Guy Pertwee Marjorie Lyon (4 results)
Published by Samuel French, London, 1954
- Hardcover
- First Edition
Seller: Vashon Island Books, Vashon, WA, U.S.A.Vashon Island Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
£ 7.62
£ 4.09 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Thus. Vg in red cloth; poetry for young children to practice reading aloud. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.
Language: English
Published by Samuel French Limited, London, 1954
- Hardcover
Seller: The Raven and the Writing Desk, Ruawai, NORTH, New ZealandThe Raven and the Writing Desk
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
£ 2.68
£ 26.03 shippingShips from New Zealand to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Hardcover. Condition: Good - Worn. No Jacket. First Editon.
Published by Samuel French, 1954
- Hardcover
Seller: Crappy Old Books, Barry, United KingdomCrappy Old Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Fair
£ 5.50
£ 20.05 shippingShips from United Kingdom to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Hardback. Condition: Fair. The Younger Verse Speakers Anthology Book I (1954) by E. Guy Pertwee and Marjorie Lyon Publisher: Samuel French ISBN: None Condition: Fair There was once a time when children were expected not merely to read poetry, but to stand in front of an audience and perform it. Preferably from memory. Preferably… without fainting. And preferably while sounding as though they understood every word. The Younger Verse Speakers Anthology Book I belongs proudly to that era. Published in 1954, this collection was designed to provide young speakers with an arsenal of poems, recitations and performance pieces suitable for school concerts, speech days, church gatherings and any other occasion where adults felt children should be encouraged to develop "character" through public embarrassment. Compiled by E. Guy Pertwee and Marjorie Lyon, the anthology gathers together a variety of verse intended to entertain, inspire and occasionally terrify young performers who suddenly realised there were far more people in the room than they had anticipated. Somewhere within these pages lurk brave heroes, amusing mishaps, noble sentiments and enough rhythm and rhyme to keep generations of schoolteachers gainfully employed. What makes books like this so fascinating today is the extraordinary faith they place in the spoken word. Modern children may create videos, podcasts and social media content. In 1954, however, success was measured by one?s ability to stand upright, project clearly to the back row and avoid forgetting the third stanza. The book comes from Samuel French, a publisher long associated with theatre and performance, and that theatrical heritage shines through. These selections were not merely intended to be read. They were meant to be delivered with enthusiasm, expression and perhaps just a touch of dramatic overacting. Our copy is in Fair condition , meaning it has almost certainly fulfilled its intended purpose. One can easily imagine it being carried to rehearsals, consulted before competitions and nervously clutched backstage by aspiring young performers waiting for their moment in the spotlight. Books about public speaking often seem to acquire a little wear, perhaps because their owners spend so much time turning pages with slightly sweaty hands. Today it offers a delightful glimpse into a vanished educational world where elocution mattered, clear diction was considered a virtue and entire afternoons could be devoted to selecting the perfect piece of verse for the school recital. It is both a practical anthology and an accidental social history of how children were taught confidence before anyone invented PowerPoint. Whether you are interested in theatre, education, vintage anthologies or simply enjoy the thought of generations of youngsters bravely declaiming poetry to rows of proud parents, this volume has much to recommend it. A charming survivor from the age when public speaking was a rite of passage, memorisation was a skill worth cultivating, and a well-delivered poem could earn more applause than an entire smartphone ever will.
Published by Samuel French, 1954
- Hardcover
Seller: Crappy Old Books, Barry, United KingdomCrappy Old Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Fair
£ 7.50
£ 20.05 shippingShips from United Kingdom to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Hardback. Condition: Fair. The Younger Verse Speakers Anthology Book II (1954) by E. Guy Pertwee and Marjorie Lyon Publisher: Samuel French ISBN: None Condition: Fair If Book I introduced young speakers to the perilous world of standing in front of an audience without dissolving into panic, The Younger Verse Speakers Anthology B…ook II assumes they survived the experience and are now ready for more. Published in 1954, this second volume continues the noble educational mission of transforming ordinary children into confident reciters of poetry, dramatic verse and carefully selected literary pieces. In an age before PowerPoint presentations, YouTube tutorials and the widespread belief that "winging it" counts as preparation, anthologies like this were serious business. Compiled by E. Guy Pertwee and Marjorie Lyon, the book offers a fresh collection of material designed for performance rather than silent reading. Every poem, speech and dramatic extract exists for a purpose: to be delivered before an audience with clarity, confidence and enough expression to convince listeners that the speaker genuinely understands what they are saying. The selections almost certainly range from the humorous to the heroic, from the whimsical to the worthy. Somewhere within these pages are verses that delighted generations of schoolchildren, and others that were probably greeted with the quiet despair of youngsters suddenly informed they would be performing them in front of parents, teachers and visiting dignitaries. What makes the anthology particularly charming today is the educational philosophy behind it. The editors clearly believed that confidence could be learned, eloquence could be practised and character could be improved through the disciplined art of public speaking. It is an approach that feels wonderfully optimistic and just a little terrifying. As a Samuel French publication, the book naturally carries a theatrical flavour. These are not pieces intended to sit quietly on the page. They were written to be spoken aloud, projected to the back of a hall and delivered with sufficient enthusiasm to keep the audience awake after the interval. Our copy is in Fair condition , which suggests it has spent decades doing exactly what it was meant to do. It may have accompanied nervous pupils to competitions, speech festivals, drama classes and school concerts. The wear it carries feels less like damage and more like evidence of a long and productive career in the service of youthful self-improvement. For modern readers, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into a vanished educational culture. It recalls a time when clear speech was a prized accomplishment, memorisation was expected and standing before a crowd was considered an essential life skill rather than a form of psychological warfare. Collectors of educational books, drama enthusiasts and lovers of vintage anthologies will all find something to enjoy here. Even those with no intention of ever reciting a poem may appreciate its period charm and its reminder that there was once an entire industry devoted to helping children speak confidently in public. A delightful survivor from the age of elocution lessons, school concerts and earnest cultural improvement. Proof that long before social media encouraged everyone to broadcast their thoughts, previous generations were already being trained to command an audience, only with rather better grammar and considerably more poetry.
