaceflight, British Awards and Medals | Various | Wanted by anglers, space fans and medal collectors as well |
The World Atlas and Paris story is my favourite. Nothing makes a book desirable quite like a publisher trying to get rid of it.
And now for the less thrilling bit; the 1970s Aircraft that lived on your uncle’s bookshelf is probably worth about the price of a coffee. I happen to think that’s good news, because it makes them one of the cheapest ways to bring colour and a bit of history into a room.
Does a dust jacket make a difference?
Yes, often more than the book itself. A good original jacket can easily double the value of an early Observer’s Book, because the old paper ones tore, stained and went in the bin long before anyone thought to collect them.
Collectors check whether the jacket is unclipped, with the original price still on the flap, whether the spine is complete top and bottom, and whether the list of titles on the flap matches the date of the book inside. There are hundreds of jacket variations across the series, and some people collect nothing else.
As I mentioned earlier, a few of mine went in the recycling before I’d looked at them properly, which is how I came to write this section. Two of the survivors were rather nice: British Ferns in an early pictorial jacket from around 1951, unclipped at five shillings, and Freshwater Fishes in a 1960s jacket painted with three river fish. Neither was a fortune, so my bundles all stayed jacketless and let the bindings do the talking. If yours still have their jackets, check them before you do anything rash like me!
Condition matters inside too. Ink on the page edges, a previous owner’s name in pencil, a little foxing: none of it stops a book looking beautiful on a shelf, but it does bring the collector price down.
How should you style Observer’s Books at home?
Group them by colour in stacks and let the spines do the work. Warne bound them in everything from apple green to raspberry, so a short stack looks like a striped ribbon on a shelf.
I tie mine in fours with baker’s twine and choose each set as much for its colours as its titles, aiming for something a little unexpected, like a Paul Smith stripe. Then I pair them by mood. Ships, Sea Fishes and Astronomy look wonderful under a big shell on a bathroom shelf. Horses and Ponies with Show Jumping is a ready made present for anyone who was pony mad at nine. Cricket, Weather and Cathedrals together are so English they practically come with a flask of tea.
A few more ideas:
- Lay a stack flat as a little plinth for a candlestick or a small plant.
- Stand a row upright between two pebbles on a windowsill.
- Match the subject to the room, so Garden Flowers in the garden room and Furniture in the hall.
- Give a themed set as a birthday present. They cost less than a bottle of wine and last considerably longer.
Winston, for the record, prefers them stacked on their side at chin height on the sofa.
So, should you check your own Observer’s Books?
Yes, and it takes seconds to check a book. Look for British on the spine, open to the back of the title page, find the printer’s code on the last page, and keep any jacket until you know what it is. Then, whatever the verdict, put them somewhere you can see them. They were made to be picked up, read and enjoyed.
Every bundle in our Observer’s Books collection is chosen for its colours as much as its titles, tied with twine and ready to go straight onto a shelf or into a gift bag.
Frequently asked questions
How much are Observer’s Books worth?
Most Observer's Books are worth a few pounds each. Early editions from the late 1930s and 1940s in their dust jackets, the wartime Airplanes, and the small run of titles printed from 1980 to 1982 are worth much more, with a 1937 first edition of Birds in its jacket reaching hundreds of pounds.
What are Observer’s Books?
Observer's Books are pocket guides published by Frederick Warne from 1937, covering around a hundred subjects from birds and wild flowers to aircraft, sewing and opera. Each carries its series number at the foot of the spine. The last numbered Warne title was Opera, number 98, in 1982.
How can you tell if an Observer’s Book is a first edition?
Check the back of the title page. A first edition shows a single date with no reprint or revised lines. The printer's code on the last page gives the month and year of printing, and the word British in early titles points to an earlier printing.
Which Observer’s Books are the most valuable?
The most valuable are early editions from 1937 to the 1940s in their jackets, the wartime Airplanes, and the laminated titles published from 1980 to 1982, especially World Atlas and Paris, which were recalled and pulped. Basic Aircraft Civil from 1967 was never reprinted, so every copy is a first edition.
Does a dust jacket make an Observer’s Book more valuable?
Yes. An original unclipped jacket can easily double the value of an early Observer's Book, because the paper jackets were fragile and few survive in good condition.
How should you style Observer’s Books at home?
Group them by colour in small stacks of three to five, tie them with twine, and use them on shelves, windowsills or as a plinth for a candlestick. Themed sets also make easy gifts.
Have a browse through the books collection here and find the stripe that suits your room.
Until next time,
Anna x
Founder of The Blue Loft
