British Fresh and Salt Water Fish - Updated

British Fresh Water Fishes Plate 1

 

UPDATED ARTICLE: January 2024

Originally I had only seen the four colour plates shown below and had no real clue where they were published. 

I can now reveal they appeared in at least two editions of "Newnes Pictorial Knowledge" Volume 8 and appeared in the section titled 'The Angler's Art' as a special colour supplement between pages 256-258 with pages unnumbered. [In another edition the four plates appear in the same article (with replacement photos but same text) between pages 264-265]. 

The other illustrations seem to be drawn by "Cowell" and later Ernest Aris drew some colour plates of butterflies in this volume. The other fish topic comes under Pets and features tropical fish but this is not drawn by Sheppard and is not signed.

I suspect the earlier edition has the following credits:

• GENERAL EDITOR: R. D. Poole and Peter Finch
• ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Enid Blyton
• TECHNICAL: EDITOR: I. Molloy
• ART EDITOR: A. H. J. Humphreys

The excellent Enid Blyton Society website states the first edition was 1930 and the publisher,  The Home Library Book Company, which I think is a Newnes' imprint. Another note in the Blyton forum mentions Blyton "is credited as Associate Editor, and her husband (at the time) H A Pollock as General Editor. The edition is the 1934 reprint of the Second Edition (of 1933)".

I have also seen a version with these credits - and it's this one in which Sheppard's plates appear between pages 264-265:

• GENERAL EDITOR: Peter Finch
• ASSOCIATE EDITORS: R. H. Poole, Walter Shepherd, Cedric Dover
  

The 1949 edition index is shown here - using one of the fish drawn on the colour plate below:

This shows we have the correct book - but how early did this appear? Time might tell! The title was still being used in the 1960s as an advert in Children's Newspaper shows 

So as usual with these sorts of titles, their publication is convoluted for the collector!

Thanks to Anybook.com who helped me eliminate results (the 1945 edition "Unfortunately, none of these images appear in this particular volume") but especially to Val Robinson who remembered where the plates appeared which led to a more focussed search.

The reason Val got in touch was the production of tea towels of these four plates. Christine Sheppard was happy to give permission for their reproduction. Val stated:

I do have have some printed if you know of anyone who wishes to purchase them They cost £10 each plus postage and I am happy for anyone to contact me.
Take care and Best Regards.
Val [valli.robinson@btopenworld.com]

 These tea towels look great!

~Norman 2024

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The following colour plates are taken from a book. I'm guessing they were in an encyclopaedia, and I would love to know if anyone knows which book they appeared in. 

If you enlarge the plates the only clue I can see is "N.P.K. VIII p.256" (and 257)". Knowing books of this era (pre-1958) the initials might stand for something like "New Pictorial Knowledge"...but that title was published in the 1970s.There is a mention of the fact that these paintings are "Specially painted for this work" on the colour plates

Fresh Water Fish 1

Fresh Water 1
1= Pike, 2= Perch, 3= Carp, 4= Trout, 5= Roach, 6= Salmon

Fresh Water Fish 2

Fresh Water 2
7= Stickleback, 8=Minnow, 9=Grayling, 10= Char, 11= Barbel, 12= Loach, 13= Miller's Thumb or Bullhead

Fresh Water 3

Fresh Water3
14= Gudgeon, 15= Tench, 16= Bream, 17= Dace, 18= Chub,

Salt Water Fish 1

Salt Water 1
19= Large Spotted Dogfish , 20= Red Mullet, 21= Mackerel, 22= John Dory, 23= Plaice,
24= Conger Eel

Beyond the Timberland Trail

The dustjacket for Beyond the Timberland Trail states:

Beyond the Timberland Trail marks a new phase in the work of this animal story writer. Leaving the English scene for the Barrens of North-West Canada, he tells the story of three generations of wolves. It was Olee Perrault, the trapper, who first expressed the opinion that the wolves "Grey Shadow", "Keewaydin", and "Dark Starlight", had dog blood in their veins. How right he was in his assertion became only too clear in the light of subsequent events: The struggle of the wolves against the blood of Klaus, the Shepherd dog, their hazardous adventures against famine, blizzard and the wiles of man, makes a gripping story,  heightened by the dramatic austerity of the Northland. How the blood of Klaus triumphs in the end over three generations of wolves, brings to a satisfactory conclusion a story written in prose so striking that it makes the reading of the book a refreshing experience for young and old alike. Splendidly illustrated by Raymond Sheppard.

Cover

Jospeh E(ugene) Chipperfield, (1951). Beyond the Timberland Trail A Hutchinson Junior Novel. London: Hutchinson. The American edition published in 1953 by Longmans, Green and Co. was illustrated by Zhenya Gay. According to Jane Badger Books, Chipperfield was born in Cornwall on 20 April 1912 and died on 3 Jan 1976 and wrote many animal (horse and dogs) books.

Frontispiece

The Frontispiece is taken from the cover and shows three Eskimos (Inuits) herding reindeer down a snowy gap and one man points to the pack of wolves behind the herd

Opposite page 30 (Grey Shadow section)

One wolf pins another to the snowy ground whilst the pack look on

Opposite page 140 (Keewaydin section)

Defending his cub, Keewaydin attacks a lynx,whilst Rhuroo the Golden Eagle flies in

Opposite page 164 (Dark Starlight section)

Five wolves attack the three oxen in the snow

Sheppard's strengths in animal painting and drawing are shown off well in these pieces and the colour is vibrant. The compositions are full of action with the eye being drawn in circular motions back into the pictures. Note also how Sheppard has drawn outlines in some parts and not in others. He uses the colour differences to work as contrast between two 'lines' rather than label the point of difference between two contrasting sections.  

The Modern World Book of Animals

The latest item added to my collection is thanks to one of my beautiful daughters who knows her Dad loves a second-hand bookshop. My wife is also very forbearing, she usually finds something of interest and settles to perusing it while I flick very quickly through pages and pages of old children's books.

Cover by unknown artist

The Modern World: Book of animals edited by John R. Gilbert [1950] Sampson, Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. dating the book is difficult, but C. L. Doughty has signed a picture of a camel caravan in the Sahara '1949' and the British Library catalogue record has [1950] which is usually arrived by the date of accession.

Raymond Sheppard's single piece appears opposite page 16 with the caption "No cat and dog fights seem likely here. A sunny day, a shimmering lake – and an enjoyable time is clearly guaranteed for all"

Click to enlarge

A girl, boy and their pets are playing near a lake. It shows a girl in a pink dress raising her arm to throw a stick for a Jack Russell. The boy wearing a schoolcap is holding the leash of a border collie. A cat is pawing the girl's leg

The book is part of  series of "Modern World" books and other artists I can identify in this copy are Harold Tamblyn-Watts,  and 'Hofton'. Most of the book is made up of photographs

Nature through the seasons in colour

Odhams and Blackie and Sons have given me a lot of trouble in searching for Raymond Sheppard's artwork. Both publishers reprinted materials frequently and in one instance I have found three versions of the same contents with three different titles!

The British Library has three entries for "Nature through the seasons in colour" one dated 1953, one guessed at as 1953 - (normally taken from the accession date) and the last is unknown. In the book Odhams have stated their copyright as T.453.S in their mysterious notation system. Could this be 1953? If so, why do the British Library have three editions? They normally do not take reprints. 

Flyleaf from Nature through the seasons in colour

On the flyleaf in the dustjacket, it states the plates include such notable artists as [...] and includes Raymond Sheppard FRZA, RI. As I stated in a recent article (Illustrators # 2) Sheppard's post-nominals were:

Raymond Sheppard Fellow of Zoological Society (F.Z.S, 1946); Society of Graphic Artists (S.G.A, 1947); Pastel Society (P.S., 1948); Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (R.I, 1949). 

I suspect the Odhams editor didn't try too hard to get this right and it should read FZS. If Sheppard joined the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1949, 1953 is a best guess for the date of publication. Anyone know any different, please contact me.

Title page

Plate facing Page 65

This colour plate opposite Page 65 shows "Wild animals with their young" including "Badger at sett with young, Hare with leverets in the “form”, Fallow deer (buck, hind and fawn), Stoat family on the move, Hedgehog and young, Fox (vixen with cubs), Otter (? with cubs), Squirrel with young at drey. The caption by the otters is impossible to read in the original! 

Plate facing Page 168

The colour plate opposite page 168 shows "How animals employ protective coloration" - "Stoat or ermine (winter dress), Blue or mountain hare (winter dress), Red deer (fawns), Bittern, Hen pheasant, and Nightjar

Raymond Sheppard and Seal Morning - Part Five

I mentioned that I wanted to say something about the artwork too and as this blog is about Sheppard, we need some artwork.

In the copies of Seal Morning that have Sheppard's drawings there are many 'flipped' pictures; single birds taken from the group he drewelsewhere in the book, and a rabbit leaping (but this time without the wall drawn underneath. There is also one strange picture which is 'flipped':

Lora the seal looks right with trees/bushes on her left

Lora looks left - same rock, mountain but no trees!

It was unusual but not unknown for Sheppard to use similar drawings - see below - but this is odd. The rock on the first picture looks crude on the left as if a publisher's artist was told to change it slightly. Unfortunately all my efforts to track down any original art from this work has led nowhere - disappeared just like Rowena Farre did in her lifetime!

Lastly Sheppard did so many animal studies in his lifetime that he was bound to duplicate ideas.

Hare runs right to left

The following is taken from a book called Round the year: Summer, p.97

But as you can see it's not flipped but a different picture, showing his great talent.

NEXT TIME:  Nature through the seasons in colour

Raymond Sheppard and Seal Morning - Part Four

SEAL MORNING - Background

Rowena Farre, or Lois Parr(e) but actually Daphne Lois Macready

The British Library lists three books under the name Rowena Farre with the interesting note

 Rowena FARRE pseud. [i.e. Daphne Lois Macready.]  

They are:
* A time from the world. London: Hutchinson, 1962
* The beckoning land. London : Gollancz, 1969.
and of course
* Seal morning

In the mid-1990s I found this entry on Abebooks and couldn't afford to buy the collection:

Rowena Farr ie Lois Parre: …7 typed letters signed, 1 autograph letter signed, from 15 December 1954 to 29 April 1959 relating to the development and publication of her first book Seal Morning (1957, decorations by Raymond Sheppard). Also related correspondence (typed letters) from various editors at Hutchinson and Co., her publishers, including those to the author and those to the editor of the Daily Mail in relation to a controversy surrounding the authenticity of details in this proclaimed "true story". This chronology of correspondence provides an interesting insight into the development of a book, in this case, from the publisher's initial interest in an article by Farre to the publication of her book that was selected by the Secondary Education Board as one ….

Boy, do I wish I'd bought them! If you do know who's got them, I'd love to make contact - email me at

Fortunately someone very dedicated, has created a Wikipeida entry which has superb references which can be followed, telling the fascinating story of Rowena, Daphne or Lois! I won't bother repeating it here, except to say that in Mark Andresen and Colin Wilson's Field of Vision: The Broadcast Life of Kenneth Allsop the story is told of how Allsop tried to discover Farre's whereabouts. The whole thing started thus: "one or two of the reporters got wind of some little thing she'd slipped up on and they started looking into it"  and of course the phenomenal sales ("30,000 copies, serialization rights in both the UK and America and an absent prescence.", p. 331) meant there were royalties to pay but she couldn't be found, until some reports mentioned she had made all her own clothes. This brought her out of the woodwork in anger but she soon disappeared again. We know she went to India and also Australia. It's interesting to note that she donated her royalties for any overseas TV productions to Literature Board of the Australian Council of the Arts (see Irene Stevens, A short history of the Literature Board 1986-2000). And this was before any had happened
 
It appears that we really don't know much about the woman, let alone whether Seal Morning is true. As one article has said this could be seen as 'autobiographical fiction' rather than autobiography. As most agree the story reads beautifully and is a brilliant observation of nature and the seasons and I remember reading to my family during a Welsh holiday and it worked as a read-aloud book

The only instance of "Lois Parr(e)" I can find is in The Countryman (Vol 50 No 2 Winter 1954) where Lois writes about a musical seal!

In 1986 David Cobham directed the story for a children's TV series (by London Weekend Television)  where the action was moved from the wilds of Scotland to the flat landscape of Norfolk - which was a it more logical as the East coast has breeding colonies of seal! 

NEXT TIME: Comments on Seal Morning artwork

Raymond Sheppard and Seal Morning - Part Three

Scottish wild cat

Here are the rest of the images from Rowena Farre's Seal Morning

All the captions below are mine and not in the book, so please do let me have any corrections. I've scanned the text for clues but sometimes these are merely(!) decorations

In the next post I'll make some comments on the the pictures and also on the book itself - which has an interesting history

Lora, the common seal, seen on the surface

Mistle thrush

Squirrel

Mouse

Ptarmigan

Squirrel

Otters playing

Otter

Lora

Otter

Stag

Four stag on mountainside

Stoat

Well

A legendary 'water horse'

Swans

Seal with fish in mouth

Lora on a rock with bushes to her left

Baby seal

Wild cat

Wild cat

Eagle swoops on grouse

Domestic cat

A running hare

Goat

Lora's head pops out of the water

Baby seal

Lora