The Adventures of Sammy The Shunter

Three Books

by Eileen Gibb

1970s Editions - Published by Ian Allan

Sammy the Shunter is a 2-4-2T locomotive, painted red with green wheels and a yellow dome who lives in the fictional town of Sleeping Sunbury in England. The series of books tell of Sammy's adventures all over the world.

Eileen Gibb, born in 1911, married into a family of railway enthusiasts. Her husband, John Terrance Holder, was the son of John Alexander Holder, who was a founder director of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. John junior served an apprenticeship as an engine driver on that railway before later becoming a sales manager and eventually a director for the publisher Ian Allan, which specialised in books about transport, especially trains.

Coming from this background of rail enthusiasts and perhaps inspired by the success of the Thomas the Tank engine stories which had started to appear just a few years earlier, Eileen began writing the adventures of Sammy the Shunter in 1949. Given her husband's connections, it was no surprise that she found a willing publisher in Ian Allan.

This lot comprises three books from the series:

No. 1 - Sammy Gets Streamlined (1949)

No. 5 - Sammy Goes to Fairyland (1952)

No. 8 - Sammy Joins the Scouts (1955) 

These editions, still published by Ian Allan, date from the early 1970s.

Good used condition. Some minor fraying to spines and corrosion around staples, and some discolouration and spotting to pages. Two books have owner's name inscribed inside front cover. See photos for clearer indication of condition - all photos show actual item.