Picture Lions Books Published in 1973

Last year bought two vintage Picture Lions children’s books dated 1973 with no reprint date, were they first editions? The books were The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr and Petunia by Roger Duvoisin. I wondered about their resale value (as I do with everything I buy second-hand!) so set to researching The Tiger Who Came to Tea first. I began looking at other sales and very quickly noticed that the books were all listed as “first edition” even though the original sale prices varied greatly (mine was 30p, whilst others I found were at 85p, £1.00, £1.25, £1.95 and £2.99). Some even had barcodes on the back but were still listed as 1973 first editions even though barcodes were not introduced to the UK until 1979.

: “Petunia” by Roger Duvoisin & “The Tiger Who Came To Tea” by Judith Kerr

After a bit of digging, I was able to confirm my two books as authentic first editions via an original advert for the book series from September 1973. There were 16 titles to be published in the October, with 12 more due to be added before the end of the year. Priced at 30p and 40p each.

: Sep 28 1973

My “Tiger” book only has 15 titles listed, and “Petunia” has 16, another clue to their print year. Later editions don’t seem to include this list, just a black inner back cover page. The publishing details were moved to over the tiger’s head with the price/ISBN on the back cover instead. The publishers address also changes over time:

14 St James’s Place, London SW1” (30p, 85p & £1.00)
8 Grafton Street, London W1x 3LA” (£1.25)
77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB (£2.99)

William Collins Sons & Co acquired Grafton publishers in 1983, who worked out of 8 Grafton Street, so any books with this address can be dated to 1983 or later. By the time the book was sold at £2.99 the information also mentioned HarperCollins, who acquired William Collins Sons & Co in 1989.