Previously I shared the first 18 drawings that Raymond Sheppard produced for the book Adventures in Storyland IV: By Beckoning Pathways.It must have been a demanding assignment, with accompanying research as, so far, we've seen landscape, animals, Greek myths, snow scenes and Scotland!
There are other illustrations in this small-sized 248 page book but very few not by Sheppard, with some photographs of ships and models. The back of the book has explanations and also questions about the texts.
Interestingly, despite a Contents page and an Acknowledgements page all I can say - from this book - is that the next item "Blood Money" is from Boy's Own Paper. No author unfortunately,but those who know me as a bloodhound, will know I've found where it was originally published. Guy N(oel) Pocock was the author and it was originally published in Boy’s Own Paper January 1932
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Blood Money" p.106 |
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Blood Money" p.110 |
I lived in Malta as a kid and knew St. Paul's Bay very well where Saul of Tarsus - later Paul - was shipwrecked on the way to Rome.
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| By Beckoning Pathways - "Paul taken to Rome" p.127 |
Now the next illustration might not be Sheppard, but I think it is. It accompanies an outline of Archimedes efforts for Hiero, the King of Syracuse and the weapons installed on "The Queen of Syracuse", a ship.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "The Queen of Syracuse" p.135 |
The next three illustrations are of a bear, and accompany the story by H. Mortimer Batten called "The Call of the Woods"
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| By Beckoning Pathways - "The Call of the Woods" p.144 "Another river, too rapid for her to swim, barred her way" |
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| By Beckoning Pathways - "The Call of the Woods" p.155 |
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| By Beckoning Pathways - "The Call of the Woods" p.158 |
That first image of the three above reminds me of the story "The Bear and the Baby" in The Golden Gift Book.
Quick change for the next drawing of an outline of Vesuvius exploding. The picture shows a Roman in a toga at this writing desk.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Two Famous Letters" p.159 |
"How Davy went to Castle Farm" is the next illustration showing a policeman taking a driver's name in his notebook.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "How Davy went to Castle Farm" p.177 |
Do you remember all those films and TV programmes where everyone was smoking? It was socially acceptable in the 1940s when this next article was written to educate children about the history of tobacco. Several accompanying illustrations to "Tobacco" are so crude I'm sure they are not Sheppard but here are those we can be certain about.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Tobacco" p.181 |
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Tobacco" p.197 |
For the two above, Sheppard needed reference for an Indian Chief's headdress and Tudor clothing!
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Railway Signalman" p.205 |
H. V. Morton (Henry Canova Vollam Morton - who knew?) wrote "Railway Signalman" - the author famous for a series of travel books some of which I've read.
Next we have an interesting poem called "Robert O'Lincoln" by W. C. Bryant about a bird. At first I thought it was an old English reference to the magpie but I couldn't be more wrong! The Bobolink is a grassland bird in the USA and Canada! Emily Dickinson also wrote in praise of the Boblink. The origin of the old-fashioned name is due to the bird's call - variously called the Boblincon, Bob-a-linkum, Bob-o'-linck or Bob-o-Lincoln.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Robert O'Lincoln" p.206 |
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By Beckoning Pathways - "Robert O'Lincoln" p.208 |
The last two illustrations in this book by Sheppard are accompanying "The Battle at the Ford" - an Irish Hero-Story, by Marie Bayne. The first shows an aspiring King Conor Boy-knight throwing a spear and the second Chu-chulain carries his dying friend Ferdia.
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By Beckoning Pathways - "The Battle at the Ford" p.211 |
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By Beckoning Pathways - "The Battle at the Ford" p.218 |
Now to wind this up I said I'd mention the others in the series of "Adventures in Storyland". Firstly, I have to say, hen's teeth are nowhere near as rare as these titles. The British Library entry is thin - they hardly collected children's books let alone 'school readers'. Next time I get the BL I shall investigate further. I can't even find the title of Volume 3!
Volume 1 is "Through Magic Portals" - a lovely bookseller mentions that Jean S Cruikshanks and Rosa C Petherick are the artists and there are 8 colour plates in this - unlike my Book IV which has photographs and B&W illustrations
Volume 2 is "By Guarded Ways" - and the illustrations I have seen are not by Sheppard (one is by R. W. Matthews). I'm guessing that one or two artists got the commission for the bulk of articles and stories in each book.
Volume 3 is "?"
Volume 4 is By Beckoning Pathways" as described in these two blog articles
If you can help with any further information please do contact me.
