Welcome to my comprehensive analysis of all English language Meccano Manuals published by Meccano Ltd in Liverpool from 1937 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 their 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 1937-69 taken from the manual Print Codes.
The Manuals are split into the following eras/sections:-
1. 1937 to Early 1941
2. Mid - Late 1941
3. 1945 to 1947
4. 1948 to 1953
5. 1954 to 1961
6. 1962 to 1969
7. 1970 to 1977
8. 1978 to 1981
9. 'Add-On' or 'Ancillary' Sets
10. Themed Sets
There is also a comprehensive search facility on all the manual models
Outstanding Manuals required for checking
I would like to borrow the following manuals to complete my analysis if anyone can lend them to me:-
1939 No.9/10 manual - Print code 13/1238/8(1P) ??
1941 Mechanised Army - Print code 15/341/4 ??
1980 Action Pack - Cosmic Raider
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
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 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 printed 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 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 Felguiras who has provided many of the manual and model scans.
You are visitor since 12 June 2010
Page last updated - 10 June 2010
© Timothy Edwards 2010