The Greyfriars Holiday Annual for Boys and Girls, 1920

[1919].  360 pp, with colour cover illustration by Warwick Reynolds, colour plate frontispiece and further colour plates and numerous line drawings etc etc in text.  Canvas spine under illustrated paper-covered boards.  8vo. Boards are heavily rubbed at edges, rounded at corners, worn and rubbed all over, with some chipping, discolouration and short, mild creases, soiled with a small scar on verso, canvas faded and rubbed at spine ends.  Internally some tanning and spotting, tape repaired short crease from leading edge of front free endpaper, some gutters strained.

In fair condition only, this is the first edition of the very first Greyfriars Annual, published in September 1919 for the Xmas market.

The Amalgated Press published the first Greyfriars Holiday Annual in 1920, with each issue containing numerous illustrated stories (as well as some puzzles, games and other snippets).  Many of the stories were penned by Frank Richards, or written under another of Charles Hamilton's pen names (of which he had many) although other authors contributed stories too.  The series was hugely successful, despite its relatively high price, and continued for 22 years before ending in the midst of war-time paper shortages.  Many of the stories feature Greyfriars School and Billy Bunter or some of the other school stories created by Charles Hamilton.