What a corking find – it’s the first Dandy!
THOUSANDS OF children once eagerly awaited their weekly fix of The Dandy.
Now a national library is celebrating after finding a firstever copy of the comic, which sold for 2p in December 1937.
The National Library of Scotland has acquired one of only a few copies of the first edition still known to be in existence. The comic had 28 pages and sold 480,000 copies.
General Collections Curator Ian Scott said: “In many ways, it was the first modern British comic, and should be of great interest to anyone researching popular literature.
“Today, it is estimated there are only around 20 copies of the first edition known to be in existence. Which makes this copy one of the rarest items in the library’s collections.
“We were pleased to add this rare first edition to our holdings – ensuring its preservation for future generations. We’re actively filling the gaps in our holdings of British comics and annuals.” There are a few missing Dandys, from 1937 up until the 1970s.
The first edition was edited by 25-year-old Albert Barnes, who remained as editor until he retired 45 years later in 1982. He had a large chin, which led many to speculate that his was the inspiration for the jawline of Desperate Dan, the most famous Dandy character.
Other characters in the first edition included Korky the Cat. It was the first time most readers had ever seen dialogue contained in speech bubbles – up until then, dialogue was mostly found in the text below the illustrations.
In many ways, it was the first modern British comic. Ian Scott, from The National Library of Scotland.