Analysis of Meccano Manuals

1928 - 1981

Site last updated - 28th November 2011 - Click here for details

Welcome to my comprehensive analysis of all English language Meccano Manuals published by Meccano Ltd in Liverpool from 1928 to 1981. Note that because from 1962 all manuals were multi-lingual, it covers all manuals from that date. It is the intention in the future to extend this website to include manuals from previous eras.

It is logically split up into the various sections, denoting when there were major changes to the Meccano Outfits and/or Manuals.

The following information is given for the manuals for each era:-
1. Overview of the manuals of that era.
2. Data on the manuals, including dates, print codes and details of the pagination.
3. List of all changes to the manuals during each era.
4. Pictures of the front and rear covers of the manuals.
5. List of all the models in the manuals of that era together with pictures of every model and the page numbers on which they appear.
6. Approximate quantities of manuals printed for 1928-69 taken from the manual Print Codes.

The Manuals are split into the following eras/sections:-

1928 to 1935 ** NEW **
1934 to 1937 ** NEW **
1937 to Early 1941
Mid - Late 1941
1945 to 1947
1948 to 1953
1954 to 1961
1962 to 1969
1970 to 1977
1978 to 1981
'Add-On' or 'Ancillary' Sets (e.g. Elektrikit, Gears, Mechanisms
Themed Sets (e.g. Army, Crane, Highway etc.
Other - Pre-war non outfit manuals (SML's, Standard Mechanisms, Books of New Models, Steam Engine etc.) ** NEW **

There is also a comprehensive search facility on all the manual models

Confirmation of Existence of Manuals

There are a number of manuals that I require confirmation of their existence:-
These are identified in red in the manual lists
If you have genuine copies of any of these manuals I would appreciate it if you could inform me so that I can update the information. If possible it would also be appreciated if you could let me have a scan of the manual.

It is my intention to try and make this website as accurate and comprehensive as possible. Therefore please inform me of any errors or omissions that you discover. In particular information on manuals or changes during an era not included will be gratefully received.

Print Codes / References

Up until the late 1960`s all manuals (and other literature) had a Print Code in the following format:-
'pp/mmyy/nn' - Where:-
'pp' - Reference number of the printer's who printed the manual - This is '13' for most manuals except 'Gears'.
'mmyy' - The month and year of the printing
'nn' - The number of copies printed in thousands
Note that pre 1930 manuals and some 1962-9 manuals omit the printer's reference number and just show the printing date and print quantity

From the late 1960`s all manuals instead had a Print Reference, which was same for all the printings of a particular manual. Note that many 1960`s manuals had both a print Code and a Print Reference. The first manuals known with only a Print Reference are the No.9 outfit leaflets issued in 1962. The last manuals with a Print Code were issued during 1969.

As the Print Reference did not show the printing date, dating these manuals can be very difficult. However in the period 1970-2, Meccano Ltd changed their name several times. In addition from 1973 the manuals also had a copyright date. Both these things help to determine the year of printing. The biggest problem is in dating those 1960`s manuals which only have a Print Reference - e.g. Play-Set manuals.

I have tried to make the website as printer friendly as possible.

The comprehensive lists of manual print codes that are on this website are included by kind permission of Clive Weston.

Grateful thanks also go to Clive Weston who sourced rare manuals for inclusion in this analysis and to Oscar Felgueiras who has provided many of the manual and model scans.

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Page last updated - 10 November 2011