#Usborne

[dashdotshows]

[start id: a black and white drawing cropped from p.29 of the Usborne Guide to Computer and Video Games (1982). The image shows a chessboard with lights and mechanical arm built in.

Image caption reads: "The robot arm on this chess-board makes all the computer's moves, and removes your pieces when the computer captures them. If the computer loses the game, it flings its arm about, flashes its lights and shrieks." end id.]

I assumed this emotionally dysregulated chess robot was just a 1980s fever dream, but apparently it exists, and glories in the name of "The Novag Robot Adversary":

Quoth the gorgeously Web 1.0 (but still updating in 2023?!) Chess Computer UK:

The Novag Robot Adversary is the most iconic of chess computers. There are several reasons. Firstly, for a product of 1982, its startling futuristic appearance. Secondly the robot arm which in terms of robotic character, comparative speed and range of movement is extraordinary for a consumer product. Thirdly the variety of functions - including autoplay, automatic setting up of the pieces for a new game, trace and review, best move, sound, lights, printer support, and not forgetting the tantrums produced by the ‘emotions’ button which involve waving of the arm, flashing lights and noisy sound. These functions all contribute towards a very impressive and entertaining machine, which was outstanding when it was first sold, and has not been bettered since.

That page also has videos of the machine in action, including this heart-rending footage of it losing its shit:

I am inordinately happy to learn about this.

[a-book-of-creatures]

Posting this because I reblogged something about Usborne Books and apparently most people seem to associate Usborne with lift-the-flap books for preschoolers.

Which is weird because to me as a child Usborne books were some of the spookiest books I could get my hands on. They filled the same place as Dorling Kindersley - colorful, creative, informative books that were educational as well as fun to read. And their approach to myths and legends was, not going to lie, very formative for me. If it wasnt' for Usborne, there might not have been ABC.

And much like Dorling Kindersley, Usborne went through a phase of extreme creative experimentation before stagnating into safer forms of publishing. But for a while, Usborne books were mindblowing.

So what has Usborne done then that aren't lift-the-flap books for preschoolers? Well, a lot. Puzzle Adventures. Extreme map and code puzzles. How to Draw Books. Cut-out and build houses, Trojan horses, and dinosaurs (by Luis Rey no less). How to Be A Detective. Nature spotter's guides. Nature Search books. Facts and Lists books that instilled cosmic horror in me years before I knew what cosmic horror was. I could go on forever.

There was a series of excellent myths and legends books which I posted about before.

These were illustrated by Rodney Matthews and were every bit as metal as you'd expect from something by Rodney frickin' Matthews.

Then there were the Quest books which were Where's Waldo-esque books that followed a storyline in a fantasy world.

In this case, they showcased lush art by Nick Harris in which you find various items or characters to make the story progress, as well as other random things (find 10 rats, find 8 clownfishes, etc).

The Tabloid Histories books, oh my gosh.

Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Medieval, etc. history told through tabloid articles and ads.

More about monsters though! There were books about folktales and legends illustrated by Stephen Cartwright.

For me it was my first time hearing of a lot of them, such as the Lambton Worm!

The Haunted World, now that was spooky! With lots of colorful, dripping art by Graham Humphreys.

Introduced me to a lot of ghosts, vampires, and monsters from around the world. Such as the story of Arnold Paole!

And there were maps and diagrams...

... and lindorns [sic] and mokele-mbembes!

The Supernatural Guides had denser text but sadly have not been reprinted anytime recently.

The World of the Unknown series, though... ohohoho those were good.

Of course (no offense to fans of ghosts and UFOs), I had eyes only for the Monsters book. With such gems as the Velue...

... the Lambton Worm...

... and cryptozoological rubbish such as the Monongahela sea serpent (below), the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, and their ilk.

You know, the sort of thing that would keep a 7-year-old fascinated (and perhaps scared under the blankets) for weeks.

Anyway, yeah I just really love Usborne books. Or at least what they used to be.

[science70]

“A House of the Future” from The Usborne Book of the Future by Kenneth Gatland & David Jefferis (Usborne, 1979).

[vintagerpg]

The truth is out there! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at the strange world of the unknown. We chat about a bunch of books (like Time/Life’s Mysteries of the Unknown) and television shows (somehow In Search Of didn’t come up?), and how the “Unknown” as a topic seemed to have wafted away or transmogrified into “New Age” at the turn of the millennium. And then we get to the main course, Adam Allsuch Boardman’s glorious Illustrated History of Ghosts and Illustrated History of UFOs. Hopefully these recent and gorgeous books mark the start of an Unknown revival!

[fitsofgloom]

We Are Spirits In The Material World

[pedanther]

Throwing this out there while people are still talking about what a shame it is there aren't more stories about cowboys vs. vampires...

When I was young, I remember reading a book that I wish I could find again. I think it might have been published by Usborne, from what I remember of the art style, they did a lot of children's books in the 1980s with that art style, and it was about... actually, I don't remember what the whole book was about, but it must have been folklore about supernatural monsters or something along those lines.

What I remember is that there was one particular page that was about silver and how it was supposed to have power against werewolves and vampires and so on, in various forms including silver bullets, and there was an aside about how the Lone Ranger also used silver bullets although possibly not for the same reason.

And what really stuck in my head was the illustration, which was a cartoon of a cowboy with his six-shooter drawn and pointed at a vampire, and saying something along the lines of: "Make one wrong move and I'll fill you full of silver!"

[picturebookshelf]

Finding Out About: Things That Go (1980)

Text: Eliot Humberstone -- Art: Basil Arm, Louise Nevett, Etic Smart, Graham Smith, Clive Spong, Mike Roffe, Gordon Wylie & Guy Smith

[boocook]

I made a model of the Kelley-Hopkinsville orange goblin alien as seen in the classic Usborne book of UFOs from the 70’s. These little bastids really freaked me out when I was 5 and I had an incredibly vivid dream where they invaded my house and killed my Dad. The trauma lingers to this very day so I thought I’d try and exorcise it in 3D form… #alien #ufo #orangegoblin #goblin #hopkinsville #usborne #70sbooks #hellier #kentucky #bastids https://www.instagram.com/p/Cld3w-zsaI6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fandomfansie]

If Tom from Sandy Lane Stables met Lisa from the Saddle Club:

Tom: So, you’re the most popular character from your series? And you got a TV show, right?

Lisa: Yeah, my book series sucks but my TV show was awesome even if I was the punching bag.

Tom: That’s what we popular characters tend to go through. I got knocked unconscious in my first book and got appendicitis in my second.

Lisa: Oh, yeah, I had appendicitis, too, almost died and it sucked. I also got bitten by a venomous snake and almost died, got embarrassed by my little sister all the time, was treated like shit by my mom, and was knocked into a coma, all in the first season. So yeah, not that big of a deal.

Tom, visibly horrified: I’m sorry what the

FUCK

Is wrong with your writers

[skatoonyfan1234]

'The next second, Coral was back in the sea. She had a tail instead of legs - and so did Dan!'

(All copyrights to their respective owners)

[a-book-of-creatures]

Rodney Matthews illustrated the Usborne books Greek and Norse Legends and Tales of King Arthur. They are fondly remembered to this day as some of the most metal retellings of legends in existence.

[finns-drafts]

I love reading kids versions of Greek myths because rn I’m reading the ‘kid friendly’ ver of The Odyssey and 2 PAGES IN they say, and I quote:

“Even though Hermes was a god, who spent his days with beautiful goddesses”

BITCH hWHAT

GODDESSES?!?

has Usborne ever read a Greek myth with Hermes in it

[solitairefreak]

The World of the Unknown: Ghosts

[thegirlwiththelantern]

2023 Children's and Middle Grade Releases

From perfect summer reads to poetry and a touch of nonfiction, there’s a lot to be excited about this year! As a note, the release dates and publishers are included for ease of navigating. I am Scottish and these reflect accordingly. Teddy’s Midnight Adventure by Yoko Mori, tr. [uncredited] | 02/02/23 Pushkin Press On a magical moonlit night, Akiko and her Teddy look for his missing button eye.…

[childrenbooksvulinh]

Nhà xuất bản Usborne: NXB sách thiếu nhi hàng đầu thế giới

Usborne là một trong những nhà xuất bản sách vô cùng nổi tiếng và lâu đời dành cho trẻ em, với xuất phát điểm là một doanh nghiệp gia đình. Chúng ta bắt gặp rất nhiều sách dành cho thiếu nhi trên thị trường hiện nay là của nhà xuất bản nổi tiếng này. Các dòng sách của Usborne được chia theo độ tuổi, thể loại, các chủ đề và series phổ biến. Trong đó, các đầu sách trải dài từ trẻ sơ sinh cho đến trẻ 13+, được chia một cách khoa học và đa dạng.

Được lấy tên từ Peter Usborne - người sáng lập và Giám đốc điều hành, NXB Usborne đã bắt đầu ra mắt từ năm 1973, ngay khi Peter Usborne biết mình sắp làm cha. Ông được xem là đã cách mạng hoá giới xuất bản sách thiếu nhi thông qua công ty riêng của mình, đi tiên phong trong dòng sách minh hoạ mới, hấp dẫn, sáng tạo dành cho trẻ em.

Sau 50 năm xây dựng và phát triển, NXB Usborne đã trở thành một trong những nhà sách thiếu nhi hàng đầu trên thế giới. Sách của thương hiệu này được đông đảo phụ huynh tin tưởng lựa chọn cho con. Hãng này xuất bản dưới nhiều thứ tiếng trên toàn thế giới như Pháp, Đức, Ý, Hàn Quốc, Hà Lan, Tây Ban Nha, Bồ Đào Nha Brazil, Catalan và Trung Quốc, và tiếng Anh.

https://thebookland.vn/blog/nha-xuat-ban-usborne-nxb-sach-thieu-nhi-hang-dau-the-gioi