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The first ever Golliwog (or Golliwogg) books are the books
of verse written by Bertha Upton and illustrated by her daughter Florence. The
mother and daughter worked together on thirteen illustrated books, all
featuring the gallant little character and his adventures travelling to such
exotic destinations as Africa and the North Pole, accompanied by his friends,
the Dutch Dolls:
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Enid Blyton, one of the most prolific European
writers, included the Golliwogs in many stories, but she only wrote three books
primarily about Golliwogs:
"The Three Golliwogs" (1944),
"The Proud Golliwog" (1951), and
"The Golliwog Grumbled" (1953). In the early 1980s, revised
editions of Enid Blyton's Noddy books replaced Mr Golly, the Golliwog
proprietor of the Toytown garage, with Mr Sparks. |
To dispel the many theories about the origin of the
Golliwogg and his name, as well as learning about the life of the young woman
who created this lovable character, one only need to read the book
"A Lark Ascends:
Florence Kate Upton, Artist and Illustrator". This fascinating history,
which was thoroughly researched by the author, Norma S. Davis and published by
The Scarecrow Press, is an absolute must for the fan of the Golliwogg.
Another useful reference work is
"Collecting
Golliwoggs - Teddy Bear's Best Friends" by Dee Hockenberry and published by
Schiffer Publications Ltd. in 2003. As is
"Buy Golly!" by
well known actor and singer Clinton Derricks, who has been been collecting
golliwogs and black memorabilia for over twenty years.
While many Golliwog books are no longer available as new, a
good source of rare, vintage and second-hand Golliwog books is the Internet
auction site eBay:
Buy Golliwogg Books
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Click here to
visit the Golliwogg Book Shop |
If you are interested in
buying rare first or new editions of Florence Upton's Golliwogg books please
visit the Golliwogg Shop,
where you will find an exclusive selection of Florence Upton's books, which are
now highly collectable and sought after. |
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