'The Adventures of Rupert, The Little Lost Bear', by Mary Tourtel -
the first Rupert Bear book, published 1921 by Thomas Nelson & Sons.
(Courtesy of Hamer 20th Century Books, Worksop)
Mary Tourtel was the creator of 'Rupert Bear'. Although she was wife of the Express newspaper's night news editor, Herbert Tourtel, it wasn't simply a case of nepotism. When all attempts to find an animal character that would enable the Express to counter its Fleet Street rivals had failed, she came to the rescue with the furry bear. A trained artist, particularly skilled in the depiction of animals, she was already established as an illustrator of children's books.
