Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 

Introduced by Anne Brichto and Emma Balch 

A customer in the shop this week found this beautiful copy of an early Puffin edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory priced by [Addyman’s co-owner] Derek for £3.00. It is so clean I would have put more on it. Still I’m pleased it went to a Instagram follower. Follow Anne on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/addymanbooks

For children today, Roald Dahl’s books and Quentin Blake‘s illustrations are inextricably linked. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, probably Dahl’s most famous book, was first published in 1964, over thirty years before it was first illustrated by Quentin Blake.

How do illustrations change our reading of children’s books? Do they help or hinder the imagination? Would we react differently to the characters if they were illustrated differently – or not at all? Send your thoughts to thestoryofbooks@gmail.com or post a comment below.