Books
Rare Books

Collecting the Britain in Pictures series

In 1941, with most of Europe occupied by Germany, Britain was in a grim predicament. While facing this threat, Collins, the publisher now known as HarperCollins, decided to launch a remarkable series of social history books called Britain in Pictures.

The English People by George Orwell
George Orwell's contribution to the Britain in Pictures series

The books were designed to boost morale. However, they also served to record the British way of life in case it was lost under a German occupation. The books were slim volumes with simple, distinctive covers, but it was the array of authors that made this series special.

George Orwell wrote about the English people. Cecil Beaton wrote about British photography. The poet and printer Francis Meynell wrote about English printed books. Poet John Betjeman (who had penned the immortal line "Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough," in 1937) wrote about towns and cities.

Graham Greene wrote about dramatists. The doyen of sports journalists Neville Cardus wrote about cricket, and Edith Sitwell wrote about English women. Some of the Britain in Pictures authors have faded into obscurity but they were all experts in their field during those dark days.

A wide variety of subjects were covered from battlefields to boxing, clocks to mountaineering, butterflies to farm animals, and from waterways and canals to maps and map-makers. In all, 132 titles were published. The books also covered the Commonwealth – John Buchan’s wife, Lady Tweedsmuir wrote about Canada while Ngaio Marsh and R.M. Burdon wrote about New Zealand.

For many book collectors, obtaining the entire series of Britain in Pictures books is a quest. Collins published the books in large quantities and priced them cheaply. Today they can be picked up for anything from a few dollars to $200 depending on condition.

Anyone wishing to collect the series should reference Britain in Pictures: A History & Bibliography by Michael Carney. The Britain in Pictures books were so successful that Collins continued to publish them until 1949. From the social history aspect, the series offers an insight into sections of British life that disappeared after World War II.

Selected editions from the Britain in Pictures series

By Graham Greene
By Francis Meynell
By Edward Blunden
By Elizabeth Bowen
By Cecil Beaton
By John Russell
By Edith Sitwell
By Rhys Davies
By Sean O'Faolain
By James Fisher
By Bishop of Chichester
By Denzil Batchelor
By Sir Richard Gregory
By W.B. Honey
By Jacquetta Hawkes
By Bonamy Dobree

Share

More beautiful books

September 14, 2022
Find beautiful decorative books to decorate your home from vintage paperbacks to complete sets, leather-bound volumes and coffee-table books.
6 Min Read
April 04, 2022
Books have always struggled to convey the spectacular beauty of Rome’s Sistine Chapel. Until now. A five-year collaboration between the Vatican and two publishers has resulted in this luxury three-volume art book.
3 Min Read
By Julie Oreskovich
March 23, 2022
The New Naturalist Series is an on-going series of books published by Collins that focuses on natural history. The series, famous for its dust jacket designs, began in 1945 with Butterflies by E.B. Ford and more than 100 titles have been published.
2 Min Read