Children's author Elisabeth Beresford had the idea for The Wombles while walking on Wimbledon Common with her children, Kate and Marcus. At the time she lived in south London, though she later moved to Alderney, one of the Channel Islands off the north coast of France. She'd previously written a series of books about magic.
The original 1968 hardback book, simply titled The Wombles, was illustrated by Margaret Gordon with the Wombles looking like teddy bears - brown and furry, mostly not wearing clothes. The Puffin paperback in 1972 used the same illustrations. But for the paperback of The Wandering Wombles in 1974, Puffin used new illustrations by Margaret Gordon, "drawn from Ivor Wood's original film puppets". In 1975, Barry Leith took over as illustrator, continuing with the new-look Wombles based on the TV series. For the 1990 editions, Walker Books kept the same illustrations, but with new covers by Edgar Hodges.
All of the following are UK editions.
First
published by Ernest Benn 1968
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1968
Published by Puffin Books 1972
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1968
ISBN 0 14 03.0572 6
Published by Walker Books 1990
Illustrated by Barry Leith 1975
Cover by Edgar Hodges 1990
ISBN 0 7445 1733 8
Puffin Books: "The Wombles live under Wimbledon Common, and it is their special responsibility to 'tidy up' everything that untidy Human Beings leave behind them."
Walker
Books: "Here they are, the tidy inhabitants of Wimbledon Common whose exploits
have delighted readers and TV viewers for years. Meet Great Uncle Bulgaria,
the white-furred chief Womble; handyman Tobermory, who turns people's litter
into the most amazingly useful things; Tomsk, the golfing Womble; tubby Orinoco,
who loves food and forty winks; Madame Cholet, the cook, and last but by no
means least, young Bungo, who's just about to go out on the Common alone for
the first time..."
First
published by Ernest Benn 1970
Published by Puffin Books 1974
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1974
ISBN 0 14 03.0653 6
Published by Walker Books 1990
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1974
Cover by Edgar Hodges 1990
ISBN 0 7445 1737 0
Puffin Books: "'We shall have to move,' said Great Uncle Bulgaria simply, looking his old friend steadily in the face. 'Move? Us?' said Tobermory. 'But we've lived under Wimbledon Common for hundreds of years. There've been burrows here since any Womble can remember. It's unthinkable.' But their home was being shaken to pieces, so scouting parties were sent into strange country seeking for a new home."
Walker
Books: "Here they are again, the tidy inhabitants of Wimbledon Common whose
exploits have delighted readers and TV viewers for years. When building work
threatens the Wombles' burrow, Great Uncle Bulgaria decides it's time to move.
Orinoco and Bungo are sent off on a top secret scouting mission to Scotland
where they meet the fierce Clan Wombles. Meanwhile, Wellington and Tomsk find
themselves exploring the gardens of a Very Important Person indeed!"
First
published by Ernest Benn 1973
Published by Puffin Books 1975
Illustrated by Barry Leith 1975
ISBN 0 14 03.0794 X
Published by Walker Books 1990
Illustrated by Barry Leith 1976
(Note: '1976' appears to be an error, as the illustrations are the same as the
1975 Puffin edition.)
Cover by Edgar Hodges 1990
ISBN 0 7445 1745 1
Puffin Books: "'If Human Beings are so silly that they want to poison themselves, that's their affair,' said Tobermory crossly, but Great Uncle Bulgaria had been reading about pollution in The Times and saw the Wombles dying with the Humans, unless they took an energetic paw in the battle for conservation..."
Walker
Books: "The Wombles and their tidying-up exploits have been delighting
readers and TV viewers for years. Now living in a burrow under London's Hyde
Park, the Wombles face a very difficult problem - pollution! Great Uncle Bulgaria
offers a gold medal for the best solution and Bungo, Wellington, Tomsk, Orinoco
and all the other Wombles are soon busily at work. Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger
looks on..."
First
published by Puffin Books (Young Puffin) 1973
Illustrated by Ivor Wood 1973
ISBN 0 14 03.0602 1
"Here are Bungo, Great Uncle Bulgaria and all the other Wombles, hard at work tidying up Wimbledon Common. These adventures are taken from the popular television series and show them at their funniest and best."
First
published by Ernest Benn 1974
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1974
Published by Puffin Books 1977
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1974
Published by Walker Books 1990
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon 1974
Cover by Edgar Hodges 1990
ISBN 0 7445 1746 X
Walker Books: "The Wombles and their tidying-up exploits have delighted readers and TV viewers for many years. Now they've moved back from Hyde Park to Wimbledon Common, but spirits are low - for the amount of litter has fallen and Womble supplies are shrinking. Great Uncle Bulgaria is called to a crisis meeting in America and Bungo goes with him. So it's left to Tobermory, Wellington, Orinoco, Tomsk and a very odd Womble called Cousin Botany to try and save the day!"
Published
by Penguin Books (Puffin Books) 1975
Box set containing:
First
published by Ernest Benn 1976
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon
ISBN 0 510 09608 5
Ernest Benn: "There have been Wombles on Wimbledon Common as far back as anyone can remember (and that, of course, is a very long time indeed). Great Uncle Bulgaria is very fond of reading aloud the old stories out of The Great Womble History Of The World, about all the things that happened when he was a young Womble and Queen Victoria was on the throne. But the trouble is that the young Wombles are beginning to get just a little bit bored with them. So, being a wise old Womble, he plans a new, exciting trip especially for them and a new chapter in Womble history which will be all about their adventures.
"Tobermory invents a revolutionary clockwork balloon and two by two, Orinoco, Bungo, Tomsk and Wellington set off to discover the unwritten history of the Womble world. They find burrows as far apart as California and Tibet, not to mention their most honourable cousin Tokyo Womble and that determined and unconventional relative, Great-Great Aunt M Murrumbidgee Womble in the blue gum forests of Australia.
"There is danger, too, in their trip, but needless to say, back in the Wimbledon burrow, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Madame Cholet and all the other Wombles are keeping a careful eye on the situation, not to mention planning a few surprises of their own..."
1. Once upon a time
2. Back to school
3. He flies through the air
4. One, two, three, GO!
4½. Silence
5. The 'Gingerbread' Burrow
6. Yellow sky at night
6½. Something awful, dreadful and horrible
7. Lost . . .
8. . . . and found
8½. Crossed lines
9. Chinatown
10. Great-Great Aunt M. Murrumbidgee
11. Crackers, balloons and kites
12. 'Ah-roo-ah-roo-ah-roo'
12½. Welcome home
Published
by Book Club Associates by arrangement with Ernest Benn 1976
Jacket illustration by Barry Leith
CN 3182
Containing The Wombles At Work and The Wombles To The Rescue
"The Wombles of Wimbledon are now famous - something which makes Great Uncle Bulgaria very proud, although he would never admit it to the younger Wombles in case it went to their heads - and here, collected in one volume, are all their adventures from The Wombles At Work and The Wombles To The Rescue. These are some of the stories that made them firm favourites with children all over the world.
"There is the time they were living in Hyde Park, and the burrow was faced with the Great Pollution Problem; for as Great Uncle Bulgaria sensibly said, 'If we Wombles don't do something, I don't know what will happen'. But fighting Pollu is not all difficulties and danger, there is a lot of fun too, as Orinoco discovers a very special use for a giant mangle, and Wellington invents an amazing disappearing liquid, while Bungo decides that being a Womble is really the best thing of all.
"Back on Wimbledon Common, the Wombles find that there is a mysterious shortage of rubbish; but even without Great Uncle Bulgaria, the young Wombles are full of ideas. There is the oil-rig on Queen's Mere - which is perhaps not quite as successful as it might be - Orinoco's remarkable interview on television and above all, Cousin Botany's ambitious plans for a completely new food supply..."
Published
by Ward Lock Educational 1977, reprinted 1987
Adapted by Sheila Lane and Marion Kemp from the story by Elisabeth Beresford
Illustrations by Priscilla Lamont
ISBN 0 7062 3604 1
"The aim of Take Part books is to give children who are at a vital stage in their reading development the opportunity to get pleasurable experience and practice. Take Part reading books are so structured that children who are at different levels within this reading range can all read together, regardless of their chronological age. They are thus given not only a chance to develop their reading skills, but also valuable experience in collaborating with other children of different abilities and ages."
First
published by Puffin Books 1978
Illustrated by Edgar Hodges 1978
ISBN 0 14 03.1109 2
Published simultaneously in hardcover by Ernest Benn 1978
Based on Ian Shand's production of the film Wombling Free for Rank Film Distributors Limited. Written and directed by Lionel Jeffries, screenplay consultant Elisabeth Beresford.
"How can the Wombles, whose job it is to keep Earth tidy, persuade Human Beings that they really exist, and that their message about cleaning up the world is desperately important?"
Published
by Puffin Books (date unknown)
Illustrated by Margaret Gordon
ISBN 0 14 03.0857 1
"Here are five new stories about the Wombles' year - and a very full year it is too... There is always something happening, whether it's Orinoco trying to dodge an extra bit of tidying up on a hot summer's afternoon, or the Great Womble Excursion to the Channel Islands to give Great Uncle Bulgaria a much needed holiday. There are lots of things for you to do as well, as Wellington shows how to make an indoor garden, Tobermory demonstrates some practical magic and the MacWomble tells the secret of a very special old Womble recipe."
Stories:
Features:
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