• A styled tabletop scene with a clear glass bottle vase holding dried eucalyptus stems, three slim books standing upright with colorful spines, a stack of aged papers and envelopes tied with twine, a white textured shell or decorative object, and a small white conical shell on a light surface against a plain wall.
  • A stack of five hardcover books tied with twine, placed on a white surface with decorative props including a glass bottle, dried leaves, and a white cone-shaped object. The book spines read GLASS, UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT, SCULPTURE, GOLF, and WARINE.
  • Four decorative book spines tied together with twine, standing upright on a white surface beside a glass bottle, a crochet bag, and a framed print. The spines are colored red, off-white, light blue, and dark navy, with text reading GOLF, SCULPTURE, UNMANNED SHAPELIGHT, and GLASS.
  • A stack of four hardcover books tied with white string, featuring navy, blue, light blue, and red covers, styled on a white wooden surface with a glass bottle and vintage papers in the background.
  • Four small hardcover books tied together with twine, standing upright on a white surface. The spines are red, cream, light blue, and dark blue, with white text reading &
  • A stack of four hardcover books tied with twine sits on a white surface. The spines read GLASS, UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT, SCULPTURE, and GOLF, with WARNE visible on the right side of the spines.
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The Blue Loft

Vintage Observer's Books Golf, Sculpture, Spaceflight and Glass Set in Red, Cream and Blue

£18.00
£18.00
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Golf, sculpture, space probes and glass: not a combination you would find on many reading lists, but on a shelf these four vintage Observer's Pocket Books look as though they were always meant to sit together. Pillar box red, soft cream, sky blue and deep navy, with the white series numbers and Warne imprint still crisp at the foot of each spine (58, 37, 52 and 62).

By the 1970s Frederick Warne's pocket series had travelled a long way from its 1937 beginnings with Birds. Unmanned Spaceflight arrived in 1974, written at the height of the space race, when probes were reaching Mars and Venus and mission names were playground knowledge. Golf followed in 1975 and Glass in 1976. Sculpture belongs to the series' turn towards the arts, guiding readers through styles and makers in the same compact format once used for wild flowers and locomotives. Together they make a neat portrait of how wide the Observer's world became.

Each book measures roughly 14.5 x 9.5cm (5.75 x 3.75 inches). Stand them upright between a pair of shells or a heavy glass bottle, lay them flat as a small plinth for a candlestick, or slip them onto a bookcase where the red and navy will pick up any blue and white china nearby. They would also suit a study or reading corner with a slightly nautical feel.

The books are hardbacks in their original boards, without dust jackets. There is some wear to edges and corners and light fading to the spines, in keeping with their age, and the pages are clean and readable. The photos show them exactly as they are, so do take a good look.

A small set with a big range of subjects, ready for a shelf, a gift, or a collector slowly working towards all hundred titles.
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A styled tabletop scene with a clear glass bottle vase holding dried eucalyptus stems, three slim books standing upright with colorful spines, a stack of aged papers and envelopes tied with twine, a white textured shell or decorative object, and a small white conical shell on a light surface against a plain wall.
A stack of five hardcover books tied with twine, placed on a white surface with decorative props including a glass bottle, dried leaves, and a white cone-shaped object. The book spines read GLASS, UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT, SCULPTURE, GOLF, and WARINE.
Four decorative book spines tied together with twine, standing upright on a white surface beside a glass bottle, a crochet bag, and a framed print. The spines are colored red, off-white, light blue, and dark navy, with text reading GOLF, SCULPTURE, UNMANNED SHAPELIGHT, and GLASS.
A stack of four hardcover books tied with white string, featuring navy, blue, light blue, and red covers, styled on a white wooden surface with a glass bottle and vintage papers in the background.
Four small hardcover books tied together with twine, standing upright on a white surface. The spines are red, cream, light blue, and dark blue, with white text reading &
A stack of four hardcover books tied with twine sits on a white surface. The spines read GLASS, UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT, SCULPTURE, and GOLF, with WARNE visible on the right side of the spines.