THE DAILY EXPRESS RUPERT ANNUAL - 1975. [No. 39]]**

UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj - as issued,1st edn.NFINE-.Owner's childish handwritten,felt-tip inked name to name-panel to reverse of front free endpaper,and price-clip (originally 80p) to bottom corner on the colour pictorial illustrated title page - naturally,partially affecting the text to it's verso.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,wrap-around colour pictorial illustrated card boards and colour pictorial illustrated endpapers by Alex CUBIE; with negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no major nicks,tears or splits present - but inevitable bumping to head+foot of spine/backstrip with some miniscule rubbing and colour paper loss. Corner tips minisculely bumped,tips turned gently inwards,and boards with inevitable but very minor,very superficial scoring/indents.Top edges lightly aged/toned with sporadic blemish,fore-edges brighter and cleaner and with virtually no foxing; contents exceptionally bright,tight and clean - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners. Previous owner has however,ink-coloured the wheels on gypsy's caravan on front pastedown and randomly elsewhere: [pp71 - the sea to horizon in one panel,is felt-tip coloured darker blue than was printed,same colour ink to Rupert's pyjamas in 2 panels on pp98 also with a word underlined too,pp99 caption to strip coloured over its length,pp100 - soles of Rupert's boots also coloured by same felt-tip and also pp101 - ladies hat in same colour ink too,in strip's panel. Described hard but fairly and honestly - the only standout,obvious faults.UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj, as issued,1st edn,4-115pp [paginated] includes 5 colour strip stories,1pp Origami instructions+illustrations to make Rupert's Chinese boat, quiz & puzzle pages (1 of each) - ALL untouched,a colour pictorial publisher's advert for other Rupert strip stories in the Daily Express newspaper with puzzles' solutions to foot of same,as the last page.Cover: Rupert talking to a merboy who is in the sea and holding a sea-shell full of assorted fruit,and assorted other friends laying out food for a picnic extending round to rear cover.First story: Rupert and the Little River,(1963),plus 4 others - Rupert and the Thinking Cap (1956-7), Rupert and the Broken Plate (1954),Rupert and the Blue Star (1960) and Rupert and the Winter Sale (1960).
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Visually the exterior appearance is more than acceptable for a book of it's age and nature, i.e. a child's annual,and even internally,the book is also in an acceptable condition/state of preservation and presentation,other than the aforementioned colouring inside.These detractions preventing a better grading.

Alex CUBIE [1911-1995] b. 1st August 1911,Renfrew,near Glasgow.He was encouraged or interested in art at school. Started as an apprentice lithographic artist in Glasgow producing cartoons for the 'Glasgow Evening Citizen'.Moved to London,1934 where he worked in Fleet Street producing cartoons for 'The Daily Sketch' and 'The Leader'.Called up for Army service in 1940,he originally trained as a fitter.On discovering his artistic talents,the Army transferred him to an all ranks design team,where he drew layouts for tactical excercises. After the war he returned to Fleet Street,designing greeting cards, before joining Rank Organisation's studios in Cookham and the team for animated film production under the direction of Walt Disney's David Hand.From about 1951 he worked for the Daily Express as a general artist,and was later brought in to assist Alfred BESTALL,as that illustrator's health began to fail.He also produced a number of puzzles and Magic Painting pages.
Alex CUBIE took over the illustrating of the Rupert character as Alfred BESTALL retired in 1965 and he subsequently illustrated the annuals from 1974 until 1977.
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