Cole's Funny Picture Book facts for kids
The Cole's Funny Picture Book No 1 (edition 48)
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| Author | E.W. Cole |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Victoriana, Humour, Children's, Australian |
| Publisher | Cole Publications |
| No. of books | 4 |
Cole's Funny Picture Book is a popular series of children's books. They are filled with fun puzzles, exciting stories, poems, and jokes. These books were first put together by E.W. Cole. They are also famous because of his amazing store, Cole's Book Arcade.
Contents
The First Funny Picture Book
E.W. Cole started a small business selling books in 1865. By 1873, he opened his famous book store, Cole's Book Arcade. This store had a special rainbow arch at the front. It became one of the most well-known shops in Melbourne, Australia. This was during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Publishing the First Book
The first Cole's Funny Picture Book came out in 1879. It sold for one shilling, which was a small amount of money back then. A thousand copies were sold that first Christmas!
The book was split into different "Lands" or themes. For example, there was "Girl Land" and "Picture Puzzle Land." The book also mentioned Cole's Book Arcade many times. It even showed E.W. Cole's ideas about what the future might look like.
How the Book Grew
The first edition of the book had only 62 pages. But it was printed again and again over the years. Each new version often had more content added. The famous Victorian puzzle pictures, which the book is known for, were added after the first few editions. By 1918, the book had grown to 230 pages. More than 400,000 copies had been printed by then!
Cole's Funny Picture Book No 2
It took a while for the second book to appear. E.W. Cole put together Cole's Funny Picture Book No 2 in 1909. This new book was sold alongside the first one.
Cole's Funny Picture Book No 3
E.W. Cole passed away in 1918. His famous Book Arcade closed its doors in 1929. But his daughter, Linda, and her husband made sure the books kept going.
A New Generation's Book
Linda's son, Cole Turnley, created the third book in 1951. This book was modern for its time. But it still felt like the original books.
This third book introduced a character called "Professor Cole." He was not a real person. He was just a fun character for the book.
The "New Century" Edition
A special "New Century" Edition of the third book came out in 1992. This version had brand new puzzles and other fun things inside.
Cole's Funny Picture Book No 4
Cole Turnley worked with his daughter, Merron Cullum, to make the fourth book. It was published in 1991. This book also kept the old-fashioned style. But it was also very modern.
The creators even joked about it. They said not to worry if some things seemed out of place. For example, the book suggested photocopying pages for car trips. This was a very modern idea for a "Victorian" style book!
What Was Inside
This fourth book brought back many ideas from the earlier books. It included:
- The "Whipping Machine" (a funny invention from the first book).
- "Professor Cole" from the third book.
- The "Land" chapter style from the very first book.
Other Fun Books by Cole
E.W. Cole wrote other books too. These included Cole's Fun Doctor and Cole's Music of the Bells. He also wrote books about gardening. After the fourth Funny Picture Book was successful, many of his other books were printed again. Some smaller puzzle books were also made. In 2013, a shorter and updated version of the original Funny Picture Book was released. It was called Cole's Funny Little Picture Book.
