Merrythought Teddy Bears by Kathy Martin, foreword by Gyles Brandreth

When the closure of Merrythought, Britain’s longest-running teddy bear manufacturer, was announced in 2006 there was a public outcry. The designs of this much-loved company had been entrancing children and adults alike since its foundation in 1930 when Florence Attwood designed the first bears. Thankfully, its highly publicised rebirth has ensured a new generation of collectors will benefit from its beautiful quality teddy bears.

Now, in the first study of its kind, leading teddy bear expert Kathy Martin** tells the story of the firm’s success and near demise, and introduces the designers who worked for Merrythought, as well as revealing the most collectable of their much-loved bears. The book starts with a timeline of teddy bear history, setting the firm’s history in context before setting out the biography both of Merrythought and those associated with the famous company. Kathy’s meticulous research reveals new information about this inherently British company, including how it got its name.

The book also offers advice on how to recognise and date Merrythought bears, how to spot fakes, repairing and cleaning bears, plus a glossary of teddy terms and several directories including stockists of new and vintage Merrythought. There’s even a section on Merrythought’s other soft toys for those who want to collect across the range.

This must-read book will appeal to Merrythought and teddy bear collectors and dealers, those who loved their childhood teddies and indeed anyone interested in the history of the great British toy company.

About the author
**Kathy Martin has collected teddy bears for over twenty years and has written extensively about them for more than a decade. She has been Collect It’s leading teddy bear authority since 2001 and is former Editor of Teddy Bear Scene and Teddy Bear Times magazines. Her first book, A Collectible History of the Teddy Bear, sold worldwide and was translated into German and Dutch. Her next book, Farnell Teddy Bears, will be published by Remember When next year.