How and Why Wonder Books

How and Why Wonder Books was a large-format illustrated educational book series created for children and young teenagers. The books presented introductory material on science, natural history, technology, geography, and history in an accessible combination of short explanatory text, diagrams, paintings, photographs, captions, and question-and-answer material. The series was designed to make reference-style learning attractive to younger readers rather than to function as a narrowly defined school textbook collection. The series began in the United States in 1960 under the editorial supervision of Paul E. Blackwood of the Office of Education at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Publication was handled by Wonder Books, Inc., a division of Grosset & Dunlap. The first launch consisted of six titles, but the range expanded as the series gained popularity. The principal American run ultimately comprised 74 unique titles, although the consecutive numbering system contains gaps and several earlier books were later revised and reissued under new titles or numbers. Most American editions were softcover books measuring approximately 8.5 by 11 inches and containing 48 pages. The principal exception was The Environment and You, which contained 64 pages. Selected titles were also issued in hardcover trade or library editions, with numbering systems different from those used for the softcovers. The books were generally identified by a series number beginning at 5001. Early issues from the 1960s commonly used painted illustrated covers, while many reprints from the 1970s adopted photographic covers. These changes, together with revised interiors and altered titles, make the series important to collectors as well as to readers. The American sequence included subjects such as Dinosaurs, Weather, Electricity, Rocks and Minerals, Rockets and Missiles, Stars, The Human Body, Mathematics, Chemistry, Flight, The Civil War, World War II, Oceanography, Ecology, Extinct Animals, and Fossils. Several early titles were effectively replaced by later editions: for example, the original Stars volume was followed by a later Stars edition, while Flight, Ships, Fish, The Moon, and Railroads were represented by revised or renamed issues. The missing numbers 5074 and 5075 became a recurring point of interest for collectors, since they were not used for regular How and Why Wonder Book volumes. The brand later passed into additional publishing programs. Price Stern Sloan issued many existing titles with new covers and introduced further subjects, including Space, Solar System, Living Things, Planet Earth, Motorcycles, Automobiles, Ships and Submarines, Robots, Radiation, and Aircraft. The same publisher also produced How and Why Activity Wonder Books containing puzzles, mazes, games, and other activities connected with subjects such as Dinosaurs, Cats, Human Body, Insects, Sharks, Space, and Wild Animals. How and Why Wonder Books also developed an international publishing presence. Transworld Publishers issued a substantial United Kingdom series with its own numbering system, revised texts, regional adaptations, and additional British or European subjects such as The Tower of London, Castles, Kings and Queens, Ancient Rome, Parliament, and the Arab World. Transworld also released Bumper Wonder Books containing quizzes, jokes, puzzles, and facts. Translations or adaptations appeared in Dutch, German, and Spanish. The German version, published by Tessloff Verlag under the Was ist was name, became a particularly significant related educational publishing line and later expanded into other media. Spanish editions were published by Editorial Molino under Cómo y por qué, while Dutch editions were issued by Zuid-Nederlandse Uitgeverij. The series is now primarily encountered as a historical children's reference-book brand and as a collectible publishing line.

The How and Why Wonder Books series was introduced in the United States in 1960 as an illustrated educational reference program for younger readers. Editorial supervision was associated with Paul E. Blackwood of the U.S. Office of Education within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Wonder Books, Inc., a Grosset & Dunlap division, published the books. The initial program contained six titles, but the publisher expanded it over time to cover a broad range of scientific, historical, geographic, and technological subjects. The standard American format was a large softcover volume of approximately 8.5 by 11 inches with 48 pages. The Environment and You was a longer exception at 64 pages. Some titles were also made available as hardcover trade or library editions. American softcovers were assigned numbers beginning with 5001, while hardcover editions used a separate numbering system. The books were commonly titled with the formula The How and Why Wonder Book of followed by the subject. The series underwent repeated revision. Six early entries were later represented by revised or renamed editions: Stars, Flight, Fish, Ships, The Moon, and Railroads. Revised content and new cover designs mean that books with identical or closely related subjects are not necessarily identical editions. The first 69 books were associated with painted illustrated covers during the 1960s. During the 1970s, many reprints changed to photographic covers. Several late American titles, including Ecology, Extinct Animals, Snakes, and Fossils, were issued only with photographic covers, whereas The Environment and You retained a painted-cover presentation despite its later publication. The numbering sequence ended with unexplained gaps at 5074 and 5075. These numbers were not used for regular volumes in the series. The program's American list is generally described as containing 74 unique titles, even though reissues and numbering changes complicate the count. The final listed American title in the core sequence was Fossils. Price Stern Sloan subsequently took over or continued publication of the line. It reissued existing titles with updated covers and added subjects that reflected newer interests, including Space, the Solar System, Living Things, Planet Earth, Motorcycles, Automobiles, Ships and Submarines, Robots, Radiation, and Aircraft. It also created How and Why Activity Wonder Books, which adapted the educational concept into puzzle, maze, quiz, and game formats. A parallel British program was published by Transworld Publishers in London. UK editions generally resembled the American books but used a different numbering sequence beginning at 6501. Some received revised text or distinct cover art to reflect British and European contexts. Transworld also added subjects not found in the core American list, including The Tower of London, Castles, Ancient Rome, Kings and Queens, Parliament, Volcanoes, Heraldry, Deep Sea, and The Arab World. Two Bumper Wonder Books used material from the series for recreational quizzes, jokes, puzzles, and facts. Many UK editions advertised a collector's binder intended to hold twelve books. The books were translated and adapted for other markets. Zuid-Nederlandse Uitgeverij published Dutch versions in Belgium under Hoe en Waarom and related formulations. Tessloff Verlag published German versions beginning in 1961 under the Was ist was title, a related line that later expanded into audio and video formats. Editorial Molino published Spanish hardcover versions in Barcelona under Cómo y por qué from 1961 into the 1980s. The series therefore operated not only as a US children's-book imprint but also as a model for international popular-science and general-knowledge publishing. The books were produced by many writers, illustrators, and photographers rather than by a single permanent creative team. Contributors included Darlene Geis, George Bonsall, Jerome J. Notkin, Sidney Gulkin, Clayton Knight, Ronald Rood, Felix Sutton, Donald Barr, Earl Schenck Miers, Esther Harris Highland, Lee Wyndham, and other authors. Artists and photographers included Kenyon Shannon, George Pay, Robert Patterson, Darrell Sweet, Ned Smith, George J. Zaffo, Tony Tallarico, Leonard Vosburgh, and others. Today, the brand is chiefly significant as a mid-century and later children's educational publishing series, with continuing interest from collectors and readers of vintage illustrated reference books.

• 1980

  Price Stern Sloan adds new formats and subjects

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Price Stern Sloan continued the line with revised editions, new subjects, and activity-book spin-offs.

• 1970

  Photographic covers become common

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Many later reprints shifted from the painted-cover style used for early volumes to photographic covers.

• 1961

  German editions begin

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Tessloff Verlag began publishing German adaptations under the Was ist was title.

• 1961

  Spanish editions begin

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Editorial Molino began issuing Spanish hardcover adaptations under Cómo y por qué.

• 1960

  Series launched in the United States

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Wonder Books began publishing the How and Why Wonder Books series, initially with six titles, under editorial supervision associated with Paul E. Blackwood.

• 1960

  UK publication expands the series

  [1]How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Transworld Publishers issued a British series with separate numbering, regional revisions, and additional titles.

Accessible, visually engaging general-interest education for children and young teenagers, combining introductory science, history, technology, and natural-history content with collectible illustrated book design.

• Children's educational reference books · 1960

  Core American How and Why Wonder Books

  The principal US series consisted of 74 unique illustrated titles covering science, natural history, technology, geography, and history. Standard softcover volumes were generally 48 pages and used consecutive series numbers beginning at 5001. Selected books were also produced in hardcover trade or library editions. Revisions, renamed subjects, and changes in cover design created multiple collectible editions.

• Children's activity books

  How and Why Activity Wonder Books

  Price Stern Sloan produced activity-oriented companion books using familiar How and Why subjects. Rather than presenting only reference material, these books incorporated puzzles, mazes, quizzes, and games related to topics such as Dinosaurs, Beginning Science, Insects, Human Body, Rocks and Minerals, Sharks, Space, and Wild Animals.

• International educational book series

  UK Transworld editions

  Transworld's UK editions generally reused the American concept and much of its content but employed an independent numbering system beginning at 6501. Some volumes received British or European revisions, distinct covers, or new subjects such as The Tower of London, Castles, Ancient Rome, Parliament, and Heraldry.

• Quiz and activity books

  Bumper Wonder Books

  Transworld published two Bumper Wonder Books that repurposed subject matter and imagery from the wider series into puzzles, quizzes, jokes, and fact-based entertainment. They were numbered 6584 and 6593 in the UK sequence.

• 1980

  Expansion into activity books and new subjectsStrategy

  Background

  Price Stern Sloan continued the brand after the main Grosset & Dunlap-era program and broadened its appeal.

  Action taken

  The publisher issued updated editions, added subjects such as Space, Automobiles, Motorcycles, Radiation, and Aircraft, and launched activity-book formats.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued into later decades in revised and activity-oriented forms.

  Source

• 1970

  Shift from painted to photographic coversGeneration change

  Background

  Later reprints were distinguished from many 1960s editions by a change in cover treatment.

  Action taken

  The publisher moved many titles from illustrated painted covers to photographic covers, while some late titles were produced only in the newer style.

  Aftermath

  The change created visually distinct editions and became an important feature for collectors.

  Source

1. 1How and Why Wonder Booksen.wikipedia.org