Raymond Sheppard and Round the Year Stories: Summer

ROUND THE YEAR: SUMMER BY MARIBEL  EDWIN


I've previously written about Maribel Edwin and her series of "Round the Year" stories which were beautifully illustrated by Raymond Sheppard.

Round the Year Stories: Summer Book - Cover by Raymond Sheppard

This time it's the turn of Summer. Spring and Summer were advertised in newspaper advertisements in 1938 and interestingly this copy shows the series was intended to show "a different story [...] for every week of the year". There are indeed 13 black and white illustrations in each book. I have found no evidence they were published prior to this book format so I guess this format of each season presenting 13 episodes, was decided on commissioning the books. The editor 'R.W.' in the Editor's introduction suggests children read them one a week.

Daily Mirror December 8 1938 p.18

Enlarged from above

Well, let's see the illustrations by Raymond Sheppard...

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.16
Hedgehog bites adder/viper

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.22
2 chaffinches amongst blossom

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.29
Two gulls fight over a crab in a rock pool

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.32
5 gulls gliding in a blue sky

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.37
Bats silhouetted against the moon

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.46
A barn owl drops into water with wings spread

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.53
A green woodpecker is surprised by a starling sticking its head out of a hole

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.60
Two moorhens and three chicks amongst lilies

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.68
A squirrel watches frogs leaping

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.71
A kingfisher arises out of the water to a branch with 4 other kingfishers on

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.75
A kingfisher underwater catches a fish

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.82
A blackbird swoops down

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.89
A young seal sits on a ledge

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.95
A hare stands in the gloom on its rear legs

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.97
A hare runs through some rushes

Round the Year Stories: Summer p.103
6 woodpigeons take flight from some grass

The cover comes from the frontispiece (or vice-versa?) showing in colour the Green Woodpecker at his noisy work

Round the Year Stories: Summer [Frontispiece]
Green Woodpecker

Here's a link to all four Edwin versions:

• Round the Year Stories: Spring with a brief biography and bibliography
  
• Round the Year Stories: Summer with a further biography
• Round the Year Stories: Autumn
• Round the Year Stories: Winter
• Round the Year Stories (all four seasons)