Vintage Observer's Books Aircraft, Freshwater Fishes, Architecture and Churches Set in Green, Red, Orange and Blue

Lime green, raspberry, pumpkin and powder blue: stack these four vintage Observer's Pocket Books on a shelf and they look almost like a pile of sweets. Inside, though, they are as practical as ever, covering rivers, churches, buildings and the aircraft passing overhead.

Freshwater Fishes is one of the series' earliest titles, first published in 1941 as Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles, and written for anglers and naturalists who wanted to put a name to whatever moved beneath the surface. Architecture and Old English Churches make a natural pair, one explaining how British buildings developed through the centuries, the other focusing on the parish church, from lychgate to bell tower. Aircraft was updated almost every year to keep pace with new designs, so each edition is a snapshot of what was flying at the time.

Each book measures roughly 14.5 x 9.5cm (5.75 x 3.75 inches). They would brighten a bedroom bookshelf beside a model aeroplane, or sit happily in a hallway alcove under a framed map. As a present, they suit anyone who enjoys a riverside walk followed by a wander round the village church, with one eye on the sky.

All four are hardbacks in their original boards and come without dust jackets. They show light rubbing to the corners and edges and some fading to the spines, with clean, readable pages throughout. The photos give a good view of each book, so please take a look.

A riverbank, a bell tower and a runway or two, all in one small, colourful stack.