Did National Geographic Produce The Magazine In Annual Books

[Sean o'donnell]

I am looking for information about annual books from national geographic I have books from the 50s and would like to no if they are original books not done by a independent book binder

[Sean o'donnell]

I have looked at the books again at the trademark the inner says (kinsport tenn) the outer says (kinskraft) there is a little sticker on the inside back cover in red with gold writing it says Dunn & Wilson Ltd. Bookbinders. Falkirk. P

[Sean o'donnell]

Dale you had it exactly on the button. I assume falkirk is in Tennessee USA not Scotland UK. Do you think I could add to the books I have with the same cover or if the company has the master cover and they can send me new covers so I can have all my other plain cover annuals rebound this is my wish as I love the covers. I must thank you for the information you gave me. I was trying to find the company in Scotland as falkirk is well-known to me and I had no luck finding them

[Dale]

Sean,

Just to be clear, these are Kingskraft Covers, produced by Kingsport Press Inc, of Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Here is a potted history of the company:

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=741

Quebecor World is now trading as World Color Press Inc, headquartered in Montreal, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldcolor

Kingsport Press in Tennessee now operates as World Color Press at 335 Roller St, Kingsport, TN 37660

(see http://local.yahoo.com/info-14999417-world-color-press-incorporated...)

Sean, I did not realise you were based in the UK, so your reference to Falkirk makes sense now.The latest photo of the inside cover of these books indicates that they were actually bound by Dunn & Wilson Ltd, a Scottish printer and binder based in Falkirk, Scotland (now Riley Dunn & Wilson Ltd). See:

http://www.rdw.co.uk/

What seems most likely to have happened is that Dunn & Wilson shipped blank covers (the Kingskraft Covers) in bulk from Kingsport Press and embossed volume numbers and dates on the spines as they bound sets of the NGM, most likely on individual customer orders for customers wishing to bind their collections. Shipping unnumbered and undated covers is known to have occurred with the Albrecht airplane covers, so would not be surprising here.

You never know, Riley Dunn & Wilson may well have some of the old covers still in stock, otherwise contact World Color Press in Kingsport. I'd certainly be interested in hearing how you get on.

Cheers

Dale

[Melvin L. De Vilbiss]

Reprints revisited:

On the bottom of the inside front cover for the January and February 1896 issues, the NGS issued a

"Notice to Members

Binding. - The following favorable terms have been secured for binding The National Geographic Magazine: ..."

I thought you guys might be interested in this as something the NGS sponsored.

Mel