The history of the Dick and Jane books that were used to teach children to read is a long and colorful one. It is thought that more than 85 million American children read the first of the many written words they would read, with the help of Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff. They were a product of the American landscape from the 1930s through the 1970s.
The first Dick and Jane books were published in 1930 and were put out by a publisher called the Scott Foresman Company. The name of the books came from the main characters along with their pets, Spot the dog and Puff the cat. Dick and Jane, along with their friends lived in a world of white picket fences and small town America.
The Creators of Dick and Jane

The development of the innocent world that Dick, Jane and their friends inhabited was created by combining the talents and expertise of Dr. William S. Gray, Zerna Sharp and Harry B. Johnson. They worked together with school psychologists and teachers in order to create the memorable series and used vocabulary techniques that Dr. Gray recommended.

Dick and Jane Gain Steam
Though Dick and Jane had appeared in basic reader series of the Elson-Gray, it wasn’t until 1941 that Eleanor Campbell began illustrating the books with the familiar cherub characters that Baby Boomers know so well. Ms. Campbell’s illustrations were even compared to the great Norman Rockwell’s work for the small town life and situations the illustrations evoked. It wasn’t long before other books began being added to the series.

The Catholic Series
The entire series was revised in the 1940s to complement the new illustrations by Eleanor Campbell by updating the story lines and the suburban lifestyle of post war America. An interesting note is that in 1941, there was a special edition of the Dick and Jane readers created and sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. The names of the characters were changed to reflect a more Catholic personality and Dick and Jane became John and Jean.

These special edition readers depicted nuns as teachers and the situations were more Catholic and religious oriented. The world of Dick and Jane, along with the rest of their pals evokes a time of innocence.

I for one discovered my passion for reading at a very young age because of the Dick and Jane books.
I will always have a special place in my heart for the Dick and Jane books. They represent a beginning of a love affair for me and the nostalgia that comes to mind when I hear the words, See Spot run, run Spot run.

I think of the pride my family had when I completed my first Dick and Jane reader. Nothing can quite match the pride of my conquering the mysteries of the written word, and I will always have Dick, Jane, Spot, Puff and their friends to thank for it.

Alana Morgaine
Our Vintage School Textbooks

Life was founded on January 4, 1883 in New York City. John Ames Mitchell was the founding publisher. The motto in the first issue of Life was While There Is Life, There is Hope…On March 26th 2007 the magazine was folded.
On November 23, 1936 a new era in photo magazines occurred. It was then that Life made its debut and brought a new light as well as a new importance to pictures rather than words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case it was absolutely true. Famous for its photography and for who was being photographed, this magazine went on to experience a long lasting existence that still draws people in today. Over time it went through some changes such as going from a weekly magazine to a monthly edition, to now being strictly an event publication as well as a semi-annual publication. Life has brought us some of the most famous and most valuable pictures of the 1900’s.

Life magazine covered many years of current events that included celebrities, international and domestic politics, sports, space, fashion, art and so many more worthy events as they were happening. However, what really makes them valuable?

I believe it is the collection of current events over the years, such as the first moon landing, President Kennedy’s death, Marilyn Monroe, Vietnam, and countless other events and pieces of valuable history. Some of the articles include first publications of famous writers before they were published in books. September 1, 1952 Ernest Hemingway’s first publication of Old Man In The Sea is highly collectible. Others have value in them because their pictures or family and other loved ones were published from some current news event.

Some collectors look for the issue that have the old baseball cards inside of them. The April 13th, 1962 issue with Elizabeth Taylor on the cover, was known to have the highly collectible baseball cards inside. They were of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle which if found with the magazine sill in tact will garner someone a nice figure of $200.00.

Supply and demand, condition, baseball cards, significant events, all vary in what makes a Life Magazine valuable today to the right person or collector. So when we ask, are they worth anything, it all depends on what’s inside or on the cover and who wants it, along with what condition it is in and of course how many are still available to be found.

With some of the most beautiful photography in the world, there is one picture that stands out above the rest in the minds of Americans. It is the highly reproduced photograph of famed Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt on V-J Day in Times Square in New York City. This photographer wanted nothing more than a picture that showed the chaos that was happening in Times Square as World War II came to an end, and instead he captured the photograph that became a visual icon over the years. It was that of a sailor just coming home from the war and kissing a nurse in the middle of all that chaos.

Throughout the years from 1936 to the year 2000 many Life magazine Issues became popular. It is really the value that the collectors give as to whether or not it will be worth a little or a lot of money. Most issues can be found at flea markets and estate sales for between $12 and $15, but is the most memorable or the most widely publicized that often become the most valuable.

Alana Morgaine
Alanas Books And Magazines

Our 1940s Life Magazines

Our 1950s Life Magazines

Our Back Issue Magazines For Sale

Betsy McCalls Paperdolls in publication from 1951-1961
Betsy McCall was first seen in a McCall’s magazine in May 1951. The announcement of her impending arrival was heralded in McCall’s April 1951 issue. Betsy appeared in the form of a paper doll, which could be cut out and dressed in clothes that could be cut out with her. The cut-out clothes had tabs which should also be cut-out and folded over the paper doll to dress her. She also often had accessories that went along with her outfits. When Betsy was first introduced, she was five years old, almost six. She was just as cute as she could be and in the May 1951 monthly magazine, we met her six-month old dachshund puppy by the name of Nosy.

Betsy began as a marketing tool to introduce McCall’s sewing patterns. The advertising forerunner of Betsy was Peggy, a teen personality that McCall’s used to market sewing to the younger generation. Betsy was also supposed to promote “wash and wear” fabrics that made their appearance after WWII such as Dacron, nylon, and rayon. The housewife of the 1950s era was busy and “wash and wear” fabrics were meant to make life easier. The Ideal Toy Company saw an opportunity in Betsy McCall and, in 1952, created a “regular” Betsy McCall doll. Through the years, different doll manufacturers made different versions of Betsy and so her appearance changed from time to time.

A story line surrounded Betsy’s appearance that would continue for many years. Betsy’s escapades were recounted each month in the well-known magazine. In the June 1951 McCall’s magazine, we got to meet Betsy’s mother. The next month, we met Betsy’s father, James McCall, and the month after that, August 1951, we were introduced to her cousin, Barbara. Betsy and Barbara were the same age.

Each month, we read about what exciting things Betsy had done and saw the new fashions she and her family were sporting. For example, the June 1951 story line had Betsy and her mother going to the beach. Clothes were available for cut-out for both Betsy and her mother. However, in July, when we met Betsy’s father, he was dressed in a suit for a trip to the country and did not come with a change of clothes. In August 1951, Betsy went shopping with her cousin, Barbara, and they took their two dolls along with them. The September issue saw Betsy returning to school.

November 1951 had the first appearance of neighbor Jimmy Weeks and talked about what a nice Thanksgiving they had. In April 1952, a new character was introduced at an Easter Egg hunt, another cousin of Betsy’s, Linda McCall. Between July and August 1955, a new artist/illustrator took over at the magazine and Betsy’s appearance was modified slightly. August 1955 saw the introduction of another cousin, Sandy McCall. Magazine readers looked forward to the next issue to learn about Betsy’s newest adventure and seeing what she was going to wear.

Some story line interpreters believe Betsy lived near New York City as many activities seem to take place around that area. However, the October 1972 issue of McCalls had her living in a white house in Santa Barbara, California, surrounded by a white picket fence. Many things that happened to Betsy were emblematic of the culture in America as it was progressing. The ideas that were perceived to be in the minds of mainstream America were identified with Betsy, her family, and friends inside the pages of McCall’s magazine.

You can trace a path through American history and culture on a monthly basis by following the happenings in Betsy’s life. Collecting Betsy McCalls paper dolls is truly collecting a unique part of American history, magazine history, and American culture.

Alana Morgaine
Our Paperdolls
Betsy McCalls The First Ten Years