*One left! To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Paddington Bear, we are proud to present the first ever signed limited edition fine-art collectable.

Limited to just 75 pieces world-wide, each hand-made and numbered three dimensional artwork, is signed by Paddington's creator Michael Bond.

ABOUT THE EDITION

The edition is comprised of 3 individual multi-dimensional layers of Fine Art heavyweight paper. Elements of artwork created from the original negative archived at the studio are printed on each layer, using the highest quality pigment ink. Each layer is hand cut and "plussed" to suit, compiled by Studio artists, and framed using conservation materials and techniques.

Alert!!!!

We know that Mr Gruber was very proud of this edition and Paddington Bear collectors got their paws on it very quickly indeed.

This really is something very special, and in our opinion something worth investing in as a lovely piece of heritage and Nostalgia.

There are only 75 pieces available, and we've already sold over two thirds of the edition.

Please take opportunity to secure your edition NOW.

PADDINGTON BEAR TM © Paddington and Co. Ltd. 2009

Image for illustration purposes. Actual edition may vary slightly due to individual finishing and plussing.

Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire, England on 13th January 1926. He was educated at Presentation College, Reading. During World War II Michael Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army.

He began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to a magazine called London Opinion. This experience helped him decide that he wanted to be a writer.

Michael Bond never thought of writing for children but, after producing a number of short stories and radio plays, his agent suggested that he adapt a television play for children.

His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 by William Collins & Sons (now HarperCollins Publishers). At the time, Michael Bond was working as a television cameraman for the BBC.

After the first Paddington book was accepted, Michael Bond went on to write a whole series and by 1967 his books were so successful that that he was able to give up his job with the BBC in order to become a full-time writer.

In 1997 Michael Bond was awarded to OBE for services to children’s literature. He is married with two adult children and lives in London, not far from Paddington Station.

We are delighted Michael has signed our 3D Paddington Scene Limited Edition to commemorate Paddington Bear's 50th Anniversary.

Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear,  recalls in his own words how Paddington first came into being:

"I bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956. I saw it left on a shelf in a London store and felt sorry for it. I took it home as a present for my wife Brenda and named it Paddington as we were living near Paddington Station at the time. I wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than with the idea of having them published. After ten days I found that I had a book on my hands. It wasn’t written specifically for children, but I think I put into it the kind things I liked reading about when I was young."

Michael Bond sent the book to his agent, Harvey Unna, who liked it and after sending to to several publishers it was eventually accepted by William Collins & Sons (now Harper Collins). The publishers commissioned an illustrator, Peggy Fortnum, and the very first Paddington book "A Bear Called Paddington" was published on 13th October 1958.

In 1965, after writing several Paddington titles Michael Bond retired from his job as a cameraman with the BBC, a job he held for many years, in order to write full time.

Of Paddington himself Michael Bond says:

"The great advantage of having a bear as a central character is that he can combine the innocence of a child with the sophistication of an adult. Paddington is not the sort of bear that would ever go to the moon - he has his paws too firmly on the ground for that. He gets involved in everyday situations. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and doesn't take kindly to the red tape bureaucracy of the sillier rules and regulations with which we humans surround ourselves. As a bear he gets away with things. Paddington is humanised, but he couldn't possibly be 'human'. It just wouldn't work."

The Paddington books have sold more than thirty-five million copies worldwide and have been translated into over forty languages.

Michael Bond continues:

"I am constantly surprised by all the translations because I thought that Paddington was essentially an English character. Obviously Paddington-type situations happen all over the world."